Today will be the kind of day
That I would rather wish away.
But wishing will not change the fact
That it's time to reenact
A little procedure--not so merry--
Which, I fear, is necessary.
For I have to prep, you see,
For my colonoscopy!

TMI, you say. Why share
The messy details of this affair?
Details? No, I'll spare you those.
That is something to leave to the pros.
But anyone who's done this before
Knows what tomorrow has in store.
Frankly, it's not my cup of tea--
Having a colonoscopy.

The prep is really the part I hate.
No solid food upon my plate.
And nothing purple, red, or blue.
Jello's the only thing I can chew.
Otherwise, it's liquids only.
My stomach's already feeling lonely.
Tomorrow I will eat with glee,
AFTER my colonoscopy.

Tonight at 6:00 the "clean-out" commences.
That could have bad consequences
If our toilet were out of commission.
Then I'd be in an awkward position.
Tonight you will have to admit
That you can’t say I’m full of &%!#.
I assume that you'd agree:
Not fun, a colonoscopy.

-by Bob B (3-8-20)

Growing old probably has
Advantages. Yes? Perhaps.
Although it makes me a little nervous
When I have a memory lapse.

We should grow wiser, shouldn't we?
Wisdom comes with age, they say.
Tomorrow then I hope to be
Much wiser than I am today.

One thing that's certain is these days
I spend more time than I did in the past
At doctor appointments and funerals.
And NOW time passes by so fast!

Though I'm able to read in English,
German, French, Italian, Spanish,
And also a little Norwegian, how much
Longer until my synapses vanish?

It's said that playing an instrument
And learning languages helps the brain.
I hope so, yet it seems that I
Forget much more than I retain!

If in October you ask me about
A book I finished in September,
I can say I read it, but that's
About all that I can remember.

But reading itself is such a pleasure
That when I read a book and then
Forget the details completely, I know
That I can always read it again.

Was it that long ago that I
Was trim and I could jog and dance?
My jogging/dancing days are over,
And now my tummy hangs over my pants.

But walking's something I can do.
I can walk for miles at a time,
Even though I'd hardly say
That currently I'm in my prime.

Every day should be an adventure,
For life's marvels are manifold.
Don't let anything stop you--not even
A little thing like growing old.

-by Bob B (3-6-20)

Ah, pancakes, hot off the griddle--
Buttermilk pancakes, oozing with butter
And drowning in gooey maple syrup.
Oh, my goodness! My heart’s all aflutter.

Forget the eggs, bacon, and sausage;
Let the flapjacks fill my plate.
I intend to savor every
Delicious bite to celebrate.

Got blueberries? Get them out.
Stir them into the sumptuous batter.
Serve the cakes for breakfast, lunch,
Or even dinner; it doesn’t matter.

A few carbs, a little sugar…
I don’t care. What the hay?
I’m enjoying a piece of heaven.
Happy National Pancake Day!

-by Bob B (3-4-20)

The current coronavirus crisis
Continues to spread worldwide.
Its seriousness is NOT something
People ought to be brushing aside.

And yet at a recent rally, Trump
Called the deadly crisis a HOAX,
Which makes the situation worse
From all the ignorance that he stokes.

Muffling the experts endangers us
Even more as the virus spreads.
The truth-sayers and truth-deniers
Sadly are at loggerheads.

Contradicting our health officials,
The president sees everything through
The lens of his political prospects.
And who suffers? All of us do.

Some say, "Oh, not to worry."
But there is something to bear in mind:
COVID-19 has already caused
More deaths than MERS° and SARS° combined.

We need more tests and honest guidance.
And in the meantime it would be wise
To keep your unwashed hands far
Away from your mouth and nose and eyes.

-by Bob B (2-29-20)

°Other respiratory illnesses caused by coronaviruses

When dealing with a serious crisis,
We need a leader whose words inspire us,
Not one who tries to cover up facts
In dealing with the spread of a virus.

Coronavirus (COVID 19)
Around the globe is quickly spreading.
If we--the public--remain uninformed,
Into what dark abyss are we heading?

At first the president seemed less concerned
About our welfare--our protection--
And more concerned about how the matter
Affects his chances of reelection.

Downplaying the words of the experts,
He doesn't want the markets to panic.
If we aren't told the truth, however,
The consequences could be titanic.

Censoring the information
From health officials isn't wise.
We will be subjected to more
Of the Trump administration's lies.

For Mike Pence to lead the response
Doesn't make any sense at all.
When dealing with a health crisis
In Indiana, he dropped the ball.

Governmental agencies
Created to deal with crises as such,
Have been hollowed out by Trump,
Who has the reverse Midas touch.

The head of the HHS:° guess who.
A former lobbyist! Oh, yes.
And for big pharma. Watch him make
The crisis into a bigger mess.

Trump must be the protagonist
In every drama, someone has said.
While he blathers, how many people
Will die from having been misled?

A leader needs certain qualities
To fight all kinds of vicious attacks:
Honesty and competence--
Two important things ours lacks.

-by Bob B (2-28-20)

°Health and Human Services

D.T.:
Joseph Maguire.° Who the hell
Does he think he is?
As DNI, to share the truth,
He thinks the task is his.
To work for me--Donald Trump--
Anyone should see
That I expect--above all else--
Loyalty to me.

By now everybody should know
That things must go my way.
If they don't, you know there
Is going to be hell to pay.
When your biggest fans and supporters
Believe that you are royal,
Then anyone who disagrees
With you is being disloyal.

So what if various agencies
Find that there's a connection
Between the Russian government and
Our 2020 election.
When they give their intel briefings,
To them it should be clear
That such information is not
What I want to hear!

(Chorus)
A national security threat?
Sorry, Uncle Sam.
You can say we're under attack,
But I don't give a ****.
Our intelligence agencies
Think they're being precise.
But frankly I would much prefer
To follow Putin's advice.

The less that Congress knows the better
It is for all of us.
Election meddling is a topic
I choose not to discuss.
I will give the position to
My lackey, Richard Grenell.
He will do my bidding, and so
Sorry, Maguire: farewell.

I have friends in Congress who
Defend me to the hilt.
Nunes°° will do whatever I ask
And not feel any guilt.
We can weaponize the intel
Community and manage
That we make sure it's used for my
Political advantage.

(Chorus)
A national security threat?
Sorry, Uncle Sam.
You can say we're under attack,
But I don't give a ****.
Our intelligence agencies
Think they're being precise.
But frankly I would much prefer
To follow Putin's advice.

-by Bob B (2-21-20)

°Director of National Intelligence (DNI)
°°U.S. Representative for California's 22nd District

Easterners had to stay up late
To watch the Democratic debate
In Vegas, but we out here in the West
Tuned in early to watch the slugfest.

'Twas bound to happen, but oh, my God:
What a circular firing squad!
Right from the start, the hell raising
Debaters entered with all guns blazing.

Warren attacked Bloomberg with force
For purchasing the election, of course.
Then she attacked the others as well,
Going for the throat and giving them hell.

Amy and Pete, the Midwestern neighbors
Went toe to toe and brandished their sabers.
Biden was stronger this time, but again
He sounded like one of the twelve angry men.

Bernie, well, Bernie is always the same.
He tosses his daggers and shrugs off the blame.
He holds on tight to the aspiration
Of later securing the nomination.

Though Bloomberg indeed has bundles of money,
His boring demeanor is far from sunny.
As a debater, he didn't seem ready
And came off sounding weak and unsteady.

The moderators' questions were not
So wonderful and needed more thought.
The six debaters were fine on the whole,
Although at times they were out of control.

To separate the wheat from the chaff
Is crucial, and sometimes it's good to laugh.
Though some have expressed the apprehension
That we'll end up with a brokered convention,

Whatever happens, we will survive,
And may our final candidate thrive!
What's most important is that we can dump
The current president--Donald J. Trump.

-by Bob B (2-20-20)