The race continues--a race that's been
On the track for a number of years
To see who can be the most obnoxious
And earn the loudest misapplied cheers.

For the longest time we've seen
Donald Trump taking the lead,
But Ron DeSantis° and George Santos°°
Without a doubt are picking up speed.

Who can tell more lies than the others,
Pour more salt in the nation's sores,
Support the most exclusive laws,
Or perpetrate more culture wars?

Being on the right side
Of history should be a goal.
Each of the three men mentioned above
Sadly, though, has sold his soul.

Other runners aren't far behind.
They are almost as loathsome, as loud.
None of the racers realize
That winning this race should not make them proud.

For the moment, DeSantis and Santos
Are trailing Trump, but by and by,
Will one of the them pull ahead and win,
Or will it be a three-way tie?

-by Bob B (1-20-23)

°Governor of Florida
°°U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district

It’s fine to be religious,
But let’s be realistic.
When folks misuse religion,
It makes me go ballistic--

Especially when they assert
That God uses forms
Of punishment, such as
Earthquakes, floods, and storms

To make transgressors pay
For "evil" things they've done.
They must get under His sin.
(How's that for a pun?)

But in all seriousness,
Nature acts alone--
Without divine interference--
And has a "mind" of its own.

Nature doesn't distinguish
Between the sinful and pious.
Humans are the ones
Who have a definite bias,

Such as cherry pickers
Who like to concentrate
On finding quotes in scriptures
To justify their hate.

Moral judgments are NOT
One of Nature's features.
Frankly, that is more
The realm of certain preachers.

Many people believe
In God and sin, and yet
They don't tend to use
Religion as a threat.

Whatever your beliefs,
Put them to proper use.
Don't cave in to nonsense,
For that's religious abuse.

-by Bob B (1-16-23)

This is January 6.
Just two years ago today
Mobs of insurrectionists
Made an ugly, brutal display:

They stormed the U.S. Capitol
All because of a president's lie--
An EX-president now, that is,
Who hasn't stopped his attempts to deny

Election results from 2020.
Oh, and his supporters still
Travel south to kiss his ring,
Sing his praises, and bend to his will.

He doesn't care whose life he threatens
When making scathing, untruthful remarks.
He doesn't care what kind of damage
One of his dangerous comments sparks.

So how far have we come since then--
Since the day of the insurrection?
There has been an investigation,
And there has been a midterm election.

Still too many election deniers
Have seats in Congress and fan the flames
Of discontent, by pushing falsehoods
And making truly obnoxious claims.

The main culprit lives in his mansion,
Entertaining extremists and kooks
And thinking that he is above the law.
His foes still get his constant rebukes.

People have come forth to speak.
Folks have been convicted of crimes.
Democracy, when under attack,
Must strive to survive such scary times.

Praise to those who have spoken out,
Undaunted by threats, unafraid.
When ALL have been held accountable,
Then REAL progress will have been made.

-by Bob B (1-6-23)

My memories give me a great deal of comfort,
And every single one of them mends
My heart, which suffers from the loss
Of family, relatives, and friends.

Ah, those glorious days we spent
Together as we journeyed through life,
Sharing love, laughter, and cheer,
And sometimes struggles through storm and strife.

Lifetimes have varied--some were cut short
Long before we'd ever expected.
They are considered short stories
Among life's stories that we've collected.

Others have been more fortunate.
Their lives are Russian novels, I'd say.
They lived through multiple generations--
Their skin grew wrinkled; their hair turned gray.

Some folks plan to reunite
With loved ones for all eternity.
Others are more inclined to believe
The idea: whatever will be, will be.

Of course, we'd rather have the departed
With us, and in a way they are.
The light of their being shines on us
As does the light of a distant star.

Therefore, take comfort in memories--
A gentle balm that after a while
Will ease your anguish, lessen your pain,
Dry your tears, and make you smile.

-by Bob B (1-4-23)

I think a lot of progress could be made
If certain people were not so afraid
To come up with what COULD be a solution
And say it is a New Year's resolution.

The January 6 investigation
Explored how mobs of misfits shook this nation.
Trump's indictment for his contribution
Should be someone's New Year's resolution.

Politicians when they're making laws
Have donors who give money for a cause.
That's equivalent to prostitution.
Make fixing that a New Year's resolution.

House Republicans are out to get
Anyone whom they see as a threat.
When THEY'RE in charge, they threaten prosecution.
Vote them out: a New Year's resolution!

Some states make it hard for us to vote.
To stop that we must find an antidote.
Such a task will not be Lilliputian.
But that could make a New Year's resolution.

Climate change is getting worse each day.
If we don't act, we're going to have to pay.
We should want to see its diminution.
Let's make that a New Year's resolution.

So think of all the things that we could do
To make conditions great for me and you.
It all boils down to finding good solutions
And making them our New Year's resolutions.

-by Bob B (12-31-22)

I've been playing dodgeball with COVID,
And up to this point, I have succeeded
In dodging the many ***** tossed my way.
I haven't let warnings go unheeded.

True, it's been a wild game,
And all the ***** sing a medley
Of different tunes; some are muted,
Some are stronger, and some are deadly.

As they all go whizzing by,
I twist, I turn, I shelter in place.
Protecting myself as much as I can,
I'm finding it hard to keep up the pace.

It's an equal opportunity
Virus, for COVID doesn't care
Whom it hits. Whoever gets
In the virus's way had better beware.

Extra precautions help us immensely.
Our chances are better that we won't fall
If perchance we're caught off guard
And suddenly get hit by the ball.

Some folks are pelted ever so slightly,
And as each one of them disappears
From the circle of COVID escapees,
Other folks are knocked on their rears.

The ***** keep flying. The game gets even
More befuddling, more demanding.
It makes one wonder if any of us
Can win the round and be left standing.

When this game's over--if ever it is--
Will a new one have its say--
A brand new virus, much more virulent--
A new game we'll be forced to play?

-by Bob B (12-29-22)

Back in the 1950s my cousin
Met a guy, and later they wed.
For sixty-four years they were together,
Until her death parted Shirley and Ed.

They moved to gorgeous New Mexico--
The state where their three kids were bred.
The mountains, mesas, and desert splendor
All were captivating to Ed.

He worked for Sandia Laboratories
And therefore wasn't a knucklehead.
But we never knew what he really did.
A top-secret kind of guy was Ed.

When people didn't use their brains,
He likened them to the living dead.
Critical thinking was high on the list
Of priorities for wise ol' Ed.

A die-hard atheist he was.
One thing that made the man see red
Was forcing religious beliefs on others.
That was anathema to Ed.

No, he was a man of science and reason,
Astute and knowledgeable. He said
That all religions are based on myths,
And myths are myths, according to Ed.

Some say that without religion you can't
Be ethical, but there's no shred
Of evidence to prove that theory.
A perfect example was honest Ed.

He wasn't what you’d call a big spender.
Wasting money was something he'd dread.
Thus, he lived quite frugally,
Though comfortably, if you'd asked Ed.

But he loved friends and family
And welcomed them with arms outspread.
Though he could be a curmudgeon at times,
You couldn't help but like dear Ed.

Until recent years, it was
Quite an active life that he led.
When he was still in his 80s, you could
Play a match of tennis with Ed.

There are people who'd benefit
From following the path he tread.
An active life and an active mind
Were key facets of life for Ed.

Now that he's left us, I can no longer
Chat with him on the phone; instead,
I will rely on my memories--
My memories of dear ol' Ed.

-by Bob B (12-24-22)