Every day it seems that we hear on the news
That someone else has a few loose screws:
Anti-vaxxers causing disruptions on our planes.
Trying to be obnoxious, they go to great pains.
Defying mask rules, they are picking fights,
Intimidating passengers and delaying flights.
Physically and verbally abusive, they don't care
If they cause disturbance on the ground or in the air.

Foolishly trying to assert their independence,
They spit at, and yell at, and curse at flight attendants,
Who must bear the burden of all the lunacy.
It also is a serious threat to you and me.
Recently, we've heard that a certain nutcase
Punched a flight attendant right in the face,
Knocking out two teeth! Another commandeered
The plane's PA system. Boy, was that weird!

Some unruly passengers have so turned up the heat
That they have had to be duct taped to their seat.
To spread misinformation about our vaccines,
Some of them resort to using any means.
Screeching and preaching, expressing their defiance
Of epidemiologists who rely on science,
Some of these crazies seem to be intent
On being as obnoxious as the former president.

It's so sad to see that we have come to this.
It makes a person wonder what has gone amiss.
Why do some people choose to reject
Behavior toward others that involves more respect?
Fools! They show a lack of common sense.
Fools are the ones who come to their defense.
Fools! I can't think of any other word--
Fools!--to describe behavior so absurd.

THEY'RE FOOLS!

-by Bob B (10-18-21)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

Twenty twenty-one is now
Behind us and we're moving on.
But sadly we are starting out
This brand new year with Omicron.

Concerned individuals
Observe the facts and then implore us
To put our heads together to deal
Wtih challenges that lie before us:

Catastrophes from climate change,
Threats to our democracy,
COVID variants running rampant,
Distrust and religious hypocrisy….

Also, wherever you look these days,
You'll notice many a trend-setter--
The toxic, obstreperous type who feels
The more obnoxious you are the better.

Lies spread like wildfire.
Far too many people pursue them
And let them color their fantasies
Instead of trying to see right through them.

And so we have a giant task:
To spread the truth and let it guide us--
To put more faith into checking facts
And not let fallacies divide us.

So that's my VOW if I may have
A vow for 2022--
Mainly because relying on reason
Is surely the proper thing to do.

-by Bob B (1-1-22)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

January 6 last year
Wasn't just your average day;
Instead, it was one in which
Dark forces were put into play.

We watched in horror as violent thugs
Stormed the Capitol, leaving behind
A mass of desecration and death,
Reflecting their brutal state of mind.

Capitol police were not
Prepared to handle the riotous crowd--
A crowd eager to show that a peaceful
Transfer of power would not be allowed.

Incited by Trump and even members
Of Congress, the mob chose to defy
The results of a fair, secure election
And promulgated Trump's Big Lie.

Since then, efforts have been made
To gaslight the day's shocking events
By people trying to alter the facts
And siding with the malcontents.

Indictments and investigations
Continue, and the more we learn,
The more we’re aware of things that make
A caring person’s stomach turn.

We MUST insist on the rule of law.
Although the task seems insurmountable,
All who were involved in any
Manner must be held accountable.

Some will celebrate the sixth,
And if they do, shame on them
For seeing the violent insurrection
As something to praise and not to condemn.

If our democracy survives,
May future observers continue to see
The events of January 6
As a blemish on our history.

-by Bob B (1-6-22)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

Have you ever heard of dyscalculia?
It's often the culprit in situations
When people have great difficulty
With mathematical calculations.

I guess it's common for some of us
To learn that math is not our domain,
But having dyscalculia implies
A certain miswiring within the brain.

I read in multiple languages,
But math has always been hard for me.
There was only ONE math class
I liked, and that was geometry.

But algebra class? No way! Forget it.
We didn't get along at all.
I took the required classes and passed,
But often it was a very close call.

Maybe some of us live on the spectrum
That goes all the way from mild to severe.
Fortunately, I didn't have to
Use heavy math throughout my career.

I've always loved to deal with words;
Languages I find exciting.
But word problems, fractions, numbers,
And calculations are uninviting.

Although I can handle simple math,
My trouble with major problems lingers.
But, shhh!, please don't tell anyone
That sometimes I still will count with my fingers.

-by Bob B (2-10-22)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

This is a tale of a ruler;
Vladimir Putin's his name.
Unlike a man with a conscience,
This one has no sense of shame.

His paranoia controls him.
His ego controls him as well.
Among our current world leaders,
We can find no parallel.

Running the world's largest country
Can be a challenge that's tough;
However, as large as it is,
To Putin it's not large enough.

So now he has sent Russian troops
Into the land of Ukraine.
Putin's great thirst for power
Is something that he can't contain.

Putin can't stand the idea
Of having a country next door
That's strong and democratic.
For him that's a reason for war.

He came up with false excuses
To justify his attack.
How does one deal with a lying
Megalomaniac?

How many people will suffer?
How many people will die?
How many now will be homeless?
How many children will cry?

How many more dissenters
Will end up going to jail?
Which world democracies
Will Putin try to derail?

Who is the next to be poisoned
For speaking his or her mind?
With how many more rubles
Will Putin's pockets be lined?

Most of the world agrees
That Putin is clearly a brute.
Praise that day when the Russians
Finally give him the boot!
Yes, praise that day when the Russians
Finally give him the boot!

-by Bob B (2-27-22)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

Ah, Ukraine! It pains the heart
To see what you are going through.
How are you ever going to survive
What Vladimir Putin is doing to you?

Homes, schools, and hospitals bombed…
Roughly two million people fleeing…
The country's infrastructure collapsing…
It's hard to believe what we are seeing.

All because of an insecure
Madman who rules the country next door--
A madman who lies to his people in order
To justify his cruel war.

Will Putin level all the cities?
"Level"--a horrible palindrome!
What will returning Ukrainians find
Standing if they ever come home?

Putin rules with an iron fist.
For anybody to stop him is tough.
We have to rely on the Russian people
To say, "We have had enough!"

How much more can the rest of the world
Do to help--to ease your pain?
You need much more than cautious concern
To end the anguish, dear Ukraine.

-by Bob B (3-11-22)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

Florida wants to show
Its hateful, nasty side
By lashing out at gays
With zeal that it won't hide.
Governor DeSantis
Will not be outdone.
He wants to make a case
Where there's really none.
But who cares what
DeSantis has to say?
Turn his words around
And don't be afraid to say gay.

Other states will now
Attempt to follow suit
With explanations that
They will convolute.
It matters not to them
What is right or wrong.
It's just a culture war
That nudges them along.
When states try to put
Their bigotry on display,
Turn their words around
And don't be afraid to say gay.

Using toxic words
Like "groomers" to suggest
That anyone who's gay
Is on a lecherous quest,
Backers of the bills
Frequently beguile
Voters with the use
Of worlds like "*******."
When fanatics try
To bully you this way,
Turn their words around
And don't be afraid to say gay.

Autocratic rulers,
Backed by troglodytes,
Scorn intolerance
And stomp on human rights.
Don’t let other people
Intimidate you. No!
Just be who you are,
And tell them where to go.
Love is love is love,
So don't be led astray.
Turn their words around
And don't be afraid to say gay.

-by Bob B (4-11-22)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)