The spider spins its silky web,
Carefully constructing its trap.
Then it sits and waits for its prey
To figuratively land in its lap.

Patiently, it waits and waits.
It hopes an unsuspecting fly
Will dart into its fibrous silk
Where it will then bid life good-bye.

The web shakes. Aha! A victim!
Very aware of the struggling shape,
The spider rushes to nab the creature,
For whom there will be no escape.

After injecting the fly with venom,
Then it quickly and deftly bestrides
Its helpless and now paralyzed victim.
The venom will liquify its insides.

The spider also wraps its capture.
Soon the sneaky spiderweb spinner
Will hungrily **** out every bit
Of liquified parts of the fly for dinner.

Of course, not all spiders spin webs.
Some just sit and patiently wait
For their prey to wander by.
Then they pounce and seal its fate.

So who's the spider? Vladimir Putin.
Its prey? Americans who pretend
That Putin is NOT our adversary,
But, instead, a trustworthy friend.

-by Bob B (11-22-24)

This is NOT the time to give up.
To throw in the cards wouldn't be wise.
In order to save our democracy,
People, we've got to mobilize!

Medicare and social security:
Watch them fade before your eyes.
Protect the benefits we have earned.
People, we've got to mobilize!

People's rights are being threatened.
Discrimination is on the rise.
The wolf is knocking on the door.
People, we've got to mobilize!

****** autonomy
Of women is threatened by those who devise
Draconian laws that are killing mothers.
People, we've got to mobilize!

Our health will be in serious danger
By those who want to legitimize
Wild and crazy conspiracy theories.
People, we've got to mobilize!

Look at the suffering that's caused
By lawmakers who demonize
Our immigrant community.
People, we've got to mobilize!

Yes, at times there is too much
Over which to agonize,
So vote, march, write, make calls!
People, we've got to mobilize!

You feel the cards are stacked against you?
Remember: keep your eyes on the prize.
They will try to beat you down.
People, we've got to mobilize!

-by Bob B (11-21-24)

The MAGA-monster reared his head
To see how far his venom would spread.
"How dare they defy me!" he loudly exclaimed.
His hatred and anger could never be tamed.
Whether he told the truth or lied,
Whatever he said could not be defied.
If you chose to disagree,
His enemy was what you would be.
Loyalty was a major concern;
Those who withheld it were those he would spurn.

"I will show 'em!" he loudly roared.
His face turned orange as he brandished his sword.
His sycophantic subjects drew near,
Obsequiously kowtowing in fear.
He didn't care if someone should suffer.
His other concern: to take care of his fluffer--
One of the slimiest toadies around,
Who made the country his new battleground.
The two of them, salaciously smiling,
Had looks on their faces, oddly beguiling.

The monster's coffers were filled to the brim.
EVERYTHING was all about HIM.
He gave the semblance of caring, but no,
His woeful act was all bluster and show.
In other lands, to get more support,
He looked for other monsters to court.
Urged on by callous and heartless trolls
Who helped him achieve his nefarious goals,
The monster displayed an ego that grew
Taller than buildings on Fifth Avenue.

Where were the heroes who were not afraid
To challenge the monster and come to our aid?
Where were the champions, so brave and so deft,
To fight him from both his right and his left?
The MAGA-monster wielded his power
To make all the people around him cower.
A nation once full of hope and freedom
Had turned into an all-about-me-dom.
The selfish, contemptible, carrot-topped,
And cruel monster had to be stopped.

(End of Part 1)

-by Bob B (11-19-24)

Thanks to people who didn't vote
For putting us all in the mess we're in.
Thanks to those who were uninformed
For making sure that Trump would win.

A number of voters who took to the polls
Did us all a disservice because,
For one thing, a lot of them didn't
Even know what a tariff was.

For some, the word "autocrat"
Was not in their vocabulary.
A lot of those people voted for Trump.
Frankly, that is downright scary.

And even though in history classes
We have studied the past, it seems
That many people have forgotten
Or still don’t know what “fascism” means.

There were voters who said they'd never
Vote for a woman, and so they chose
To cast their vote for Donald Trump
To be a part of the party of bros.

To voters who cast a protest vote,
Now are you satisfied?
Do you see what happens when
Common sense and anger collide?

Of course, some just like the man.
They like Trump for his tough guy stance.
Watch as he and Elon Musk
Carry out their bro-romance.

A lot of people were clueless about
How the Biden administration
Played a substantial role in helping
Americans across our nation.

And so, we are stuck with a man
Who'll do his best to cater to
Extremists and wackos everywhere.
The damage will be hard to undo.

-by Bob B (11-18-24)

Trump's picks for his Cabinet
Are in-your-face kinds of picks.
It's obvious from what he's doing
That he is up to his old tricks.

He doesn't want the FBI
To be involved in the nominees' vetting,
Which Democrats and conscientious
Republicans find very upsetting.

For Secretary of Defense,
Pete Hegseth, a veteran who
Displays as part of his body art
A white supremacist tattoo?

Tulsi Gabbard as DNI°
Who couldn't pass a background check
Because she's compromised by Russia?
Trump's feelings: What the heck?

Matt Gaetz as Attorney General--
A grifter and a trouble-maker
Accused of ***-trafficking?
For Trump that's NOT a deal breaker.

Hegseth, Gabbard, and Gaetz are all
Deeply unfit for such positions.
A competent president wouldn't
Select them under any conditions.

It’s almost as if in making his choices
Trump is trying to deride
All of us by asking himself,
"Who is the most unqualified?"

Will Republicans cave in
To pressure from Trump or show some spine
And tell him no when he attempts
To sidestep rules and cross the line?

-by Bob B (11-16-24)

°Director of National Intelligence

Americans have made a decision.
Why did they decide
To put someone into office who
Will take them for a ride?

They elected a man so full
Of vengeance and desperation
That his campaign was principally
Lies and misinformation.

He pandered to the people's worries--
Worries that he created
By turning people against the folks
That he has deprecated.

He won't focus on key issues;
No, those he ignores.
He would rather perpetuate
Hateful culture wars.

Islamo-, trans-, and homophobia
Will now be on the rise
As players in Trump's administration
Begin to mobilize

Racist stooges surrounding him
Will always be in his ear,
Chipping away at human rights
And constantly stoking fear.

The deportation of immigrants
He says is first on his list
Of things to do, for he is such
A heartless nativist.

Loyalty above all else
Is what he always demands.
With autocrats all over the world,
He'll be shaking hands.

We’ve all seen that Trump's whole world
Is strictly quid pro quo.
With Elon Musk so tight with him,
Will Musk be running the show?

With no more guardrails to keep Trump in line,
He'll FURTHER disunite
Americans, and that will be
Much to Putin's delight.

I'm glad I wasn't complicit in choosing
One of the vilest of men
To take a seat in the Oval Office
And wreck the country again.

-by Bob B (11-13-24)

Beware of populist demagogues.
Don't let them be misunderstood:
They build their popularity
Without promoting the public good.

They pander to passions and prejudice
And also hold reason and truth in contempt.
From all accountability
Demagogues want to remain exempt.

They are masters of the masses
And try to tear down norm after norm.
Using tricks to betray the people,
They are experts at how to perform.

Using their popular support,
They undermine our institutions.
Swindling us through sophistry,
They stand firm in their resolutions.

Wearing contempt that they invite
As a badge of honor, they hope
That no one scrutinizes them
Or puts them under a microscope.

Notice their quest for unrestrained power,
Their hunger for vengeance, their thirst for control.
Support for ideas that violate
The rights of others is often their goal.

Controlling the hearts and minds of the people,
They want you to think that they are friends.
Then they leverage your support
For their own political ends.

It's scary to think that Americans
Could eagerly cast their vote in a fog,
Electing a dangerous person who is
Clearly a populist demagogue.

-by Bob B (11-9-24)

°Inspired by the writings of Dani Rudrik, Eli Merritt, and Emily Pears