For nearly twenty years we've fought
A war against the Taliban,
As U.S. and allied forces have
Chased a mirage in Afghanistan.

A war that spanned four presidents
And bad policy decisions
Will soon be coming to a close,
Despite the Afghans' ongoing divisions.

To many Afghan girls and women,
Our presence there has been a relief.
Having endured years of oppression,
They had had their share of grief.

Once we leave, Taliban forces
Most likely will achieve their goal
As city after city falls
And they are able to regain control.

If only we could have said to the people,
"If you want to get out, leave now.
We will find a safe place for you
Elsewhere in the world somehow."

But, alas, that didn't happen.
The idea didn't resonate
With other countries in the world.
And so the Afghans are left to their fate.

I'm afraid to imagine what
Will happen to the women then,
As the extremist leaders cut off
Their path to education again.

And woe to all the translators
Who helped the Western forces there.
If we can't help them flee the country,
Their safety will be up in the air.

Western leaders who tried to contain
The region's volatility,
Have--with our four presidents--
A shared responsibility.

I pity the poor people who must
Be ruled by the Taliban,
But we cannot continue to fight
An endless war in Afghanistan.

-by Bob B (8-6-21)

The vigor is gone from the Stars and Stripes.
What's happening is truly degrading.
The purity of the WHITE is sullied;
The RED and BLUE are slowly fading.

The sullying of the color WHITE,
Which stands for innocence, reveals
That we are slipping--that we are not
Holding true to our ideals.

Are we innocent if we
Ignore the years of hard-fought fights
For justice and equality
As we dismantle voting rights?

If RED means hardiness and courage
And the readiness to sacrifice,
What we're seeing happening now
Makes that meaning imprecise.

Too many people refuse to make
A sacrifice and throw a fit
When asked to do so to help protect
The lives of others, if even a bit.

If BLUE stands for vigilance,
Perseverance, and justice for all,
Then our approach to those areas
Needs a major overhaul.

Perseverance for many means
Believing conspiracy theories that make
Others wonder how truth can be
Such an easy thing to forsake.

Vigilance is also lacking
In many people who fail to see
That huge threats of attacks from our own
People are not hyperbole.

And BLUE for justice for all? Sadly,
That is something we can't declare yet.
Discrimination, selfishness,
And bigotry prove that we're not there yet.

By doing what's right, we must inject
More color into the current Old Glory.
If not, what we'll see will be
A sad end to America's story.

-by Bob B (8-5-21)

It’s hard to know how the country
Survived having to spend
A four-year term with 45.
I thought it would never end.

Four long years of scandals;
Fours years of anguish and grief;
Four long years of fatuous tweets,
With little if any relief.

Four long years of a slogan
To make America great.
And yet the president seemed much more
Preoccupied with hate.

Four long years of hearing
Constant words of praise
For Vladimir Putin and other strongmen
And their autocratic ways.

Four long years of watching
His sycophants kiss his rear
And be afraid to tell him what
He didn’t want to hear.

Four long years of lies.
The number hasn’t been topped.
And though he is out of the White House now,
His lying hasn’t stopped.

Four long years of observing
Extremists in his base
Become so extremely emboldened that
An insurrection took place.

Four long years of feeling
As though we were swimming with sharks,
For he loved tearing people apart
With his nasty remarks.

For four long years we heard
Constant “alternative facts,”
For one of his guiding principles is
Anything that distracts.

Four long years of our lives--
Unrecoverable time.
If voters decide to give him four more,
THAT will be a crime.

-by Bob B (8-3-21)

If I develop dementia someday,
Will the condition be obvious to me?
Will I be able to know that I
Am out of touch with reality?

Will I notice that when I speak,
People exchange puzzled glances?
Will I also be cognizant of
All of my changing circumstances?

Will I notice that people are rolling
Their eyes every now and then
When I continue to ask the same
Questions over and over again?

Will people say, "I told you that
Three times already!" and not understand
That my behavior needs a patient
Response and not a reprimand?

In certain situations will
I know why I am lost or confused?
If somebody tries to shame or hurt me,
Will I know why my heart is bruised?

It will not help to scold me because
I'll forget whatever you say.
In fact, I doubt I'll even remember
That we saw each other today.

If I forget your name or who
You are, I hope you are not sad.
If you remember me when I
Was young and alert, I'll be glad.

As of now, I think my mind
Is pretty clear, and so I won't
Worry yet. But then again,
Maybe YOU know something I don't.

-by Bob B (8-1-21)

In 1777 we hear
Death from smallpox was a fear.
Much to Washington's dismay,
Troops were dying every day.

Sound off: one, two;
Sound off: three, four;
Bring it on down: one, two,
Three, four…(beat)…THREE, FOUR!

Despite the soldiers' expertise,
Most of them died from disease.
Smallpox was a bigger threat
Than dying from a bayonet.

Trying to think outside the box,
The British even used the pox
To cause much greater deprivation
By spreading it through the population.

In Europe there were indications
Of the value of inoculations.
So British troops were free from worry
While smallpox germs unleashed their fury.

Sound off: one, two;
Sound off: three, four;
Bring it on down: one, two
Three, four…(beat)…THREE, FOUR!

Washington said, "This won't do.
If WE don't act now, we are through."
Showing that he had a spine,
He had to lay it on the line:

To stop from being obliterated,
He had all troops inoculated.
That was a major contribution
To the American Revolution.

When lack of knowledge feeds distrust,
Using wisdom is a must.
We know that when sickness thrives,
A shot in the arm can save our lives.

Sound off: one, two;
Sound off: three, four;
Bring it on down: one, two
Three, four…(beat)…THREE, FOUR!

-by Bob B (8-1-21)

During the final days of his term,
Trump did his best
To overturn election results
Like a man possessed.

Like a man possessed he tried
Everything he could
To point out massive voter fraud--
That folks were up to no good.

Folks were up to no good in choosing
Someone else over him,
He thought, for in his mind he'd figured
That Biden's chances were slim.

That Biden's chances were slim: the thought
Propelled him along,
So if Biden won the election,
Something had to be wrong.

Since SOMETHING had to be wrong, he called
The then acting AG,
And told him to say there'd been corruption,
"And leave the rest to me."

"And leave the rest to me." Uh huh.
Of course, we see a connection:
Ten days later we all witnessed
The Capitol insurrection.

-by Bob B (7-31-21)

Bryan Thompson, from Mississippi,
Didn't want to be vaccinated
Until he knew much more about
The COVID vaccine. Thus, he waited.

Caution is understandable,
And many people do not envision
Coming down with COVID. But Bryan
Soon regretted his decision.

He ended up in the hospital
With COVID, and soon he realized
That even though he had been careful,
He probably shouldn't have been surprised.

After some time, he was released.
Back at home he began to complain
About discomfort in one of his legs--
In fact, excruciating pain.

Back to the hospital he went.
There the doctors determined that he
Would have to lose his leg. It was
Amputated below the knee.

Bryan is lucky he's still alive.
He now feels that it was wrong
To hold off getting his vaccination.
He should have known better all along.

Please do not feel Schadenfreude
Or say, "Bryan, it serves you right."
No, be happy he's still alive
To help other people see the light.

-by Bob B (7-30-21)

We aren't out of the woods
Regarding the COVID pandemic.
One thing isn't helping:
The anti-vaccine polemic.

Despite our efforts to get
The virus under control,
Dis- and misinformation
Are taking a heavy toll.

If all had worked together
From the very start
To stop the virus from spreading,
Well, THAT would've been smart.

"MY body my choice,"
Some people will say,
As if that's going to make
The virus go away.

By not taking precautions,
The non-vaccinee
Can spread mutated strains
Of the virus to you and me.

Where COVID is spreading fast,
And the number of cases is sizable,
According to the experts,
The wearing of masks is advisable.

Some people think
That wearing a mask is futile.
Don't they realize
That COVID can be brutal?

No, wearing a mask
Isn't fun, but still,
It does offer protection
From something that can ****.

It isn't rocket science.
Listen to the pros.
Get your vaccination,
And cover your mouth and nose.

-by Bob B (7-29-21)

Stop the lies, conspiracy theories,
And gaslighting. Let truth prevail.
Every day we hear another
Radical far-right fairytale.

This year's January 6
Insurrectionists were NOT
Patriots. No, they were thugs,
Carrying out a violent plot.

Police officers testified
At a hearing on Capitol Hill.
Sadly, the four men have been
Forced to swallow a bitter pill.

Officers defended Congress
Against a wild and violent mob.
Understaffed and overwhelmed,
They were merely doing their job.

But many Republicans in Congress
Want you to doubt what you have seen--
To erase the violent images
That flashed across your TV screen.

Officers dealt with severe beatings,
Bear pepper spray, bone-chilling threats,
The fear of being crushed by the crowd,
And horrible racial epithets.

They were threatened before the hearings
And then after the hearings as well--
Vicious, violent threats, as though
They hadn't already been through hell.

And while the hearing was going on,
Republicans--on that very same day--
Met outside to offer support
To the thugs, until they were chased away.

How terribly sick and ironic it is
That some Republicans condemn
The officers who in January
Risked their lives protecting them!

Hopefully, during these hearings,
More information will come to light.
Congress MUST ignore what's politically
Advantageous and do what's right.

-by Bob B (7-28-21)

A guy said, "Wow! My stress level
Has really dropped. I am elated!
I owe it to my meditation."
"Yes, and maybe endorphins," I stated.

"What?" he asked. "What do you mean?
What do orphans have to do with it?
I'm TRYING to share what happened to
My mind, and here you go and ***** with it."

"No," I chuckled. "You don't understand.
You see, 'and orphans' is not what I said.
It has nothing to do with orphans.
I was saying 'endorphins' instead."

"There you go again," he continued,
"Saying it over and over again:
'And orphans, and orphans.' You sound like
A nitwit with a capital 'N'!"

"I, a nitwit?" I said, astonished.
"You are the one who keeps repeating
'And orphans.' Now I see that trying
To reason with you is self-defeating."

"Self-defeating? B...b…but," he stammered,
"I was merely attempting to share
The benefits of my meditation.
Orphans are neither here nor there."

"Listen: I WASN'T saying 'ORPHANS'!"
I yelled. "And frankly, I have to confess
Meditation in your case is
Of questionable effectiveness."

"Although your criticism," he said,
"Should bother me, I will not let it."
He walked away, and as he did,
He mumbled, "And orphans? I STILL don't get it."

-by Bob B (7-27-21)

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Go Go Go, Joseph" from JOSEPH AND HIS AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tze325xsYd4

(Narrator)
Nancy P. was looking to
Investigate what happened here
Back on a fateful winter day--
On January 6 this year.

(The People)
Hey, Nancy, you're doing what you must.
We want a probe that is robust.

Good going, Nancy, do not shy away.
Get to the cause of what happened that day.
Please don't stop, Nancy. You should find out
What the insurgence was really about.

(Narrator)
A group that was bipartisan
Was Nancy's goal--was Nancy's plan.
But she found resistance from
Kevin M.--the hatchet man.

(The People)
Hey, Nancy, he wants to derail
Everything, for he wants you to fail.

So she received from McCarthy some names.
He was intent on still playing his games.
One was Jim Jordan, the worst of the lot;
Another Jim Banks, to spoil the ***.

(Nancy P.)
Sorry, guys, but you have proved
That you're not worthy of this task.
I want people willing to
Be serious. That's all I ask.

(Narrator)
First, Jim Jordan hoped that he could prove
That Nancy here had made an unfair move.

(Jim Jordan)
Investigations like this are a sham.
If you don't want me, I don't give a ****.
If you ask me, I have known all along
That having this probe is both outrageous and wrong.

(Nancy P.)
Sorry that you feel that way,
So go back to what you were doing.
But studying attacks on our
Democracy is worth pursuing.

(Narrator)
Then Jim Banks stood up to speak his mind.
He and Jordan had been closely aligned.

(Jim Banks)
You have made this a partisan mess.
You're doing nothing but causing distress.
Forget all the riots; why can't we move on?
For me it is all just one giant yawn.

(Nancy P.)
How bizarre that you both live
In alternate realities.
Too bad that the two of you
Can't see the forest for the trees.

You are dangerous; it's clear to see.
I think that most people would agree.

(The People)
Don't worry, Nancy, you've done what is right.
Stick to your guns and don't give up the fight.
What those two men have done is quite clear:
Each one of them has his head up his rear.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Nancy, you've done what is right.
Stick to your guns and don't give up the fight.
What those two men have done is quite clear:
Each one of them has his head up his rear.
His head up his rear…
His head up his rear…
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

-by Bob B (7-25-21)

What? Another indictment in Trumpworld?
How could anyone be surprised?
In Trump's realm, crime and corruption
Have become quite normalized.

This time it is Thomas Barrack.
Of course, he's made a not-guilty plea,
Denying the charges of acting as
An agent for the UAE.°

Barrack is now the eleventh Trump
Associate, who since twenty fifteen
Has been charged with federal crimes.
This time Trump can't intervene

And dangle a pardon in front of him--
Something he's been known to do.
He has other challenges now
Since he couldn't pull off his coup.

Every day the world discovers
More of what Trump's all about.
And why people STILL support him
Is difficult to figure out.

Journalist Michelle Goldberg
Describes the astonishing situation
That we are experiencing
Currently as “scandal inflation.”

Scandal after scandal has made
The weary public become inured
To further scandals. The lines between
Right and wrong are now obscured.

Integrity or deceitful corruption--
Some people prefer the latter.
And many turn their heads and pretend
That certain crimes just do not matter.

All the more reason the U.S. needs
Leaders who put their country before
Their greed and own self-interests.
Grift and corruption, nevermore!

-by Bob B (7-24-21)

°United Arab Emirates

Watch the two traverse the country
Totally engrossed
In taking their ludicrous, idiotic
Show from coast to coast:

An alleged ***-offender AND
The wacko QAnon queen,
Representatives Matthew Gaetz
And Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Greene's inflammatory comments--
Obnoxious and inane--
Got her kicked off House committees.
She acts downright insane!

Gaetz remains on his committee
Which investigates
Situations such as the one
Involving himself--Gaetz!

They're stirring up the far-right base
While trying to make a splash,
Appealing to people's basest instincts
And raking in the cash;

Ranting about cancel culture
And communistic threats;
Raising fears about our border
With negative epithets;

Reinforcing Trump's Big Lie--
A plot that they endorse;
And criticizing Black Lives Matter,
Which they hate, of course.

If you wonder how long until
The two clowns will implode,
As long as they have an audience,
They'll take their show on the road:

An alleged ***-offender AND
The wacko QAnon queen,
Representatives Matthew Gaetz
And Marjorie Taylor Greene.

-by Bob B (7-21-21)

Is it a fair accusation
That Facebook spreads misinformation?
QAnon lies--
No big surprise--
Are truly a cause of vexation.

Freedom of speech, people say.
If they want to lie, that's okay.
That they bespatter
The truth with their chatter
Seems to grow worse day by day.

But QAnon isn't alone.
Other groups also have shown
That lying's an art,
So they play their part.
The extent of the damage? Unknown.

Yet Facebook insists it is trying
To clamp down on all of the lying.
But the COVID distortions
Are at epic proportions,
And thus many people are dying.

-by Bob B (7-19-21)

Republicans have a boogeyman.
Actually, more than one.
They are extremely creative and won’t
Let themselves be outdone.

Take critical race theory—
One of their current bugaboos.
They say it’s going to bring about
Our downfall. Hear them on Fox News.

Expressing White racial grievance
And complaining about C.R.T.
Shift the focus away from systemic
Racism here in this “land of the free.”

Marxism and socialism—
Also right-wing boogeymen
That pose insidious threats to our freedom?
Yawn! No, not this again!

Of course, you have the deep state conspiracy—
Another one of their baseless fears—
Which, they like to point out, has been
Happening during the past five years.

Then there’s always Antifa! Right-wing
Pundits will not let you forget,
Although far-right domestic terrorists
Are the ones posing a REAL threat.

What about the Devil incarnate:
George Soros, whom they bash
Excessively on right-wing shows
Where they spread their balderdash?

Ah, and don't forget the Dems.
Trumplicans love to fulminate
Against the Democrats and call them
Dangerous enemies of the state.

They say these boogeymen are going to
Destroy us and NOT just tarnish our name.
Do they REALLY believe this nonsense?
Are they for real? Or is it a game?

-by Bob B (7-18-21)

Sometimes it is undeniably
Hard to comprehend
How people can support a loser
To the bitter end.

For example: a twice-impeached
One-term president who
After four chaotic years
Has nothing better to do

Than demonstrate his nastiness
And fervently embrace
Anyone who bows to him
As he lies to his base.

His toadies let themselves be guided
Like marionettes on a string,
And many flock to Mar-a-Lago
To kiss their cult leader's ring.

The man--crazed, deluded--seems
Totally unaware
That the more he talks, the more
We know he's not all there.

He still thinks he's president--
That he'll be reinstated--
And that President Biden's term
Will be terminated!

He thinks that the clown-show audits
Will have the proof he'll use
To try to convince the country that
He didn't really lose.

One would think Republicans would be
Tying themselves in knots
Over what he's doing. But no,
They let him call the shots.

One could laugh if it weren't so
Sick, disgusting and sad.
But what's going on is serious.
Folks, we've been had!

It seems we're watching democracy go
Into a tailspin.
It won't be destroyed from without
But instead from within.

-by Bob B (7-16-21)

Tired of hearing news about COVID?
You THOUGHT it was going away? Not true.
You might be tired of hearing about it,
But it's not tired of hearing about you.

The Delta variant is spreading here
At what we see is a frightening speed.
In other words, what we are seeing
Is a Delta-strain stampede.

Fifty-eight percent of current
Cases here are Delta related.
The seriousness of the spreading virus
Can in no way be overstated.

Meet Blake B. from the state of Georgia,
Only 24-years old.
He thought he would wait for his
Vaccination, when lo and behold

He came down with COVID and has
Spent three months in a hospital bed.
He needed a double-lung transplant,
And who knows what else lies ahead?

COVID's an opportunistic virus;
It doesn't respond to demands and orders.
It seeks out fertile territories
And pays no attention to labels and borders.

Recently, Missouri has been
In big trouble, for COVID is spreading.
The situation there is precisely
What most of the experts have been dreading.

Florida's also being hit hard.
And yet some wear T-shirts that read
"Don't Fauci my Florida!"--
A rather stupid saying indeed.

You could survive the virus; however,
Long-haul COVID is still a concern.
You may think you're ahead of the game,
But don't forget: the tables may turn.

Misinformation spreads as fast
As COVID does, which is depressing.
Social media seems to have
Become more of a curse than a blessing.

But masks and social distancing
Are both still effective means
To stay protected from the virus
Without or even WITH vaccines.

Knowing that COVID's preventable
Now that we have a vaccination
Should make everybody want
To put an end to the devastation.

-by Bob B (7-15-21)

(This can be sung to the melody of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," by Tom Blackburn and George E. Bruns.)

All you have to do is show you are a fan
Of Donald J. Trump, and of course you can
Rewrite our history if that's your plan,
While tossing all the facts into the garbage can.
Ashli--Ashli Babbitt--out for a dangerous thrill.

It's too bad her life had to end that way.
But why storm the Capitol that shameful day?
How did she ever get caught up in the fray?
She listened to Trump. What else is there to say?
Ashli--Ashli Babbitt--killed on Capitol Hill.

The members of Congress were terrified.
They had to find a place where they could all hide.
The Speaker's Lobby was where Babbitt tried
To enter but was shot before she got inside.
Ashli--Ashli Babbitt--caught in the undertow.

Breaking in and entering was not very smart.
Incited by her president, she chose to take part
In the insurrection. Watch him kick start
A movement to reward her with a purple heart.
Ashli--Ashli Babbitt--oh, what a tale of woe!

Some want to crucify the cop who shot her,
Saying what he did was nothing short of slaughter.
But look where Babbitt's crazy actions brought her.
Recognizing lies is what someone should’ve taught her.
Ashli--Ashli Babbitt--fell for the president's lie.

Some Trump's supporters are so inclined
To try to persuade his base to be aligned
In making her a martyr, but when will they find
That their cult leader's completely lost his mind?
Ashli--Ashli Babbitt--what a strange way to die.

I think that most of us will have to agree
That you don't have to be a genius to be
Appalled by such attacks on our democracy.
There are consequences. That's a guarantee.
Ashli--Ashli Babbitt--all we can ask is "Why?"

-by Bob B (7-13-21)

Californians, continue to be
Water wise, or water smart.
We can save our precious commodity
If all of us will do our part.

"But what do you mean?" some people ask.
"What--pray tell--are you talking about?"
Certainly, you've noticed that
We're in the midst of a multi-year drought.

Water, water everywhere?
Not right now; levels are low.
Many places are desperate for
Much more rain and winter snow.

"But I've been saving water," you say.
If that's the case, then good for you.
But ask yourself, "Now, is there
Anything else that I can do?"

Even shorter showers maybe;
Make that part of your routine.
Low-flush toilets also help,
And fewer loads in the washing machine.

When brushing your teeth, washing dishes,
Or shaving don't let the water run
And run. Only use what you need.
That, dear friends, is rule number one.

Droughts have always occurred, of course.
And too much water can be a curse.
But weather extremes are happening,
For climate change is making things worse.

We MUST explore more ways to capture
And save the water that we get.
Would we benefit from having
Greater water storage? You bet!

Just be aware of water usage;
Unnecessary usage must stop.
Bear in mind that we cannot
Afford to waste a single drop.

-by Bob B (7-10-21)

Sometimes it seems that gone are the days
When people valued the wise--
When education wasn't suspect
And something to demonize;

When knowledge, awareness, and understanding
Provided a safety net
And were not frowned upon and thought
To be a dangerous threat;

When facts and the truth were highly regarded
And clarity desired;
When people trusted reason and critical
Thinking was admired.

When people didn't think that foolish
Hearsay was worth believing;
When having an open mind was considered
A goal worth achieving;

When misinformation didn't spread
Like wildfires raging;
When honesty was highly praised,
And virtue was engaging.

But, alas, perhaps I was
Hopelessly deceived
To think that's what the majority
Of people truly believed.

Is there a possibility that
All the things I've listed,
Widespread and across the board,
Never really existed?

-by Bob B (7-8-21)

It was only six months ago
That we had an insurrection
Because a former president
Refused to believe he lost an election.

Inciting a large part of his base,
He kept repeating his dangerous lie,
Casting doubts on election results
That Congress was going to certify.

Many people want to pretend
That nothing serious happened that day.
They THINK that by ignoring it,
The whole nightmare will go away.

Gaslighting the public by making
People believe what isn't true
Further emboldens extremist groups
That Trump has given oxygen to.

Many members of Congress want
To get to the bottom of what occurred.
And yet the deniers are trying to squelch
The investigations, from what we've heard.

We need to know the facts: the whats
The whys, the whos, the hows and the wheres.
Let's get to the bottom of this
Horrifying state of affairs.

Over 500 people have been
Arrested for the part that they played
That day in storming the Capitol Building
And carrying out their disgusting crusade.

Whatever you do, do not call them
Patriots or tourists! NO!
The word "insurrectionists"
Is really much more apropos.

The more the truth is revealed, the more
We will understand, and then
We can hope that such an attack
Never ever happens again.

-by Bob B (7-6-21)

The 4th of July is here, and though
We haven't reached our goal,
We have still made headway getting
COVID under control.

A year ago, times were scary,
But I'll go out on a limb
To say that 2021
Is looking a lot less grim.

However, the Delta variant's spreading;
We must be on our guard.
Wherever we are vulnerable
It leaves its calling card.

And so enjoy your barbecue,
Potato salad and pie.
Party wisely, and have a safe
And happy 4th of July.

-by Bob B (7-4-21)

The date was June 21
In 1964.
Three men° had no idea
What would be lying in store

When they drove through the South
In efforts to promote
Equality by helping
Register Blacks to vote.

They were in Mississippi,
A place that was known for attacks
On basic human rights--
For disenfranchising Blacks.

Arrested and jailed for speeding,
They should have been alarmed.
The locals were working against them.
Of course, the three were unarmed.

After they left the jailhouse,
They were abducted and killed
And buried in an earthen dam--
Their goals as yet unfulfilled.

Two months later the men's
Bodies were found at the site.
Compassionate people were shocked
As details came to light.

The KKK, the sheriff,
And police were involved in the crime.
All but one of the killers
Served very little time.

After years of struggle
And much to our dismay,
We can see voter suppression
Still occurring today.

Why when we seek fair treatment
Are we up against a wall?
Will we ever secure
Equal justice for all?

-by Bob B (6-22-21)

°James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner

Get your vaccination.
Set your fears aside.
Do not count on others
To give you a free ride.

We're in this together.
Everyone take heart.
All can benefit
If we do our part.

Don't buy into tactics
That people out there use
To push a false agenda
And spread untruthful news.

Protect yourself and others,
And we will likely see
The vaccine help us reach
Herd immunity.

But STILL be on your guard--
Vaccinated or not.
Variants could pop up
For which we have no shot.

It behooves us all
To put this virus behind us.
Conspiracy theories only
Hurt, confuse, and blind us.

So get your vaccination
If you haven't yet.
Don't let your inaction
Be something you regret.

-by Bob B (6-20-21)

She was so beautiful, oh, so beautiful.
People said that for miles around.
Her radiant face: the pride of the pueblo;
Her melodious voice: the most pleasant sound.

Blessed with a husband and two lovely sons,
She never imagined her joy would end,
Until the day she found her marido
Making passionate love with her friend.

Jealousy hungers for vengeance, and vengeance
Opens its arms to grief and despair.
The wife was driven mad by her anger--
The pain being more than the woman could bear.

Taking her beautiful boys to the river
That gently serpentined down to the coast,
She drowned them both to hurt her husband.
Their death would make him suffer the most.

“What have I done?” she cried when she came
To her senses. “Padre, condemn me to hell!”
She waded farther out in the water,
And then she drowned herself as well.

Unable to rest, her spirit haunts
The towns, the valleys, the hills, and the plains.
Remorse and guilt can eat at the soul;
A hollow heart is all that remains.

They call her La Llorona; her cries
Can make a person die of fright.
Though seeking her children, she’ll settle for any
And ****** them away in the dark of the night.

Beware, beware, beware La Llorona.
Pity her plight, but fear her intent.
Beware the consequences of anger
And vengeance that leave us with much to lament.

-by Bob B (6-3-21)

Tell it to me plainly, simply,
Without incongruities.
I have NO more patience for
Vagueness and ambiguities.

Whatever you have to say, say it
Clearly, matter-of-factly.
"An unaffected, straightforward style?"
You ask. Yes, exactly.

Of course, flowery language has
A special time and place.
But please leave all pretensions behind
And just cut to the chase.

I want the message in such a way
That makes it easy to grasp.
But convoluted rigmarole
Makes me want to gasp!

If you wear your heart on your sleeve,
That is quite all right.
However, for puzzling plays on words
I have no appetite.

When I was much much younger, I found
A challenge to be amusing.
Nowadays, I have no time
For what’s unclear or confusing.

Complexity might be your thing.
If so, that is fine.
It might be your ultimate goal.
It’s definitely not mine.

Simplicity: that is key.
I don’t mess around
With splashy words or thoughts that make
My writing sound profound.

I want my ride to be comfy and smooth,
Without potholes and dips.
Bombastic words and overblown language
Make for bumpy trips.

Direct, precise, and to the point--
Without a lot of fluff.
That appeals to me right now.
With that, I’ve said enough.

-by Bob B (6-1-21)

The year: 1921.
The date: the 31st of May.
A White lynch mob gathered at
The Tulsa courthouse late that day.

The goal: to lynch a nineteen-year-old
Black man, who'd been accused of assault,
Perpetuating the racist idea
That Black men are guilty by default.

The man, **** Rowland, had been accused
Most likely because of a misunderstanding.
Nevertheless, the angry mob--
Thirsty for blood--showed up demanding

To take the law into its own hands.
The news spread; the mob grew in size.
Some Blacks--among them some veterans--came
To stop the lynching. Not a surprise.

All of a sudden, shots were exchanged.
A few people died on the spot.
The group of Blacks retreated while
Rumors flourished and tempers grew hot.

The African-Americans lived
In a bustling district called Greenwood. Its fame
Was rapidly spreading; America's Black
Wall Street was its popular name.

Mobs rampaged through Greenwood streets,
Setting businesses on fire,
Looting homes and murdering people.
Rumors and hatred stoked their ire.

Firefighters, who rushed to the scene,
Were under attack and forced to flee.
For eighteen hours angry White mobs
Carried out their ****** spree.

At least thirty-five city blocks
Lay in ruins on June 1st.
Of low points in American history,
This has to be one of the worst.

It's hard to know how many people
Died, for numbers were underreported.°
Historians are grappling still
With information that's been distorted.

Thousands of people were homeless, for over
Twelve hundred homes had been destroyed.
A once thriving, exciting district
Became a charred, horrendous void.

The massacre was not unique;
Others have happened here as well.
The country--though great in many respects--
It has other ghastly stories to tell.

Time does not erase the past.
Don’t let memories become obscure.
We must work together so such
Atrocities never reoccur.

-by Bob B (5-31-21)

°Initially, the state reported 36 deaths. Historians say the death toll was much higher, from 150 to 300 people.

The clown show in Arizona
Still hasn't come to a close.
When will the nonsense stop?
Well, good gracious! Who knows?

A group called the Cyber Ninjas
Is making a horrible mess.
How they could be so obnoxious
Is anybody's guess.

Trying to squeeze blood from a turnip,
They want to show everyone
That voter fraud ran rampant,
When most of us know there was none.

Among the crazy theories
That they have up the *****
Is that the ballots might show
Fragments of Chinese bamboo!

The crazy, preposterous theory
For which they have affection
Is how the Chinese attempted
To meddle in our election.

In states where Republicans won,
Republicans shout out, "Yippee!"
Where Democrats won, however,
The Right says, "No, that can't be."

Matthew Gaetz was joined
By Marjorie Taylor Greene,
The bully who's also known as
The wacko QAnon Queen.

The two showed up at a rally
To offer their support,
Showing how low they'd stoop--
To what they will resort.

Tampering with equipment
With actions so obtuse,
The "auditors" now have put
The voting machines out of use.

This all shows what can happen
When people get their high
Not by believing in reason,
But instead by promoting a lie.

The news of this clown show is spreading.
Moreover, from what we can tell,
You might be seeing the same
Buffoons in your state as well.

-by Bob B (5-23-21)

There is a member of Congress--
His name is Andrew Clyde--
Who in January
Was barricaded inside

The chambers of the House
While thugs were yelling "****,"
As they stormed the building--
The one called Capitol Hill.

We've seen camera footage
Of the despicable scene,
Which will remain in the annals
As one of the worst days we've seen.

Mr. Clyde, however,
Now has a different spin
On what happened that day.
What a mess we are in!

Tourists paying a visit:
That's what they really were,
Mr. Clyde now says.
And many colleagues concur

That they were there to take photos,
Not to storm the halls.
So is it normal for tourists
To **** and wipe crap on the walls?

Is it tourist behavior
To brutally beat the police
Who were defending officials
And trying to keep the peace?

Do tourists normally break
Into buildings? No, correction!
Call it what is was:
A violent insurrection

By people perpetuating
Not the truth but a lie.
Many people were injured,
And some had to die.

Liz Cheney reminds us--
Acting as the town crier--
If we ignore the truth,
We merely embolden the liar.

Orwell warned us how
Scary it will be
When people are told what to think
And lose the right to be free--

When one is told to distrust
What one sees and hears,
Rejecting evidence of
Both the eyes and ears.

-by Bob B (5-18-21)

We’re your friendly Republican
Legislators! Yay!
Whether state or federal,
We are here to stay.
We will change the laws to make
Sure that we maintain
All the power that we want;
We won’t let it wane.

We will use all strategies
To get what we desire--
Even if we have to lie,
Hoodwink or conspire.
If we make it hard to vote,
That will help us win,
As we watch opponents fall
Into a tailspin.

If opponents get perchance
More votes, we won’t grieve,
For we have something really quite
Sneaky up our sleeve.
It will be an obstacle
Easy to surmount:
We’ll find devious ways to make
Opponents' votes not count.

If you look into our eyes
And see we have no soul,
That’s okay ‘cause all we want
Are power and control.
If sacrificing democratic
Values in order to keep
Our power and authority,
We don't give a (bleep).

-by Bob B (3-26-21)

For what occurred on March 7,
There was truly no excuse.
Although the day started out calmly,
Before long all hell broke loose.

The year: 1965.
Selma, Alabama: the place.
Six hundred marchers for freedom
And state troopers stood face to face.

The goal of the marchers was a demand
For equal rights in the voting booth,
For the tight grip of Jim Crow laws
In America was an ugly truth.

The plan: a peaceful march from Selma
To the Alabama capital, where
They would take their grievances
To the governor. What's fair is fair.

Reaching the Edmund Pettus Bridge--
Named, by the way, after a man
Who'd been a Confederate general
And member of the Ku Klux ****--

The marchers stopped. The state troopers
Told them all to turn around.
However, the marchers, one of whom
Was John Lewis°, stood their ground.

Soon the state troopers advanced,
Wearing gas masks and waving their sticks.
They threw some whips and tubing wrapped
In barbed wire into the mix.

Men, women, and children were beaten.
Blood was flowing; marchers were screaming.
Some of white spectators were
Holding Confederate flags and beaming.

That evening, while millions were watching
"Judgment at Nuremberg" on TV,
The movie was interrupted by scenes
Of the brutal assault for all to see.

The day is known as ****** Sunday--
A day that we should never forget.
And yet today the voting rights
Of people of color are still under threat.

When we restrict the right to vote,
Democracy's up against the wall.
No one is free until ALL are free.
Equal rights means justice for all.

-by Bob B (3-6-21)

°American politician, statesman, and civil rights activist who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 until his death in 2020

There's a pandemic that still is not
Under control, and what's more,
A suffering economy
And weather extremes cause problems to soar.

And all across the country we have
Republicans supporting a guy
Who incited an insurrection
By pushing what we call the Big Lie.

Millions of people here are in
Desperate financial straits,
Trying to keep their dwellings and cars
And struggling to get some food on their plates.

And yet we have Republicans
In Congress who would rather waste time
Impudently obstructing bills
To help the people. What a crime!

With so much domestic terrorism
Flourishing and voter suppression
On top of everything else, these
"Leaders" have a strange obsession:

They have decided that it is much
More important to worry instead
About some books by Dr. Seuss
And the fate of Mr. Potato Head!

Listen to them scream about
"Cancel culture" as though it's true--
As though an evil plot exists
To ultimately cancel you.

With such legislators making
Decisions, we're in a real mess.
How strange that foolishness turns out being
The true measure of their success!

-by Bob B (3-5-21)

Two men stopped by a Zen temple
To speak with the temple master, who
They hoped would eagerly share with them
His honest and expert point of view.

The first man said, "I think I want
To move to the local town, so please
Tell me what the town is like.
That will put my mind at ease."

The master responded, "Tell ME about
Your current town. How would you rate it?"
"Ugh!" the man replied. "The people
There are mean and hateful. I hate it!"

The master listened calmly, and then
Shaking his head, he said, "It's clear
From what you have been telling me
That you would also hate it here."

The man bowed and left the room.
The second man entered the room and sat.
He also inquired about the town
And the surrounding habitat.

"Tell me about your current town,"
The master said with a smile on his face.
"The people are nice," the man replied.
"It's a truly wonderful place."

"Ah!" the master exclaimed. "Then from
What you're telling me, I can tell
That you without a doubt are going
To love the local town as well."

-by Bob B (3-3-21)

°An old Zen anecdote retold here in verse

Think back to a year ago
When we had the chance
To slow a deadly virus down,
But some folks looked askance.
The issue grew political
And then we saw instead
That due to lack of leadership
The virus spread and spread.

I received my vaccination.
Now I feel relief.
We have watched the COVID virus
Cause a lot of grief.
As we all get vaccinated
We will start to see
The benefits around the world
Of herd immunity.

As the virus spreads we notice
Variants arise.
But that is how they work, and so
It should be no surprise.
If we don't act quickly now
The variants might start
Resisting vaccines that we have.
But for now take heart.

I received my vaccination.
Now I feel relief.
We have watched the COVID virus
Cause a lot of grief.
As we all get vaccinated
We will start to see
The benefits around the world
Of herd immunity.

So get your vaccination.
Don't give up the fight.
Make the virus go away
By doing what is right.
A little side effect or two
And maybe a sore arm
Might well lie in store for you,
But no cause for alarm.

I received my vaccination.
Now I feel relief.
We have watched the COVID virus
Cause a lot of grief.
As we all get vaccinated
We will start to see
The benefits around the world
Of herd immunity.

-by Bob B (2-28-19)

D.T.:
Why does everybody
Always want to see
My tax returns?
If I could have a secret,
It really ought to be
My tax returns.
Inflating values to get your loans:
There is really nothing to it.
Deflating values to lower taxes:
Doesn’t everybody do it?

Why do prosecutors
Want to have in hand
My tax returns?
I don’t think it’s fair
That they can all demand
My tax returns.
When you’re rich, doesn’t that mean
You should get a little break?
I’m in trouble mainly because
I give far less than I take.

I’m being hassled
‘Cause I want to hide
My tax returns.
Judges are stupid
To say I must provide
My tax returns.
If they say I committed fraud,
I’ll say that’s just fake news.
If they try to make me talk,
I will simply refuse!

I know that my fans
Don’t give a hoot about
My tax returns.
I can cheat and they’ll say that’s okay.
Winning means having all the right tools
To maneuver your way around the rules.
I’m *******
Because I have to show
MY TAX RETURNS!

-by Bob B (2-26-21)

Marian Anderson was called
The "Voice of the Century" back in her time.
But her rise to fame and approval
Certainly wasn't an easy climb.

She knew when she was six years old
And sang in a choir at church that she
Planned to devote her life to music.
A well-trained singer was what she'd be.

The Philadelphia Musical
Academy was her glorious dream.
But she was told that "colored people"
Weren't allowed--a recurring theme.

And so she found a voice teacher
And tried to perform wherever she could.
Dance halls were a popular venue
Throughout the Harlem neighborhood.

When her New York Town Hall debut
Bombed as critics picked her apart,
In 1927 she sailed
To Europe, where she could polish her art.

Her time in Sweden, Germany,
Paris and London was time well spent.
Having developed her artistry,
Anderson triumphed wherever she went.

Germany in the 1930s…
******'s power grab gave her pause.
Anderson was dismayed to hear him
Praise America's Jim Crow laws.

Back to America she sailed,
Where she would be celebrated.
To packed houses she sang, although
Most of the venues were segregated.

At one moving performance Anderson
Entered the stage and faced the crowd.
Then she turned to the black section
With deep humility and bowed.

In 1939 the plan:
A concert at Constitution Hall.
However, the DAR° refused
To let her perform. Another wall.

She gave a concert instead on the steps
Of the Lincoln Memorial to powerful raves.
A giant crowd attended. Her voice
Was also transmitted on radio waves.

In 1950 Anderson married
Orpheus Fisher. Unusual name.
Way back when she was starting out,
Orpheus had been her old flame.

In 1955 the Met°°
Broke the color bar. That year
Anderson sang in an opera--
For some the capstone of her career.

In '63 once again
Marian Anderson broadened her scope
And sang at the March on Washington.
She refused to give up hope.

She died at the age of ninety-six.
For many years the world was blessed
With having this diva, who knew first-hand
What it was like to be oppressed.

Her rich, expressive, contralto voice
Had a vibrant, velvety sound.
She sang with beauty and poise and grace.
No wonder she was so renowned!

Listen to her sing "Deep River."
Note her phrasing, her voice control.
How can you hear her and not feel her voice
Penetrate your very soul?

-by Bob B (2-22-21)

°Daughters of the American Revolution
°°The New York Metropolitan Opera

OFF TO CANCÚN

So if you're a U.S. Senator
And your state is besieged by cold,
Extreme weather, putting the state
In a catastrophic stranglehold,

With power outages, houses flooding
From bursting pipes, people dying,
Shortages of food and supplies--
The situation terrifying--

How do you help your constituents?
How do you show them that you are in tune
With all their pain and misery?
I know: why not fly to Cancún?

Ask Ted Cruz. That's what he did.
He did it for his kids, he said.
Why suffer here when he could
Play on a Mexican beach instead?

Actually, he cut his trip short,
And flew back home earlier than planned,
Only because he'd gotten caught
And had to leave the sun and sand.

Cruz reveals how little he cares
About the people and dodges attacks.
In a crisis, leadership matters.
And that is something the Senator lacks.

-by Bob B (2-19-21)

FLY ME TO CANCÚN

(This poem can be sung to the melody of the song "Fly Me to the Moon" by Bart Howard.)

Fly me to Cancún
So I can play upon the sand.
Let me get away from Texas.
Cold I can't withstand.
I want to play…in the sun.
I want to play….Who will miss me?

People in my state
Should understand what it's about.
I don't think the government
Should have to bail you out.
Just blame the Dems; they're the cause.
Yeah, blame the Dems, and their laws.

Anyone who wants
To leave can do it if they choose.
I am being attacked
Just because my name's Ted Cruz.
Some people say I'm not fair.
In simple words…
In simple words
I don't care.

-by Bob B (2-19-21)

He died at seventy years of age;
His words had poisoned a nation.
Much of what he ranted about
Was total fabrication.

White identity politics:
He set a blueprint for that.
And when he criticized liberals,
He upped the thermostat.

Race-baiting for him was certainly
Par for the course.
Constant attack was his strategy,
With no hint of remorse.

Being politically INcorrect
To show his point of view
And crossing the line of propriety
Were what he loved to do.

True he had his loyal fans
Who would never condemn
His bigotry and conspiracy theories.
What is wrong with them?

The Capitol insurrectionists,
Naturally, he'd spout,
Were NOT thugs, but patriots!
Figure that one out.

When giving him the Medal of Freedom
Despite his divisive ways,
Trump insulted all the people
Truly deserving of praise.

There are some who’ll jump for joy,
Knowing that Rush is gone.
But sadly all his vitriol
Continues to live on.

-by Bob B (2-18-21)

On Valentine’s Day three years ago
A high school shooting shook the nation.
Seventeen lives were taken in Parkland,
Florida, an indication

That something is wrong--terribly wrong--
In what has been called "the land of the free,"
Where easy access to weapons of war
Led to this brutal killing spree.

Each year after the deadly occurrence,
People meet to remember and pray,
While those directly affected by
The shooting suffer day after day.

Parents, siblings, relatives, and friends--
Before that nightmare--never expected
For loved ones to have to experience
The horror to which they'd been subjected.

And yet there are some people who call
The shootings in Parkland a "false flag."
Tell that to parents of kid after kid
Who left the school in a body bag!

That too many lives are lost in deadly
Shootings here is a bone-chilling fact.
We MUST do more than merely remember
The lives that were lost. We must act!

-by Bob B (2-17-21)

This is the tale of a woman;
Ashli Babbitt's her name.
She lost her life by becoming
Involved in a dangerous game.

She'd spent some time in the Air Force--
Fourteen dutiful years.
Later she worked with her family.
Then something snapped, it appears.

Her social media postings
Showed her recent romance
With crazy conspiracy theories
And an anti-immigrant stance.

Trump's deceitful distortions
Were something to which she held fast.
Her trip to the Capitol Building
Would end up being her last.

So say good-bye to Ashli.
What a sad reason to die!--
All for having supported
A president's giant lie.

When she arrived at the building,
She probably thought, "What the heck?"
And broke in with the mob
With a Trump flag 'round her neck.

A plan to take back the country
Was how the event was billed.
Instead it was a coup,
And Ashli was shot and killed.

Some people call her a martyr;
Some people call her a saint.
But most people here will tell you
That those are two things she ain't.

When we bow down to tyrants
Who break the existing rules,
We demonstrate the danger
Of fools being led by fools.

So say good-bye to Ashli.
What a sad reason to die!--
All for having supported
A president's giant lie…
All for having supported
A president's giant lie.

-by Bob B (2-12-21)

I have a hard time understanding
This whole thing about being white
And what makes being white so special.
I CAN'T comprehend it, try as I might.

"Special" here means using “whiteness”
To hold others down with unfair laws
Or other discriminatory treatment--
Injustice that should give all people pause.

I am of northern European
Background. That is just who I am.
But if my forebears had come from Mars,
Frankly, I wouldn't give a ****.

I must accept myself--that’s true--
To be who I am, but I'll come clean:
I'd be content to be any color--
Black, white, or in between.

Privileges that come with being
White for many are in effect
Exactly what those very same people
Fear losing and choose to protect.

What a shame that is! To me
It absolutely makes no sense
To keep your sense of privilege
And do so at someone else's expense.

If only we could find a way
To make such treatment disappear!
Life could be so much more
Harmonious here on this earthly sphere.

Be who you are, but learn to appreciate
Others for who they happen to be.
Walk in their shoes, live in their skin,
Hear what they hear, see what they see.

White, brown, black…whatever.
Let's unite as people--as one.
NOT other people, but false pride
And prejudice are what we should shun.

-by Bob B (2-10-21)

Do not live for tomorrow.
Try to discover how
To cherish every moment--
To live in the here and now.

Appreciate your loved ones.
Let their lives express
A deep connection to
Your inner consciousness.

Be sensible, though.
Don’t squander away
That which gives you a sense of
Security today.

Make the best of every
Moment, whether it be
One that’s filled with sadness,
Or one that’s filled with glee.

When your time is up--
Something you can’t forestall--
It would be sad to find out
That you never lived at all.

-by Bob B (2-8-21)

Hey, come join us. Be a part
Of what our Party has come to be:
The re-imagined, highly unorthodox,
Radicalized GOP.

Proud Boys and other radical groups,
Step on up; display your charms.
You have found a home with us;
We welcome you with open arms.

White supremacists, don't worry:
The GOP won't shy away
From giving you a place where you
Can spew your hate and have your say.

QAnon folks, some of your
Conspiracy theories are right up our alley.
Of course, you'll be expected to
Show up at each Republican rally.

One of our leading goals is to make
It harder and harder for people to vote.
Overturning election results
Is something else that we promote.

If we say Dems are anti-American
And scream "Socialism!" enough,
We can pretend to be patriots
And dare the Left to call our bluff.

Facts are not important to us
As long as we can be in control.
Equality and justice both
Play for us a minor role.

We don’t care how wacky you are;
We just rely on your total support.
The key words that guide us now
Are "loyalty," "gaslight," "distract," and "distort."

Of course, we yell out "Unity!"
With fingers crossed behind our backs.
Power is where it's at, and we
Thrive on power to the max.

When it comes to rules, flout them--
Unless they serve your needs at the time.
The end will justify the means.
Not to believe that would be a crime.

The obstacles to achieving power
Are certainly NOT insurmountable.
We like accountability,
As long as you don't hold us accountable.

If probity is not an issue,
You are going to like what you see:
The re-imagined, highly unorthodox,
Radicalized GOP.

-by Bob B (2-6-21)

How could it happen? How could it be
That Marjorie Taylor Greene
Became a member of Congress? She's
The Capitol QAnon Queen.

She said that the Parkland shootings were
A false flag and swore
That laser beams from outer space
Caused wildfires! There's more:

She advocated that violent acts
Be directed toward
Members of Congress. Such offenses
Shouldn't be ignored.

Hilary murdered babies, she said.
How could anyone
Take Greene seriously after
All the tales she's spun?

When racists hear her rants, they all
Swarm around her like flies
Attracted to something I'd rather not
Have to verbalize.

Her anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic
Hate speech abounds.
One wonders how a person could be
As crazy as she sounds.

Greene has given support to the myth
That Trump really won the election.
Her vitriol also helped to incite
The Capitol insurrection.

Many Republicans in Congress
Bury their heads in the sand,
Ignoring the danger that she poses.
Things are way out of hand.

Strange ideas are out there, granted,
But what could be more obscene
Than to have as a member of Congress
A Capitol QAnon Queen?

-by Bob B (1-30-21)

Maisha Oni Muhammad-Brinkley
In Dallas, Texas, worked her magic
As a respiratory therapist
Until, sadly, her life turned tragic.

Also known as the Breathing Lady,
Maisha became her patients' friend.
Her sweet smile and compassionate heart
Accompanied her until the end.

Last September, Maisha grew sick,
Having contracted COVID-19
Just a few months before
She'd have access to a vaccine.

The forty-three-year-old mother of four
Needed to be hospitalized
And placed on a ventilator.
The seriousness couldn't be minimized.

Commitment to excellence had always been
Her motivation. Now she depended
On help from others to fight the virus,
Since her life had been upended.

November 18 arrived--the day
The loving wife and mother died.
Her husband of twenty-four years was able
To be there sitting by her side.

So when you're feeling tired of the virus
And let down your guard, you will find
That YOUR life AND the lives of OTHERS
Could be at risk. Bear that in mind.

-by Bob B (1-29-21)

It's incomprehensible
What some people choose to believe.
And also extremely worrisome.
Maybe I’m a bit naïve,

But goodness gracious! I thought we
Human beings had progressed
Intellectually, but now
I am starting to feel depressed.

Deep state elites harvesting
Chemicals from babies’ blood…
A virus caused by the 5G network…
Do people really believe that crud?

That massive voter fraud had helped
President Biden to win the election…
That microchips have been implanted
In your COVID vaccine injection…

That COVID was intentional,
Created in a lab…That’s mad!
That the assault on the Capitol
Was staged to make Trump look bad…

It’s almost as though reason and madness
Are balancing on a teeter-totter.
What's happening to rational thought?
Is "crazy” in the drinking water?

-by Bob B (1-28-21)

Oh, how wonderful it is
To have an adult in the White House again!
What a relief to have a leader
Who hires competent women and men--

Who doesn't give the lunatic fringe
Attention it so badly desires--
Whose comments on events are not
White supremacist pacifiers--

Who's honest with the public and
Isn't Putin's groveling flunky--
Who's an adherent of science and facts
And NOT a conspiracy theory ******!

How great it is to have a leader
Who doesn't thrive on corrupt connections--
Who doesn't stir up mobs to commit
Anti-government insurrections--

Who doesn’t debase the Constitution--
Who tries with all his heart to bring
Compassion into the White House and doesn't
Rule the country as though he were king!

How cool to have a president
Who is going to be on the level
And who will have supporters who won't
Have to sell their souls to the Devil!

The task that lies before us now
Is NOT going to be an easy one.
The past four years have left us with
So much damage to be undone.

-by Bob B (1-27-21)

In horror we watched as our nation's
Capitol Building was overrun
By wild, angry pro-Trump mobs
On one…six…twenty-one.

Who were these people? you might ask.
Do you really want to know?
It's hard to imagine how people here
Could be so vile and stoop that low.

We could see T-shirts that read
6 - M - W - E.
"Six Million Wasn't Enough"
Is what they say it means, you see.

The number "Six Million"° refers
To the number of Jews whose lives were lost
Back in the 1940s during
The nightmarish Holocaust!

At least one **** wore a T-shirt
That read "Camp Auschwitz." He's a guy
You wouldn't want to bring home to Mother.
I'll give you fifty reasons why.

Some stormed through the halls of Congress
Waving Confederate flags. How telling!
Others were members of white militias,
Running through the building and yelling.

Others involved were QAnon people
Who have nothing better to do
Than think up bizarre conspiracy theories
And then pretend that the nonsense is true.

Members of the KKK
Also showed up there to endorse
The president. But who is shocked?
That is merely par for the course.

One thing that united them all
Was how they swallowed the president's lies.
After he fired them up at a rally,
Their wild behavior was not a surprise.

Trump says these are patriots!
Patriots? If such a display
Shows patriotism, then Trump is growing
More delusional every day.

-by Bob B (1-9-21)

°Some estimate that the number was millions more

Chaos! Mayhem! Destructiveness!
We watched the vile desecration
Occurring in the halls of Congress.
Images rightfully shocked the nation.

The day will live in infamy.
Rioters left their ugly mark--
Their foolish anger having been
Ignited by the president's spark.

Who couldn't see this coming?
The president's vitriol and lies
And wild conspiracy theories appealed
To thugs he wanted to galvanize.

Joining Trump at the pre-riot rally
Were losers such as Giuliani--
Scoundrels who'd do anything
To aid and abet their good friend Donny.

While Congress met to do its job--
To certify the November election--
Trump was exhorting a mob to lead
What was truly an insurrection.

Lives were endangered; lives were lost.
The Capitol Building was left a mess.
But once the dust had settled, Congress
Fulfilled its duty nevertheless.

Will there now be consequences?
Will Trump and his hoodlums get away
With lawless behavior? Hopefully not.
If so, there's going to be hell to pay.

-by Bob B (1-8-21)

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Auld Lang Syne.")

It's been a year from hell--one that
We might choose to forget.
Our routine and our very lives
Have been under constant threat.

Let’s raise a glass and give a toast,
For we have reached the end
Of 2020. Will good things
Await us 'round the bend?

A deadly virus spread and still
It takes a heavy toll.
Let's hope the vaccines wipe it out;
That will be the New Year's goal.

Let’s raise a glass and give a toast,
For we have reached the end
Of 2020. Will good things
Await us 'round the bend?

The votes were cast; the people spoke.
Now let's shout out three cheers,
For gone will be the one who gave
Us four nightmarish years.

Let’s raise a glass and give a toast,
For we have reached the end
Of 2020. Will good things
Await us 'round the bend?

-by Bob B (12-31-20)