Whistleblowers, do not falter!
Blow those whistles! Sound the alarm!
Although your silence might be safer,
Ultimately, it does more harm.

Whistleblowers, keep exposing
Malfeasance where it occurs.
Even though you have to face
All the wrongdoers' smears and slurs.

Whistleblowers, point out corruption,
Abuse of power, fraud, deceit,
And widespread hypocrisy.
Apply some pressure; turn up the heat.

Whistleblowers, do not fear
Corrupt leaders who call you spies
Merely because you reveal
Their deceptive behavior and lies.

Whistleblowers, be for us
Courageous ones who do what's right.
Let the truth saturate
The findings that you bring to light.

Whistleblowers, do not falter!
Blow those whistles! Sound the alarm!
Although your silence might be safer,
Ultimately, it does more harm.

-by Bob B (9-28-19)

Phone calls and cover-ups…
Word to the wise:
Be on the look-out
For secrets and lies.

Betrayal of values…
Truths bite the dust
When a leader
Is one you can't trust.

Mob boss presidents
Running the show…
O how they love
To use quid pro quo!

Oath of office…
A meaningless pledge
For someone who's gone
Over the edge.

Empty promises,
Blame and threats…
What a monster
Corruption begets!

Snake oil for sale…
Ready to try some?
The president
Wants you to buy some.

A false leader,
Stirring up haters,
Says whistleblowers
Are nothing but traitors.

Democracy,
When under attack,
Suffers unless
The people push back.

Phone calls and cover-ups…
Word to the wise:
Be on the look-out
For secrets and lies.

-by Bob B (9-27-19)

Finally, you did it, Congress!
WHAT took you so long?
For almost three years you've dealt with a man
Who doesn't know right from wrong.

Lying to us and abusing his power
Since day number one,
The man has wreaked inordinate damage.
Can it be undone?

Asking a foreign power for help
To win the next election
Shows how his impropriety
Is carried out to perfection.

Of course he'll scream, "Witch hunt! Witch hunt!"
That's his usual ploy.
He'll play the martyr to his fans
And be the whipping boy.

His team's composed of so many lackeys
Nearly as base as he
Who are willing to lie to protect him
To the nth degree.

Some people were slow to come
On board the impeachment train.
Now the momentum ought to be
Easy to sustain.

Will Trump receive support from his toadies
In Congress? You bet he will.
Although they’ve drunk the Kool-Aid, they
Haven’t had their fill.

There are members of Congress who
Never will condemn
Trump’s devious behavior! Well,
Shame on all of them!

Hop on board the train when it
Reaches the nearest station.
It’s for the sake of all of us that
It reach its destination!

-by Bob B (9-26-19)

DJT:
Oh, look and you'll see that the Chosen One's me.
I just know I'll prevail 'cause my base does what I say.
Regulations must go, and my critics will see
That my tax returns will never see the light of day.
And I'll protect the rights that I've kept in my sights:
Breaks for the wealthy and more favors for whites.
I'll defy any who criticize my ways,
For I crave people's respect, and I want tons of praise.

Oh, look at me now and at all that I've done.
All the fake news won't say just how popular I've been.
Oh, worldwide I'm loved; they say I'm number one.
What's the problem if I make a few bucks now and then?
The emoluments clause is one of those laws,
That only restricts and is loaded with flaws.
I'll defy any who criticize my ways,
For I crave people's respect, and I want tons of praise.

You can call me a star; better yet, if you please,
You can call me your king, but the Second Coming's fine.
Just the thought gives me bliss, makes me weak at the knees.
I will do what I want; I think power's so divine.
So to boost my campaign, no way will I refrain
From making some calls to get help from Ukraine.
I'll defy any who criticize my ways,
For I crave people's respect, and I want tons of praise.

I might lie, cheat, and steal if they are a must.
My power's not up for grabs, and to keep it I must fight.
I will strive to defend all the rich upper crust.
I will sabotage all congressional oversight.
I'll create so much fear and I'll be so severe
That immigrants won't even dare to come here.
I'll defy any who criticize my ways,
For I crave people's respect, and I want tons of praise.

-by Bob B (9-24-19)

The Dems duked it out last week.
The Democratic debate number three.
At the current time we have
Quite a political potpourri.

Cory Booker had his moments
Of passionate insight, charm, and wit.
Although his polling numbers are down,
Booker showed that he's got grit.

Klobuchar's our Minnesotan.
While sometimes others appear misguided,
She reminds us all what happens
To any house that is divided.

Warren has her plan for this
And her plan for that, which is fine.
Can she keep up the fight and maintain
The strength to toe the party line?

Harris displayed pluck and resolve.
When she speaks, she's on fire.
It's just curious as to why
Her polling numbers are not higher.

One surprise was Beto O'Rourke.
Beto fans have to rejoice:
This prospective candidate
Has all of a sudden found his voice.

Without a doubt, one of the best
Speakers standing there on the stage
Was our veteran Mayor Pete,
Extremely wise for someone his age.

Although Biden is high in the polling,
At times his answers seem disjointed.
I start with high expectations,
But end up feeling disappointed.

Castro went after Joe Biden.
But sadly Castro's condemnation
Appeared to come less from strength
And more out of desperation.

Yang has managed to keep afloat.
But what's this crazy idea he has
About wanting to buy your vote?
A little political razzmatazz?

Bernie, well…Bernie's Bernie.
But why does he have to be so gruff?
After his rants, one wants to say,
"Enough already, Bernie, enough!"

It's early still and hard to know
Who will advance and who will flop.
But I would vote for ANYONE
Over the current man at the top!

-by Bob B (9-15-19)

A university professor
Wanted to learn more about Zen,
A subject that he had never paid
Much attention to till then.

Of course, he had read many books
Explaining the various Buddhist sects
And figured that his overall knowledge
Would help him with Zen in many respects.

Meeting with the Zen master
Of a local Buddhist temple, he
Watched without speaking as
The master poured him a cup of tea.

The knowledge-hungry professor sat
Quietly, mentally exploring
The meeting room, while the sage
Sat before him, pouring and pouring.

Soon the cup was overflowing.
"Sensei,°° when are you going to quit
Pouring tea into the cup?
It's full; no more tea will fit,"

Said the professor. The master looked
At the young professor and calmly said,
"Like this cup, you are full
Of preconceptions in your head.

"You have read and studied a lot;
On many subjects, you're well versed.
But how can I show you Zen
Unless you empty YOUR cup first?"

-by Bob B (9-11-19)

°An old Zen anecdote retold here in verse
°°teacher

Madness pervades Trumplandia
As Donald Trump basks in delusion.
Lies to cover up other untruths
Are being told in mass profusion.

Cover-ups require deceit.
We can observe how they smother
The truth, for daily we are seeing
One cover-up after another.

When Trump is wrong, heaven forbid
That he admit his gaffe or mistake!
His violent storm of lies will leave
Mass confusion in its wake.

To rally support, he needs his team
Of sycophants to back his tales,
Which looks even more absurd.
The man has clearly gone off the rails.

Then he calls his henchmen forth
To use all their ammunition
To pressure officials in agencies
To lie for Trump or lose their position.

All the corruption, all the abuse
Of power is madness in every sense.
The president is living out
His fantasies at OUR expense.

Investigative journalists
Seeking the truth, in Trump's eyes,
Are the enemy of us the people
When they point out all his lies.

The TRUTH will be HIS nemesis
Instead of being OUR enemy,
For when more people's eyes are opened,
The truth is what will set us free.

-Bob B (9-10-19)