Thomas could be rude.
The guy was always stewed
And had a reputation in the town.

Not much of a thinker,
The wild, rambunctious drinker
Was met by local townsfolk with a frown.

He had a couple buddies--
Similar case studies--
Who would often sit with him and drink.

It seems they gave their all
To drinking alcohol.
Not a healthy life, do you think?

The three of them were single,
So often they would mingle
With ladies who would show up at the bar.

But surely you can guess
That their limited success
Resulted from their drunken repertoire.

Thomas then confided
In his buddies and decided
That self-improvement meant a different tack.

He cut down on his drinking
And applied some wishful thinking,
Hoping he could find he had the knack.

As you'd have it, fate
Stepped up to the plate
And brought into the bar a gal named Sue.

Thomas took a chance
And asked Sue for a dance--
Something that was hard for him to do.

With soda as his savior
And on his best behavior,
Surprisingly, he made a good impression.

Dancing through the night,
The couple was a sight,
With Tom avoiding any indiscretion.

It wasn't long before
The two walked out the door.
Into the night they slyly disappeared.

Four or five months later
The nightclub's nosy waiter
Said he'd noticed something very weird:

He said that while eavesdropping
At a store where they were shopping,
He heard them talk of love and other things.

While standing there and staring,
He noticed they were wearing
Shiny, flashy, silver wedding rings.

The two had gotten married.
No, they hadn't tarried.
Now they could enjoy connubial bliss.

But when they both returned
To the nightclub we all learned
From watching them that something was amiss.

What had occurred to Thomas?
He hadn't kept his promise:
That he would change his wild, rambunctious ways.

It was very clear:
Sue had had it up to here.
She could tell this wasn't just a phase.

It went from bad to worse
As though there'd been a curse
Upon their marriage. Wasn't it a shame?

One day Sue departed.
Tom was broken hearted,
But he would not accept an ounce of blame.

Sometimes people don't--
Or maybe they just won't--
See the errors of their ways and change.

Eventually, of course,
Sue filed for divorce,
Which wasn't unexpected or so strange.

Thomas cried real tears
And guzzled down his beers,
And after he had reached beer number ten,

He'd mention Sue, but we
Knew WHAT was meant to be,
And none of us ran into Sue again.

So what then is the lesson?
I won't keep you guessin'.
You can live a good life if you choose.

However, if the sauce
Takes over as your boss,
Then use your head and say good-bye to *****!

-by Bob B (7-23-23)

One thing that's hard to escape from
Is social media trends.
People encounter them daily
And then share the posts with their friends.

The false information spreads quickly.
The internet boosts it along.
Many susceptible victims
Don't care if the info is wrong.

Quacks and unscrupulous people
Everywhere are to be found
Constantly looking for someone
With whom they can find common ground.

If you're in the market for snake oil
To grow some hair on your head,
You would be much better off
If you saved your money instead.

After the outbreak of COVID
From out of the woodwork we saw
Wackos appear with their cure-alls.
We could see flaw after flaw.

You can find charlatans selling
Cures for cancer and shirk
Any responsible notion,
For all those quick fixes don't work.

A new trend is spreading on TikTok:
Try drinking borax, they say.
Sprinkle a tad in your water;
Your joint pain will then go away!

Borax, a household cleaner,
Has other uses, you see.
Ingest it and you could have rashes
And seizures. No, that's not for me!

Dangerous health fads are out there.
Listen to experts who know
How to avoid falling victim
To someone who causes great woe.

Whatever you do, don't fall victim
To those who can cause you great woe.

-by Bob B (7-22-23)

You cannot always have hits in life;
There have to be some misses.
Sometimes you'll hear words of praise;
Sometimes you'll hear hisses.

Artists don't always aim to produce
Works to please the masses.
Those who try will find themselves
Falling flat on their *****.

The point is this: create…create!
Express what comes from the heart.
Do your best with each endeavor
Though folks might tear it apart.

Enjoy the creative process, for it
Can truly be your friend.
Results are fine, but the process itself
Is more than a means to an end.

Now, IF you have nothing but flops,
That might be a sign
That you should seek a different form
Of expression in order to shine.

Find what works for you and allow
Creative juices to flow.
If people expect you to be who you aren't,
Tell them, “Thank you, but no.”

-by Bob B (7-20-23)

Trump's cases are piling up.
In Florida, it's classified docs.
Jumping from ONE excuse to another,
He acts as though he's Goldilocks!

Falsifying business records:
Another accusation he faces.
But no matter what he does,
He always stays in supporters' good graces.

There's also the case in Georgia, where
It's interference in an election.
Then there's a possible D.C. case:
Involvement in an insurrection.

(Chorus)
Poor Trumpy!
Hear him moan.
All he has to count on is his telephone.
Always in a pickle but the fault's his own.
Poor Trumpy!

A case of ****** abuse
Is one that he has already lost.
It's incredible when you consider
All the lines that man has crossed.

Trump denies all charges, of course,
And yells, "Witch hunt!" and "Weaponization!"
But making him accountable,
Though bad for him, is good for the nation.

(Chorus)
Poor Trumpy!
Hear him moan.
All he has to count on is his telephone.
Always in a pickle but the fault's his own.
Poor Trumpy!

-by Bob B (7-19-23)

In a small village lived a man
Who no longer had a wife.
The only son that he had was now
The pride and joy of his life.'

While the man was away one day,
Some plunderers came into town.
They ransacked the homes, kidnapped the boy,
And burned the houses down.

When the man arrived back home,
He found among the rubble
A charred body. Assuming it was
His son's, he took the trouble

To have the body cremated, and then
He put the remains of the lad
Into a bag that he carried with him
Wherever he went. Poor dad!

After the man had rebuilt his house
With a memorial dome,
The son escaped from the plunderers
And found his way back home.

Hearing a knock on the door, the father
Wondered, "Who could it be?"
The son continued knocking and said,
"Father, it is me!"

"Go away!" the father said.
"Leave me in peace!" he cried.
"I won't open the door to an
Imposter. My son died!"

Frantically, the son continued
To pound upon the door.
He finally walked away in sadness.
Ah, the grief they bore!

The years passed by. The son would wonder
Every now and then,
"Should I return?" but sadly he
Never went back again.

When people are so attached to false
Ideas that they embrace,
They hide from the truth, even if
It stares them in the face.

-by Bob B (7-14-23)

°An old Buddhist parable

A curious monk asked the Buddha some questions:
"Is the world finite or not?
What happens to people after we die?
Your answers to these will help me a lot."

The wise and compassionate Buddha, who
Always kept on the straight and narrow,
Smiled at the monk and replied, "Suppose
A man is hit by a poisoned arrow.

"He tells the surgeon, 'Before you remove
The arrow, I REALLY have to know
Who the person is who shot it
And if he is a beginner or pro.

'How old is he? Is he a noble
Warrior or merely a simple man?
From what family does he come?
Is he dark, light, or tan?

'Did he use a longbow, or did
He use a crossbow? One more thing:
I want to know what kind of material
The person used to make the string.

'Ah, the feathers! I don't think
By asking this I am being absurd,
But since arrows have feathers, tell me
Where they came from. From WHAT kind of bird?'

"Before anyone could answer these questions,
The man who had been hit would be dead.
He should have said to the surgeon, 'Please,
Remove the poisoned arrow!' instead.

"You see, resorting to useless questions
And metaphysical speculation
Will not end human suffering
Or help you experience realization.

"Life is short; don't waste time.
What is essential should be your focus.
You'll be more at peace if you
Eschew irrelevant hocus pocus."

-by Bob B (7-9-23)

"There are more important things than living,"
Said Dan Patrick° back in 2020.
His words, of course, were feelingless and shocking,
But people who agree with him are plenty.

Although Patrick's words were focused on
COVID at the time, it is clear
That folks out there will use his argument
To justify the guns that they hold dear.

We can see that certain politicians
And their supporters clearly are the ones
Who've made the choice that life is less important
Than having their huge arsenal of guns.

An epidemic--one of violence--
Pervades this country. Watch the killings surge.
The Second Amendment, misinterpreted,
Contributes in a big way to the scourge.

Doubtless there are certain regulations
That would likely help protect us all,
But people who oppose our taking action
Fight such regulations with a squall.

Our thoughts or prayers will NOT revive the dead.
If people are afraid of making waves,
And if the situation stays the same,
We'll be putting flowers on more graves.

We MUST attempt to end the senseless shootings.
People must stand up and make demands.
Those who scoff at intervention have
The blood of many victims on their hands.

-by Bob B (7-6-23)

°Texas Lt. Governor