You think you're healthy and in good shape.
Cholesterol is low.
Blood pressure is not a problem.
You've got some get-up-and-go.

You go on a daily four-mile walk.
You eat as well as you can.
Fruits and vegetables are both
Part of your daily plan.

Yes, you like your sweets; you feel
Life must have some perks.
You try to balance the good with the bad
And always hope that it works.

Avoiding stressful debt, you live
Comfortably in the black.
And then without any warning, what happens?
You have a heart attack!

Life we know is full of surprises.
Expect the unexpected.
It's strange how a problem with one's heart
Could long go undetected.

The help from paramedics and doctors
And nurses--I can say--
Has given me a new lease on life,
For I am alive today.

A stent in a major artery lets
The blood flow near the heart.
I hope that no more blockages
Will show up in my chart.

Although our bodies are strong and resilient,
It is also said
That despite our resiliency,
We hang by the thinnest thread.

I hope my ticker keeps on ticking,
Displacing some of my fears;
And may the beats continue to sound
For many, many years.

-by Bob B (4-2-23)

When Teflon Don was under attack,
He would shrug his shoulders and scoff.
But finally it appears as though
His Teflon coating is wearing off.

Many people want to see justice.
For some an explosive was ignited.
They can't stand the thought that their
Former president was indicted.

They call it a witch hunt, a dangerous
Abuse of power, a communist plot,
A vengeful attack by angry libs--
All of which it's truly not.

Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen,
Had to serve a prison term.
If current charges are related,
Is that why Trump is starting to squirm?

If he is innocent, so be it.
Let's repeat day after day
The mantra "No one's above the law."
If he is guilty, then he should pay.

-by Bob B (4-1-23)

Did God create human beings,
Or was it the other way around?
The question resembles a Zen koan--
Such as the one-handed clapping sound.

To some, merely asking the question
Is a virtual powder keg.
It's like the question: What came first--
Was it the chicken, or was it the egg?

Some things are beyond knowing:
We can only speculate
As to how and why we got here.
It's still fun to contemplate.

The writers of all religious scriptures
Have a bias they choose to share.
They hope that their ideas will make
Curious, hungry believers aware.

The story behind human existence
To some is a matter of great pith.
Others have a difficult time
Accepting a simple creation myth.

Some folks are not satisfied
And want to gaze beyond the façade--
Beyond the human formulations
That try to define the concept of God.

People adhere to what makes sense
To them, and some of them will chide me,
For I prefer to allow science,
Reason, and common sense to guide me.

Being able to think and question
Are benefits of humankind.
So who created whom? The query
Will always challenge the questioning mind.

-by Bob B (3-20-23)

Putin's year-long war continues
To batter Ukraine--to ****, to destroy.
The autocrat's reasons for being there
Are definitely a political ploy.

Killing civilians while also attacking
Ukraine's infrastructure as well,
The Russians are bent on total destruction.
Where this will go is hard to foretell.

And Russian sympathizers here
Join in with Putin's sing-a-long.
Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis,
Claims that Putin's done nothing wrong!

Who can tell where DeSantis gets
His false information and mistaken views?
Probably from too many incorrect
Podcasts and also from watching Fox News.

While Russia ramps up its fierce attacks,
Ukraine will fight to the bitter end.
Here's a reminder for those who've forgotten:
Putin, folks, is NOT our friend.

We pledged our support for Ukraine, and so
For the sake of freedom, we MUST follow through.
Condoning Putin's atrocities
Would certainly be the wrong thing to do.

-by Bob B (2-21-23)

George and Martha°--what a couple!--
Blurring the lines between truth and illusion,
Undoubtedly aided, of course, by the *****
Which loosens their tongues as they drink in profusion.

Attacking, needling, going for the jugular--
Oh, the vicious games they play,
Going at each other, and also pulling
Other people into the fray.

Must truth and illusion be so hard
To distinguish between and cause despair?
Do we rely on illusion when
Facing the truth is so hard to bear?

How destructive that can be!
It's obvious that things will go bad,
And we can relate to Martha's words:
"George and Martha: sad, sad, sad."

The truth is there if we dare to seek it.
It isn't something we ought to eschew.
Are you afraid of Virginia Woolf?
If so, then you should know what to do.

-by Bob B (2-20-23)

°From Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

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)