Hey, I've made it to 900!
That's a lot from what I've been told.
But first, let me be very clear:
I don't mean 900 years old!

Nine hundred means 900 poems--
Poems I've "published" online so far.
The topics vary from poem to poem
As I expand my repertoire.

People ask me why I do it.
It just became a way to express
My feelings about the world around me--
A personal challenge, more or less.

When people don't like my style and imply
It's THEIR way or the highway,
I say, "You write in YOUR manner;
I'LL write my poems MY way."

What will inspire me next? Who knows?
I call on my Muse for inspiration,
To help me articulate my thoughts
Without seeking approbation.

I like music--songs and ballads--
And often write poems that can be sung.
And though I know a few languages,
I always write in my mother tongue.

Politics I find intriguing;
Thus, I often feel compelled
To let my poems comment on life
And not to let my voice be quelled.

Of course, that gets me in trouble sometimes,
Especially when I arouse
People's ire by commenting on
Or criticizing their sacred cows.

I’d like to say that writing's a breeze,
But, no, that would not be true.
So here you have it: poem 900.
I dedicate this one to you.

-by Bob B (10-22-19)

For almost three years the State Department
Has been trying to pin a crime
On Hilary Clinton regarding her emails.
Imagine all the effort and time!

What have they found? Zilch. Nada.
A nothing burger on a big scale.
Zero. Naught. Nothing. Zip.
The email scandal: a fairy tale.

A new report has come out showing
That the whole bizarre fixation
On emails was baseless. There was NO
Mishandling of classified information.

But how the scandal dominated
The news! The media took the bait.
During the Trump election campaign,
The attacks carried a lot of weight.

Hilary and the email scandal…
Back then it was front-page news.
Trump would mention the topic at rallies,
And oh, the angry shouts and boos!

But news outlets now don't seem
So eager to share the recent conclusions.
By keeping people in the dark
They only perpetuate illusions.

Trump is now attempting again
To dupe us all with major distractions,
Projecting corruption on his opponents.
But many see through his words and actions.

Let's go after the REAL corruption,
The REAL scandals, the REAL misdeeds
Within the Trump administration.
Expose the deceit! Follow the leads!

-by Bob B (10-22-19)

Chapter Seven of the D.T. Playbook:
Do not worry if you besmirch
Your country's honor by suddenly leaving
Trusted allies--the Kurds--in the lurch.

Although they worked together with you
To fight a common enemy, ISIS,
Their abandonment will force them
To face an even greater crisis.

Provide them with weapons while they assist you.
Then merely say, "Thank you. Good-bye!"
Leaving them to fend for themselves,
To flee their homeland, to suffer, to die.

Do not worry if thousands of Kurds
Had lost their lives to help fight your foe.
Turn your head, pretending you can't
Hear the people's cries of woe.

Placate a Turkish autocrat
With ethnic cleansing as one of his goals.
Do not fret if experts tell you
That your thoughtless plan has holes.

Do not let your people know
Your REAL motives, for you have the knack
Of taking full advantage of others
Before stabbing them in the back.

Do not fear if enemy captives
Escape from their prison cells and flee,
Putting more people there and here
In danger as ISIS soldiers run free.

Tell everyone how smart you are;
Pat yourself on the back, and then
Do not care that the rest of your allies
Will never be able to trust you again.

-by Bob B (10-21-19)

As I age I wonder
What else lies in store
For me before I have to
Reach that other shore.
Although life has moments
Blissful and sublime,
It seems as though we all
Live on borrowed time.

We live on borrowed time….
I find each day's a pleasure--
One that I should treasure--
And so I do.
We live on borrowed time….
We deal with life's surprises;
Life means compromises.
That's so true.

We live on borrowed time….
Let's NOT just count the hours;
Let's stop and smell the flowers
Along the path.
We live on borrowed time….
If we cannot feel,
Then we have to deal
With the aftermath.

The future lies ahead,
Full of uncertainty.
Say good-bye to dread.
Loving is the key.

We live on borrowed time….
When my health is good,
I'll do what I should
To make it last.
We live on borrowed time….
I must face my trials
With hopefulness and smiles
Until they've passed.

We live on borrowed time….
Despite my best endeavor,
Nothing lasts forever,
And that's okay.
We live on borrowed time….
In the meantime, I
Will definitely try
To make the best of every day.

-by Bob B ((10-19-19)

A monk and his disciple walked--
Bundled up to try to stay warm--
Down to the nearby beach shortly
After they'd had a monstrous storm.

Thousands of starfish had been washed up
And now were stranded along the shore.
The two were deeply moved by the sight--
Something they'd never seen before.

The monk stooped down and picked up a starfish
That had been lying on the soft sand
And walked out into the water,
Holding the helpless being in his hand.

"With so many thousands of stranded starfish
Lying here on the shore in the sun,"
Asked the disciple, "can you make
A difference by saving only one?"

The monk gently placed the starfish
Into the water while nodding his head.
"Well, I think it makes a really
BIG difference to THAT one," he said.

-by Bob B (10-7-19)

°Based on a Zen anecdote (source unknown) retold here in verse.

(Try singing this poem to the tune of the song "The Phantom of the Opera," by Andrew Lloyd Webber.)

From New York State he came
And conned his way
Right past the White House gate
And chose to stay.
To be unethical
He is inclined.
The phantom of the White House is a threat
To humankind.

He does not care about
What people need.
He answers more to calls
Of graft and greed.
When making deals with him,
He'll rob you blind.
The phantom of the White House is a threat
To humankind.

He speaks in code just like
A mafia boss.
To find his good points, you
Are at a loss.
His hateful rhetoric
Is unrefined.
The phantom of the White House is a threat
To humankind.

His rank hypocrisy's
A common theme.
All his deceitfulness
Is not a dream.
Speak words against him and
You'll be maligned.
The phantom of the White House is a threat
To humankind.

To purge the White House of
This noisome ghost,
The answer's to remove
Him from his post.
May people everywhere
All keep in mind:
The phantom of the White House is a threat
To humankind.

Beware the phantom of the White House….
He's there--the phantom of the White House….
Beware the phantom of the White House….

-by Bob B (10-6-19)

Once there was a president,
Cold and heartless, who set about
Finding ways to make his country
Great by keeping migrants out.

"We'll place soldiers along our southern
Border," said the nation's boss.
"That way we can easily stop
Migrants from making their way across.

"And if the migrants become unruly,
The soldiers can shoot them, one by one."
Advisers turned to the president
And said, "No, sir, that can't be done."

"Then let the soldiers shoot the migrants
Low, low, in the ankles or thighs.
We will see the unwelcome
Migrants start to drop like flies."

Advisers looked at their boss and said,
"Sir, that's also out of the question."
The president, getting angry now,
Said, "Then here's another suggestion:

"We will build a moat along
Our border wall and fill that moat
With alligators and venomous snakes."
That idea made him gloat.

"And then we'll add spikes to the wall--
Spikes that can penetrate human flesh.
Find me the cost for all of this,
Or else we'll have to start afresh."

Suddenly, he said, "I know:
We'll just change asylum laws
And separate the families.
That should give the migrants pause."

Hard, hard the administration
Worked together to find a plan,
Using words like "riff-raff," "invaders,"
"Dangerous threats," and "caravan."

The whole world watched in horror,
Lamenting how democracy fails
When an unfit elected leader
Goes completely off the rails.

-by Bob B (10-4-19)