(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from THE WIZARD OF OZ, by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg.)


Someday, when there's no COVID, I'll be glad
That advice from the experts proved to be ironclad.

Someday, when there's no COVID, I will smile,
Knowing that our precautions turned out to be worthwhile.

I'll wonder why some people balked
And leaders 'round the country blocked
Restrictions.
They listened to the senseless bull
That spread so fast and was so full
Of contradictions.

Someday, when there's no COVID, we'll be free.
We just all have to practice responsibility.

(Interlude)

We know that masks protect us and
It doesn't help when masks are banned.
That's silly.
And vaccinations help as well.
We know that with them we can quell
The virus. Really!

Someday, when there's no COVID, we'll be free.
We just all have to practice responsibility.

If only everyone could be
Responsible then we...
Would...be...set...free.

-by Bob B (9-10-21)

After having milked the cows,
The farmer's daughter returned to the dairy,
Carrying the large pail of milk
On her head, which was customary.

As she walked along the path,
She gleefully started to fantasize
About the wonderful things she could do
If she could keep her eyes on the prize.

"From the cream I'll make some butter,
Which I'll take to the market to sell.
I'll buy some eggs, from which I'll get
Some chickens and then some more eggs as well.

"Those eggs will hatch and soon I'll have
Dozens of fowls in my poultry yard.
Later, I will sell some of them
And make some money. That SHOULDN'T be hard.

"I'll buy a dress to wear to the fair.
The boys will stare, but I will ignore them.
I'll stick my nose up high in the air
And toss my head and pretend I deplore them."

Having forgotten all about
The pail, the milkmaid tossed her head.
Down went the pail. It crashed on the ground,
The milk spilled out, and her dreams were dead.

Hopefully, she learned her lesson.
In life--it seems--there's always a catch.
It's nice to have dreams, but do remember:
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

Another moral: always be mindful.
If there's a distraction, try to forgo it.
When doing a task, all it takes
Is one false move, and you can blow it.

-by Bob B (9-8-21)

°An Aesop fable retold here in verse

(Governor Greg Abbott of Texas)

Greg Abbott is on a roll.
The man just couldn't wait until
He signed into law the nation's most
Restrictive anti-abortion bill.

When asked about abortions and ****,
Abbott's answer was pompous and smug.
We will eliminate ****, he said.
What does he have? A wonder drug?

He also signed a bill into law
That demonstrates a recent obsession.
He calls it a voter integrity law--
A euphemism for voter suppression.

(Senator Ted Cruz "Antoinette" of Texas)

Regarding COVID unemployment
Benefits, Cruz spoke to the mobs.
If people are struggling to make ends meet,
Well, he said, let them get jobs.

Easy to say for a man whose pay
Is 174,000 a year--
In dollars, that is--and whose manner
Is unempathetic and cavalier.

(Larry Elder, candidate for governor of CA)

Talk show nitwit Larry Elder,
Is recently pushing Trump's Big Lie.
He says if he loses the recall election,
Then voter fraud is the reason why.

…

Just imagine: these three stooges
Have or seek high positions.
What a shame that we are stuck
With such moronic politicians!

-by Bob B (9-8-21)

You'd think that we'd be better informed
Here in this modern age of technology,
But many people have tossed out reason
And seem to have more faith in mythology.

With access to so much information
To gather, absorb, and analyze,
People are careless, and as a result,
Stupidity is on the rise.

There is a growing suspicion of science
And credible experts and a general mistrust
Of education and research, which makes
Concerned people feel nonplussed.

Misinformation travels so fast
Across the internet, where it's devoured
By millions of people, who couldn't care less
That that's how demagogues are empowered.

Moreover, foreign internet trolls
Love to jump in and stir the ***.
They feed the readers innuendos
And lies until the culprits get caught.

And people jump on the bandwagon
To readily believe what they read.
Their power of discernment seems
To be lacking. At least, it's NOT up to speed.

Add to that hate radio
And internet sites with farfetched news.
As more and more people buy into such nonsense,
Ultimately, we all lose.

Myths and fantasies have their place,
As long as people recognize that.
But when good judgment and reason come calling,
Let's ALL put out the welcome mat.

-by Bob B (9-7-21)

If you think America
Is going in the wrong direction,
And if you want our candidates
To win in the next election,
You might want to help us all
Rout out the bogeyman.
Come and be a member of
The American Taliban.

If you think our country is
Getting too diverse,
If you think that immigrants
Are making matters worse,
And if you fear a great influx
Of people black or tan,
Then you'll fit in quite well with us--
The American Taliban.

We do go by other names,
And we're spread far and wide.
You'll find White supremacists
Standing by our side.
Among us you will even find
Members of the ****.
Whatever the case, we’re proud to be
The American Taliban.

We don't need no evidence;
We just all yell "Steal!"--
At least to make it look as though
Election fraud is real.
To spread around misinformation,
We do what we can
'Cause we are die-hard members of
The American Taliban.

Religious freedom? Oh, yeah…that.
We won't make a fuss
Just as long as you maintain
Religious views like us.
Of women's reproductive rights
Our group is not a fan.
Women are subservient to
The American Taliban.

Racial inequality
And stuff like equal rights
Are balderdash to us, for they
Are damaging to Whites.
It's clear who's been superior
Since back when time began.
That's why we are members of
The American Taliban.

We can stifle democracy
Until it is no more,
For we will spread theocracy
From shore to distant shore.
Help suppress the vote. Come on
And join our caravan.
Our goal: to change the laws to suit
The American Taliban.

Watch: we will infiltrate all
Your cities and your towns.
Elected officials will be replaced,
And even school board clowns.
Justice and the rule of law
Are not part of our plan.
We'll make nonsupporters fear
The American Taliban.

-by Bob B (9-5-21)

A wolf went out for an evening stroll
As the sun was setting
And suddenly noticed his giant shadow,
Which was attention-getting.

The lower the sun dropped in the sky,
The larger the shadow became.
The wolf stopped, gazed at the shape,
And sighed, "What a shame!

"I don't receive enough recognition.
Look how great I am!
The lion says HE'S the king of beasts.
He's a fake--a sham!

"I am bigger than all the other
Animals in this land.
They should all bow down to me,
For I should be in command."

He ostentatiously pranced about,
Exaggerating his worth
And even shouted out loud, "I am
The greatest creature on Earth!"

All of a sudden a shadow approached,
Larger even than his.
Puzzled, the wolf said to himself,
"I wonder what that is."

A moment later, a lion pounced
On the surprised wolf's back
And bit into his neck. The wolf
Cried, "I'm under attack!

"If I had paid attention to facts,
I wouldn't be in this bind.
I could have saved my neck if I'd
Had the presence of mind!"

The Moral? Acknowledging facts is important
If we want to win.
Failure to do so can cause distress
And also do us in.

-by Bob B (9-4-21)

°An Aesop fable retold here in verse

A hungry cat was growing thin
And hadn't eaten for quite some time.
He heard that some local birds were ailing
And thought to himself, "How sublime!

"Certainly, they need a doctor.
I think I can fit the bill.
Once the birds let down their guard,
At THAT point I'll go in for the ****."

He gathered together some spectacles,
A coat, a hat, and a doctor's bag
And dressed up for the occasion, saying
"Looking good, though I hate to brag."

And so the cat presented himself
At the birds' home and said he was there
Because he had heard that the birds were sick
And asked if they needed emergency care.

"No!" said the birds. "Never mind.
Do you think we're that naïve?
We are fine and we will do
Even better once you leave."

Dejected, the cat departed. The Moral:
Villains don't like it when others eschew them.
They may try to disguise themselves,
But people can often see right through them.

It's true that scoundrels can be quite shifty,
Especially hackers and scammers today,
Who hide behind their disguises and wait
Like predators ready to pounce on their prey.

-by Bob B (9-3-21)

°An Aesop fable retold here in verse