Are you perchance a favor-seeker?
Come on in and join the scores
Of those who want a favor from Trump.
You scratch his back; he'll scratch yours.

Looking for a federal contract?
Wear a MAGA baseball cap
And patronize the president.
See what suddenly lands in your lap.

Perhaps you want an ambassadorship
Or some sort of advisory role.
If so, then be a loyal donor
And maybe you'll achieve your goal.

One day you might need a favor.
If you and Trump are somehow aligned,
He will gladly come to your aid
In case you have a pardon in mind.

You'll gain from your relationship,
And Trump will gain from your support
As you pour hundreds of thousands of dollars
Into a Trump hotel or resort.

What do you need? Laws, funding,
Land, appointments, or maybe directives?
Just send money in Trump's direction
And you can easily meet your objectives.

Is it a myth that he's a successful
Businessman--one of those bosses
Who shine in the business world? If so,
Then why is he constantly racking up losses?

Ah, but Trump has found a way
To redefine the expression "to drain."
In HIS case it means to use
The Office for financial gain.

His promise was to "drain the swamp."
At least, that's how he tried to present it.
But has he really? Not at all.
All he's done is reinvent it.

-by Bob B (10-12-20)

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.)

D.T. from the White House balcony:

"To all my fans here, I want to say
That I need all your help and support
If I'm going to survive this outrageous ordeal.
It isn't easy.
Enemies want me to fail--yes, that's true.
Only my loyal supporters
Have known what they all have to do.

"For me to keep my power, I had to play.
There were things that I had to distort
To protect all I had and to make me seem real.
I had a mission.
I had to show you that I would come through--
That my people are number one--
While I"--sniff--"am just number two.

"Bow down to me, o my people.
You know I don't want to leave you.
The bonds we have here
Are hard to sever.
If you will let me,
I'll rule forever.

"Regarding experts, I have my own.
I listen to those who will spout
All the words and ideas to which I subscribe.
If they defy me.
I will see they're brought down, yes, for suffer they will.
Especially all of my friends
Who fear me on Capitol Hill.

"Bow down to me, o my people.
You know I don't want to leave you.
The bonds we have here
Are hard to sever.
If you will let me,
I'll rule forever.

"Since you're standing here,
There is something I am sure that you can all see:
All the talk out there about my super spreaders
In no way worries me."

-by Bob B (10-10-20)

The president stood before the mic
And told the public not to fear--
That things were not so bad--but didn't
Say that he was insincere.

He let them think that oh, we have
COVID-19 under control,
As he tried to convince the public
To follow him down the rabbit hole.

He found a doctor who was not
An epidemiologist
To spread his propaganda, and he
Allowed the experts to be dismissed.

He thoughtlessly invited his fans
To rallies where masks were not required
And thought his obstinacy and his
Insouciance made him highly admired.

He scorned those who wore their masks
And knew the virus was a threat,
And when journalists pressed him about
The issue, he'd become upset.

Thinking he knew so much more
Than all of the experts, he made sure
That CDC recommendations
Would soften and remain obscure.

All of a sudden, what do we learn?
The president is hospitalized
For having contracted COVID-19.
Is anybody at all surprised?

The lesson here: denial does not
Make problems disappear on their own.
Always consider consequences,
For we will reap what we have sown.

Negligence as a strategy
Slowly but surely gives danger a boost
When our actions catch up with us--
When the chickens come home to roost.

-by Bob B (10-4-20)

We humans love to speculate,
And many have contended
That they are certain what happens after
Their current life has ended.

Some people think we'll find our reward,
And we'll forever dwell
In paradise, unless we go
The other direction--to hell.

Some believe in purgatory--
A type of stop-off station.
In order to proceed we must
Undergo purgation.

Some insist that we return
To Earth as another being--
That each person's past lives have
Shaped the person we're seeing.

Some might call it consciousness
That undergoes a rebirth.
Others say that heaven and hell
Both exist on Earth.

Some trust that our spirit continues
To live in a type of suspension
Until we can be freed from that
Parallel dimension.

Some people feel that we will all
Cross to the "other Shore,"
Returning to the essence of what
We were once before.

Some conclude that this is it,
So live life while you can,
For we are just a part of Nature's
Vast, infinite plan.

We can believe whatever we want.
That's fine, I suppose.
But what happens after this life ends?
Frankly, no one knows.

-by Bob B (9-28-20)

Continue to weep, America.
Our days of glory appear to have passed.
In the eyes of other countries our once-
Respected status is dwindling fast.

Certainly, we were never perfect;
However, despite our many flaws,
At least our former presidents
Cared about us and honored our laws.

What has happened, America?
What has gone so horribly wrong?
Was our democratic system
Meant to disintegrate all along?

How can democracy be so weak
For a conman to rapidly turn it around
As he destroys our institutions?
Was our foundation so unsound?

Look around, America.
"Land of the free" has become a joke.
Our beautiful and "spacious skies"
Are now filled with ashes and smoke.

"Sweet land of liberty"? No, no more.
Come to seek asylum and you
Will end up being thrown in a cage
Or turned away with a callous "Adieu!"

Look through the lies, America,
That flow down from the one at the top--
From him who demands daily attention
To spread his dangerous agitprop,

Which is backed by his cohorts in Congress.
Shame on all of them. Shame! Shame!
They've sacrificed their integrity
To support the One-Whom-We-Mustn't-Name.

Perhaps there's hope, America.
Even though the line has been crossed,
Maybe there is a chance that we
Can still regain all that we've lost.

-by Bob B (9-26-20)

Let's sing a tale of honor and valor,
Of a legal trailblazer who always will be
Etched in our hearts as a fighter for causes
And known as Notorious RBG.

Criticized and sharply rebuked
For taking a "man's spot" at Harvard Law,
She had a legal intellect
And a glowing work ethic that left folks in awe.

Graduating first in her class
From Columbia Law, she would soon learn
That getting a job wouldn't be easy;
And unequal pay was a major concern.

The fearless fighter wouldn't give up.
Bound and determined, she'd do what was right
And struggle for women's equality.
Justice for all was her noble fight.

Nobody's put on a pedestal;
Equality means that treatment's the same.
That BOTH men and women have full
Citizenship stature was RBG's aim.

Her friendship with Justice Scalia showed
That politics did not have to divide us--
That we can conquer our disagreements
By letting our heart and wisdom guide us.

Words are important when sending a message.
That is what RBG took to heart.
In facing personal challenges,
Her inner strength played such a great part.

For many years she battled cancer
But never failed to keep up with her work.
Responsibility and duty
Were two things that you didn't shirk.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: how we will miss her!
With sadness and heavy hearts we lament.
How we will miss her carefully thought-out
Rulings as well as her words of dissent!

She died on the eve of Rosh Hashanah
While folks were in the synagogues praying.
They say that righteous people die then.
With RBG, that goes without saying.

Remember this tale of honor and valor,
Of a legal trailblazer who always will be
Etched in our hearts as a fighter for causes:
Supreme Court Justice RBG.

-by Bob B (9-22-20)

Moscow Mitch and Lapdog Lindsey
Have given up on democracy
And fully embraced their thirst for power,
Governed by their hypocrisy.

Power over integrity
Seems to be their guiding drive.
They know that underhanded tactics
Help them keep control and thrive.

Lying for them is par for the course.
With the Trump admin that’s paramount.
How many lies has the president told?
For goodness’ sake, we’re losing count.

Having altered the rules to quash
Obama's prudent Supreme Court pick,
Moscow Mitch has once again
Changed the rules. It makes one sick!

Republicans in Congress now
Mainly sing the same foul song:
"To Hell with the Proper Thing to Do;
Make Up the Rules as You Go Along."

Some misguided voters think
McConnell and Graham are on the level.
Those who perceive their repulsive tactics
Say they've sold their souls to the devil.

For many people, the damage being done
Will last for who knows how many years,
As Trump's four years as president
Confirm some of their deepest fears.

-by Bob B (9-21-20)