Stories abound that Putin is ill.
The Kremlin, of course, denies it.
You could go over and check for yourself,
But, frankly, I wouldn't advise it.

You could find yourself sitting in prison
Or even be poisoned like some
Who spoke the truth about Putin, who wants
To keep you under his thumb.

Consider all the people who've died
Because of his current war.
The pain and suffering that he has caused
Are truly hard to ignore.

Could it be cancer that's spread through his body?
Perhaps a malignant tumor?
I'm sure there are many folks in the world
Who hope it's not merely a rumor.

-by Bob B (6-1-22)

This poetry site is so quirky.
Its value has gotten quite murky.
Whatever its goal,
It's out of control.
I'd say it's becoming a turkey.

It needs a skillful technician.
And frankly I have a suspicion
That no one's in charge,
Which by and large,
Explains its current condition.

-by Bob B (6-3-22)

Powerful grief can overwhelm us.
It doesn't merely make us feel blue.
At times it's more insidious,
For it is able to **** us, too.

Joe and Irma García had been
Married for twenty-four years until
A killer with an assault weapon had
A deadly mission to fulfill.

Nineteen elementary students
And two teachers were gunned down
Senselessly, brutally,
In what was a quiet Texan town.

Irma was one of the teachers killed.
Two days after his wife had been slain,
Joe dropped dead from a heart attack
Brought about by unbearable pain.

Their four kids are orphans now.
May we hold in our hearts today
The memory of Joe and Irma,
Who never should have died this way.

-by Bob B (5-29-22)

Nineteen children were killed yesterday
In a small Texan town while at school.
Two adults were killed as well.
This is what happens in a land where guns rule.

When does enough become enough?
When do we stop being pushed around
By those who stifle our commonsense
Attempts to keep our kids above ground?

When do we say "Enough!" to those
Politicians who thrive on donations
By members of the huge gun lobby
Who fight to resist gun regulations?

Why don't they see that the Second Amendment
Is NOT a weapons free-for-all?
And yet when it comes to life-saving laws,
Callous, palm-greased lawmakers stall.

These deaths are the "price of freedom" some say.
Freedom? No, give me a break!
These deaths are the price of ignorance.
Our children's future is at stake.

Today, hundreds of loved ones are grieving.
Their lives will never again be the same.
But will these killings rouse people to action?
I doubt they will, and that's a shame.

-by Bob B (5-25-22)

Hundreds of people are grieving today
Because of a problem that won't go away.
Attempts at solutions are kept at bay.
A mass shooting in Buffalo.

America's love affair with its guns--
Weapons that could be measured in tons--
Is killing parents, daughters, and sons.
A shooting--this time in Buffalo.

Just imagine: you go to the store.
A killer abruptly appears at the door.
Within minutes you're dead on the floor.
This time it happened in Buffalo.

The killer set out to perforate
Bodies with bullets because of hate.
For the ten who died, help came too late
In a mass shooting in Buffalo.

Too many people are killed each year.
Not to act makes one thing clear:
We will continue to live in fear.
Look what happened in Buffalo.

The bells are tolling repeatedly.
When might they toll for you or me?
When the next killer goes on a spree--
Just like the one in Buffalo…
And Sacramento (2022)…
And Boulder (2021)…
And El Paso (2019)…
And Parkland (2018)…
And Las Vegas (2017)…
And Orlando (2016)…
And Charleston (2015)…
And at Sandy Hook (2012)…

-by Bob B (5-15-22)

A couple decided to stop
To look for some books in a shop.
Content with just four,
They walked out the door
With "*** After Sixty" on top.

The wife sat down and read through it.
"Honey," she said, "let's pursue it.
I like the suggestions,
But one of my questions
Is DO you think YOU can still do it?"

-by Bob B (5-12-22)

Where are mental institutions
To help those in dire need?
Within our current societal framework,
We can see where their absence can lead.

Closing the doors of facilities
Has posed a problem--one that defeats
The very attempt to keep psychotic,
Insane people from wandering the streets.

I'm not talking "insane asylums"
Or "snake pits" by any means,
Such as the ones we've seen in the movies
Filled with unforgettable scenes.

No, I'm talking facilities where
Patients receive necessary
Psychiatric help, which can
Hopefully be temporary.

At least those who are dangerous to
Themselves or others would have a place
To access humanitarian aid.
It's a problem we have to face.

Money? Is it all about money
That taxpayers refuse to spend
To build the institutions that
Would help and protect us in the end?

Shame on us as a country if
We thoughtlessly choose to overlook
What could be a proper solution
Merely because of our pocketbook.

-by Bob B (5-12-22)