Russian elections. Oh, boy!
It's THAT time again.
If you said it's time for Putin
To go, I'd say, "Amen!"

But with the help of Apple and Google,
Putin has made it clear
That anyone who wants him to win
Has nothing at all to fear.

He still stifles dissent by either
Putting you in jail
Or finding another way to stop you
That he hopes won't fail.

He doesn't have a very high
Approval rating, but still,
If there's a way to rig an election,
Of course, find it he will.

It would be so nice to be able
To wish the Russians well.
But is there a chance that Putin could lose?
Ha! No chance in hell.

-by Bob B (9-18-21)

THE GOP'S BEEN TAKEN HOSTAGE
As Donald Trump continues to spin
Stories about the presidential
Election that he didn't win.

Republicans have shamelessly caved.
A large percent of them embrace
Trump's Big Lie about the election,
Mainly because they fear his base.

THE CLOWN SHOW IN ARIZONA ENDS.
It was in the guise of an audit
That proved to be essentially
Nothing but a wasteful fraudit.

Costing millions of dollars and taking
Five months for ballot inspections,
It only helped to undermine
People's trust in future elections.

REPLACEMENT THEORY PROLIFERATES,
While the right keeps spreading tales
Of thousands of immigrants coming here
To vote in order to tip the scales.

The fearmongers are not subtle.
In fact, their rants are quite overt.
Spreading lies and paranoia,
They proudly sling their racist dirt.

DEMOCRACY IS UNDER ATTACK
As more info comes to light
Of how Trump tried to overturn
Election results with all his might.

When people in power blur the truth,
Deceive the public, and then retell
History, they're on the path
To shoot democracy to hell.

-by Bob B (9-25-21)

A monk, Bhaddiya, was meditating
Long ago in India when
Some other monks heard him exclaim
"My happiness!" again and again.

Assuming that Bhaddiya lamented
The style of life that he had maintained
Before he gave up everything,
Donned his robes, and became ordained,

The other monks went to their master
And told him that Bhaddiya had sunk
Far below the standards required
To be a devout, righteous monk.

"Bring him to me," the master said,
Knowing full well the situation.
The puzzled monk entered the chamber
And bowed to his master in humble prostration.

The master asked, "Bhaddiya, were you
Repeating 'My happiness!' a while ago?
If indeed you were, dear friend,
Is there something that we should know?"

"Master," Bhaddiya replied, "at times
It's hard for me to contain my bliss.
There's absolutely nothing about
My former lifestyle that I miss.

"I was a statesman with power and wealth.
Servants and guards: there were so many.
But reasons to be happy? Well,
I had a hard time finding any.

"Though I had guards, I always feared
Someone would try to **** me and take
All my money and all my possessions.
There was alays so much at stake.

"But now I live in utmost freedom.
I have no fears; I feel…elated.
Never have I felt so happy--
So completely liberated!"

The other monks felt slightly ashamed.
How quickly they had jumped to conclusions!
How easily they had let themselves
Be caught off guard and trapped by illusions!

Bhaddiya had already learned his lesson.
Our ideas--he would confess--
Of what can make us happy can be
Obstacles to our happiness.

-by Bob B (4-30-18)

°An old tale retold here in verse

As more information comes to light,
There's still a growing appetite
For many to think that wrong is right,
And the Big Lie continues.

The followers remain aloof.
Despite no evidence or proof
Of voter fraud, they keep up the spoof,
And the Big Lie continues.

Candidates across the land
Are truly getting out of hand
As ignorance makes a huge demand,
And the Big Lie continues.

The cult leader makes a claim,
Knowing so well it's just a game
And acting without a sense of shame,
And the Big Lie continues.

Unless you pull a ****, it spreads
And soon takes over the flower beds.
So it is with knuckleheads
As the Big Lie continues.

Tend to your garden; don't delay.
Although you must struggle day after day,
With effort you'll make the weeds go away
As the Big Lie continues.

-by Bob B (7-7-22)

D.J.T. to world autocrats:

"If you can rule with an iron fist
And get your critics to cease and desist
By forceful means--get the gist?--
Then you're my man.

"If you have got the strength and power
To make the wondering masses cower,
And if you'll let me build my tower,
Then you're my man.

"If you know how to control elections
And put down those who raise objections
Because you've got the right connections,
Then you're my man.

"If you get people to misconstrue
Deceitful things you say or do
'Cause you've got people who'll lie for you,
Then you're my man.

"If you know how to ride roughshod
Over the rules to get the nod
For finance and insurance fraud,
Then you're my man.

"If you know how to blast and blame
To make divide and conquer your game,
And deception is your claim to fame,
Then you're my man.

"If you can win through populism,
Get away with nepotism,
And stoke the fires of nativism,
Then you're my man.

"If you know how to cleverly make
Your trusting fans give you a break,
Despite the fact that you're a fake,
Then you're my man.

"If you know how to work it right
And let yourself be full of fight
So you can gain more power and might,
Then you're my man."

-by Bob B (3-3-19)

I heard a knock upon the door.
“A knock so late at night?”
I felt a strong presentiment
That something wasn’t right.

Toward the door I inched my way
And stood with bated breath.
I opened it, and there I stood--
Face to face with Death.

He said, “Don’t let me bother you.
It isn’t TOO late, is it?
I was in the neighborhood
And thought I’d pay a visit.”

“Death, be gone! I am not ready
For eternal sleep.”
And quoting Frost, I told him I had
“Promises to keep.”

“Once you’re gone, that won’t matter,”
He said. “And furthermore,
The only thing that matters is
What’s happened heretofore.”  

“That’s not true,” I told him. “There is
Always much to do.
Karmic causes and effects
Bring constant revenue.

“By revenue I do not mean
Individual worth;
I mean how our actions help
To benefit dear Earth.”

“Poor thing,” said Death. “Everything
Must pass. Don’t you see?
All that you have done dissolves
Once you come with me.”

“Oh, you are so wrong,” I countered.
“Every worthy action
Has a positive effect--
If only just a fraction--

“And those effects live on and on.
And, no, they do not die.
There’s more to accomplish here,
So, therefore, pass me by.”

And so Death turned to walk away
And gave me a reprieve.
I guess he wasn’t so dead set
On forcing me to leave.

Maybe he’ll find someone ready
To go, with spirits beaming.
Or else he’ll try to drag away
Someone kicking and screaming.

-by Bob B (8-8-22)

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)

Christmas 2017
Approaches and Santa is checking his list
To make sure that he is on target
And also to see if errors exist.

"****!" the jolly man exclaims,
And quickly does a double take.
"It looks as though Republicans
In Congress want a big tax break.

"That is good for some; however,
Others will have to lose out for sure.
The biggest benefits go to the wealthy,
While help for the poor is miniature.

"I mean, the poor and middle class.
Most people should understand it's
Hard for me to justify
Helping a few to make out like bandits.

"Tax cuts for the corporations
Will be permanent, but what's scary
Is tax cuts for most Americans
Will only be temporary.

"They always scream, 'Deficit! Deficit!'
At least that's what they advertise.
By 1.4 trillion dollars
The deficit is going to rise

"With this bill! To make up the difference,
Later they'll cause more despair
By making major cuts to Social
Security and Medicare.

"While some will win, millions will lose
Health care if their tax bill passes.
Regarding trickle down, what trickles
Is negligible and as slow as molasses.

"From all that I have seen and heard,
Tax cuts don't create prosperity.
Don't the members of Congress know
Their bill is lacking in popularity?

"I want their holiday to be happy,
But how can I please everyone?
****! Sometimes being Santa
Is really NOT very much fun!"

-by Bob B (11-30-17)

As I age I wonder
What else lies in store
For me before I have to
Reach that other shore.
Although life has moments
Blissful and sublime,
It seems as though we all
Live on borrowed time.

We live on borrowed time….
I find each day's a pleasure--
One that I should treasure--
And so I do.
We live on borrowed time….
We deal with life's surprises;
Life means compromises.
That's so true.

We live on borrowed time….
Let's NOT just count the hours;
Let's stop and smell the flowers
Along the path.
We live on borrowed time….
If we cannot feel,
Then we have to deal
With the aftermath.

The future lies ahead,
Full of uncertainty.
Say good-bye to dread.
Loving is the key.

We live on borrowed time….
When my health is good,
I'll do what I should
To make it last.
We live on borrowed time….
I must face my trials
With hopefulness and smiles
Until they've passed.

We live on borrowed time….
Despite my best endeavor,
Nothing lasts forever,
And that's okay.
We live on borrowed time….
In the meantime, I
Will definitely try
To make the best of every day.

-by Bob B ((10-19-19)

Mighty Jupiter, massive, majestic…
Three hundred times the size of planet Earth.
Shaper, molder of many of our planets.
First planet formed at our solar system’s birth.

Your gravitational pull is completely unmatched
By any other planet that revolves around the sun.
Despite over four billion years since your making,
Your strong influence and your work are yet undone.

How do you manage your many, many moons--
Seventy-nine plus on paths around your sphere?
Callisto, Io, Ganymede, Europa…
Do you have a name for our moon down here?

Where would we be if it hadn't been for you?
Would there have been the birth of humankind?
As you rampaged through our solar system,
Is this configuration what you had in mind?

Protecting us from objects farther out in space,
You could also send us a dangerous surprise:
By hurling an asteroid in the earth’s direction,
You have the potential to cause our demise.

You are certainly a mystery of science--
Baffling, inscrutable. Your power, raw.
We here on Earth respect your magnanimity.
We fear you somewhat, yet we look at you with awe.

-by Bob B (1-25-20)

Humankind is young when you
Consider the grand scheme of things.
It's going to be interesting
To see what changes the future brings.

Though some people still have doubts
And find their questions unresolved,
Others are in awe at how
We human beings have evolved.

In certain ways we have seen
Humanity make great strides.
But then again, progress itself
Is questionable. Who decides?

At times it's flabbergasting to see
How little progress we seem to have made.
Are we really advancing when
So many people retrograde?

We take so much for granted about
This precious globe that gave us birth.
Despite the extensive knowledge we have,
We cannot stop destroying the earth.

Our planet has limited resources,
But people behave as though they've never
Been made aware of that and act
As though everything lasts forever.

Too many people reject reason
And place their trust in falsehoods and fiction.
They choose to substitute myth for fact
And fail to see the contradiction.

It's funny…no, it's scary to see
That while we have advanced in stages,
At the same time, many people
Continue to live in the Dark Ages.

-by Bob B (11-11-19)

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)

Welcome, folks, to Gilead.
Sit down for a spell.
You are going to love it here.
Oh, yes, we can tell.

You have freedom to believe
What we dictate here.
If you are confused, don't worry;
We will make it clear.

You will know your place here. Yes,
There's no room for doubt.
Strict control to make things flow
Is what we care about.

Making your life miserable
Is easy for us to do
If you don’t behave the way
That we want you to.

Those who fail to follow rules--
Who are, let's say, too loose--
Will be introduced to our
Trusty hangman's noose.

But do not worry. You will love
NOT having to think.
Of course, all of that is done
For your own good. (Wink wink)

Majority opinions do not
Matter here at all.
Dissent and you will find yourselves
Hanging on our wall.

Religious choice in Gilead?
Yes, I'll clarify:
You can choose to believe our creed,
Or you can choose to die.

Women controlling their own bodies?
You know that's all rot.
For them to make their own decisions
Is just a liberal plot.

What? You want to leave now? Oops.
I see a problem there.
Now that you are here, you aren't
Going anywhere.

So, lesson one: I will speak
And you will follow suit.
It's very simple; repeat after me:
BLESSED BE THE FRUIT.

-by Bob B (7-20-22)

°The totalitarian society of THE HANDMAID'S TALE

I'm not at all desirous of Heaven;
Nor do I have a fear of Hell.
That we end up in either place
Is--to me--a very hard sell.

Some believe in purgatory--
Another place that lies in between
The other two. End up there
And you are given the chance to come clean.

Many people long to know
That a certain sense of justice prevails--
That we must pay for any wrongdoing.
They try to spell out what that entails:

Doing good and having specific
Beliefs will help you secure a place
In some heavenly realm where you
Will suffer no longer and live in grace.

But if that isn't the path for you,
Then, oh, no, heaven forbid!
You will have to face punishment
For all the evil things that you did.

It's both a lure and a scare tactic.
That's what the concept seems to me.
It's almost as though we go through life
Behaving like a parolee.

Is human nature such that we need
To receive a punishment or reward
For being bad or good, which applies
To everybody across the board?

Wouldn't it be enough to say
That being bad is wrong for you,
While doing good is appropriate
Merely because it's the right thing to do?

Is human nature also such
That people feel that by and large
No one should reap the benefits
Of anything out there free of charge?

And good and bad--for goodness’ sake--
Are relative, to say the least.
And ludicrous it is to think
That anyone bears the "mark of the beast."

After we die, returning to what
We were before we were born makes sense.
Ultimately, since no one knows
For sure, we all remain in suspense.

-by Bob B (7-5-22)

ANOTHER INDICTMENT…

Eleven Oath Keepers were
Indicted for the part they played
On January 6 during
The insurrection escapade.

Seen as seditious conspirators,
The coup plotters appeared to be
Eager to use brute force to change
Election results that day in D.C.

During the violent chaos, Trump
Was said to be glued to his TV screen
While call after call came in from people
Asking him to intervene.

Trump's inaction makes him look
Like a co-conspirator who
Condoned the Capitol attack
As a way to carry out his coup.

NICE TRY…

Another conspiracy theory is now
Being spread by our friends on the Right,
Which shows how they love to alter
History through the use of sleight.

They say a man with the last name Epps
Incited the mobs on the sixth. The man
Was a federal agent, they say,
And the brutal attack was an FBI plan.

Nice try, people. Your lies fall flat.
Ray Epps is a Trump supporter--
Not a federal provocateur--
And that makes him an election thwarter.

MASS FORGERY…

Republicans in a number of states
Tried to pull off an election scam.
They forged some docs in efforts to show
That they were the REAL electors. Wham!

They got caught. Let's hope that they
Pay for their crime. But isn't it odd
That they scream, "Fraudulent elections!"
While they're committing election fraud?

-by Bob B (1-14-22)

Nonsense from the folks on the Right
Continues to plague us every day.
It's as though we're all on a stage,
Caught in the midst of a nihilist play.

A Texas school administrator
Told her staff to interfuse
Books about the Holocaust
With books containing opposing views!

Here's what that means: if they have books
About the Holocaust on their racks,
Opposing books must be included,
Or Holocaust books must be given the ax.

When going in that direction, people
Are treading on dangerous territory,
For when we talk of the Holocaust,
There are NOT two sides to the story.

Other appalling news: Trump
Is coopting the GOP
By taking it hostage so he can secure
His role as a future nominee.

All Republicans who fail
To push his giant election lie
When they run in future races
Are going to have to say bye-bye.

If they don't obey his command,
He'll tell people not to vote.
That will hurt the Republicans,
And he will just sit back and gloat.

There's something we must understand:
The soul of our nation is in peril.
All it takes is a little poison
To ruin the water that fills a barrel.

-by Bob B (10-16-21)

Oh, those hypocrites! How they love
To blast others for the things they've done!
They will fool a lot of their supporters,
But do they think that they'll fool everyone?

In June, Trump was bragging at a rally
Of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
And how that once he set the deal in motion,
That there was nothing that would halt his plan.

He also told his fans that once the U.S.
Plan to pull out all our troops had started,
That the Afghan government would fall
As soon as U.S. troops had all departed.

Special immigrant visas were to be
Issued to our allies over there
So they could flee the country to be safe
For having helped us. Such a deal seems fair.

But actions often counter people's words.
Later, reliable sources would reveal
That Stephen Miller with his racist blather
Did his best to undermine the deal.

He and Trump are now feigning outrage.
But what would people otherwise expect
When someone such as Miller--who's a White
Nationalist--and Trump intersect?

A congressman from Florida, Bill Posey,
NOW says that we should have done much more
To help people leave the Afghan nation,
Which is turning out to be a chore.

But wait! When Congress voted on a bill
To assist in making the visa process flow
And also to increase the number of visas,
Posey voted adamantly no!

And so they want to throw all the blame
At Joe Biden, who was left a mess
When back in January he took office
And had this giant problem to address.

The March of the Hypocrites continues.
Certainly, more will join their ranks.
They'll keep throwing rocks from their glass houses,
Deceiving others while expecting thanks.

-by Bob B (8-21-21)

Hats off to the patriots
Who aren't afraid to testify
In Congress during impeachment hearings.
No one needs to ask them why

They are willing to sit before Congress
And put their reputation on line,
Knowing that they'll be under attack
By people trying to undermine

Their character, virtue, honor,
And solid credibility.
As patriots, they stand tall,
But do so with humility.

Sadly, their words fall on deaf ears
Of many who do not care to hear
The truth about the man at the top--
The self-serving puppeteer.

The patriots have honored subpoenas
And NOT caved in to intimidation,
Despite being the subjects of threats,
Damaging tweets, and condemnation.

They're being grilled to expose something
About which we shouldn't be glad:
The most corrupt administration
The U.S. has ever had.

-by Bob B (11-17-19)

If Henry Higgins were actually living,
Certainly, he would be unforgiving
When hearing how English is spoken today.
I can imagine what Henry might say:

"English speakers who massacre grammar
Ought to be thrown into the slammer,
And there in the slammer they should remain
Until they treat English with much less disdain.

"Their usage of pronouns is simply atrocious.
One thing that makes me feel ferocious
Is when they use 'him' when they ought to use 'he,'
Or when they misuse both 'I' and 'me.'

"The past tense of verbs is not hard to learn,
And yet it's a practice that some people spurn.
The past tense of 'string'--the verb--is 'strung.'
The past tense of 'sing' is 'sang,' not 'sung.'

"And then there's the overuse of 'like.'
Has formal English gone on strike?
'I was like…,' 'He was like…,' 'She was like..' ****!
That's even hard to diagram!

"And what about the subjunctive mood?
When speakers misuse it, I come unglued.
'If I was you…' grates on my ears.
'If I would have known…' brings me to tears.

"Some people call it language abuse
And throw up their arms and say, 'What's the use?'
Social media makes it worse.
To some it's a blessing; to me it's a curse.

"Unfortunately, rules are broken
Wherever the English language is spoken.
A language will change. Yes, that I know.
Oh, but it's painful to see it change so!"

-by Bob B (3-27-22)

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Little Brown Jug," the old folk song written by Joseph Eastburn Winner.)

We've dealt with COVID for two years
And the news we hear confirms our fears:
Viruses will stick around
If people give them any ground.

(Chorus)
No, no, no, Omicron,
We CANNOT wait till you are gone.
Please don't say that we'll see
Variants range from A to Z.

If vaccinations were embraced
By all, the bug could be erased.
But when our strategy's half-assed,
The virus spreads, and it spreads fast.

The experts say we should beware,
But some folks say that they don't care.
Do more than keep your fingers crossed;
Avoid the germ at any cost.

(Chorus)
No, no, no, Omicron,
We CANNOT wait till you are gone.
Please don't say that we'll see
Variants range from A to Z.

We know that face masks help us, too.
The doctors say that's tried and true.
If you wear yours and I wear mine,
Then both of us will toe the line.

They say that Omicron's less bleak
Than Delta, but when will it peak?
Until it's safe, we would be wise
To watch how much we socialize.

(Chorus)
No, no, no, Omicron,
We CANNOT wait till you are gone.
There's no need for you to stay.
Omicron, please go away!

-by Bob B (1-15-22)

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)

One day a wealthy father
Decides that it is time to give
His privileged son a lesson on
How the poor actually live.

After spending a day and a night
On a poor, humble farm with his son,
The father asks on the drive home,
"How was your stay? Did you have fun?"

"Oh, yes indeed," says the son.
"They're very poor. Did you see?"
Asks the father. The son nods,
Having no reason to disagree.

The father continues: "Tell me what
You learned about being poor."
The son thinks and says, "We
Have only ONE dog; they have FOUR.

"In our garden, we have a fountain;
They have an endless stream that runs by.
Our garden has boring lamps;
They have all the stars in the sky.

"Our property stops at our fence.
To see beyond the garden is hard.
For them, on the other hand,
The entire horizon is their backyard."

The father doesn't know what to say.
Smiling from across the car,
The son says, "Thank you so much, Dad,
For showing me how poor we are."

- by Bob B (10-23-17)

°A popular tale retold here in verse

My memories give me a great deal of comfort,
And every single one of them mends
My heart, which suffers from the loss
Of family, relatives, and friends.

Ah, those glorious days we spent
Together as we journeyed through life,
Sharing love, laughter, and cheer,
And sometimes struggles through storm and strife.

Lifetimes have varied--some were cut short
Long before we'd ever expected.
They are considered short stories
Among life's stories that we've collected.

Others have been more fortunate.
Their lives are Russian novels, I'd say.
They lived through multiple generations--
Their skin grew wrinkled; their hair turned gray.

Some folks plan to reunite
With loved ones for all eternity.
Others are more inclined to believe
The idea: whatever will be, will be.

Of course, we'd rather have the departed
With us, and in a way they are.
The light of their being shines on us
As does the light of a distant star.

Therefore, take comfort in memories--
A gentle balm that after a while
Will ease your anguish, lessen your pain,
Dry your tears, and make you smile.

-by Bob B (1-4-23)

The current coronavirus crisis
Continues to spread worldwide.
Its seriousness is NOT something
People ought to be brushing aside.

And yet at a recent rally, Trump
Called the deadly crisis a HOAX,
Which makes the situation worse
From all the ignorance that he stokes.

Muffling the experts endangers us
Even more as the virus spreads.
The truth-sayers and truth-deniers
Sadly are at loggerheads.

Contradicting our health officials,
The president sees everything through
The lens of his political prospects.
And who suffers? All of us do.

Some say, "Oh, not to worry."
But there is something to bear in mind:
COVID-19 has already caused
More deaths than MERS° and SARS° combined.

We need more tests and honest guidance.
And in the meantime it would be wise
To keep your unwashed hands far
Away from your mouth and nose and eyes.

-by Bob B (2-29-20)

°Other respiratory illnesses caused by coronaviruses

(This poem can be sung to the melody of the old folk song "Tom Dooley.")

(chorus)
What did you want, Ned Kelly?°
What gave you grounds for hope?
Well, Ned, it can't be fun when
You're hanging from a rope.

Bushranger°° Harry Power…
Was he a loyal mate?
They say he was your mentor
Who led you to your fate.

Victims of persecution--
That's what you said you were.
Victims of your gang's horse theft
Would not at all concur.

Bush larrikins°°° were suspect.
Rather than get a job
You chose a different path when
You joined the Greta Mob.

Some say you were a hero
Who thought he was doing good.
You said the poor need justice;
You were their Robin Hood.

Others call you an outlaw,
Killer, and evil guy.
You killed with no compunction,
So you deserved to die.

(chorus)
What did you want, Ned Kelly?°
What gave you grounds for hope?
Well, Ned, it can't be fun when
You're hanging from a rope.

Your gang shot three policemen
Camped at Stringybark Creek.
Who then would put a stop to
Your game of hide and seek?

You murdered Aaron Sherritt;°°°°
You thought he was a snitch.
Maybe you learned your lesson:
Karma could be a *****.

There at your final shootout
You lost your loyal friends.
Well, Ned, you learned that it was
Too late to make amends.

Right after you were sentenced,
Your judge made it his goal
To say he hoped that God would
Have mercy on your soul.

What he said didn't faze you.
You countered blow for blow.
You turned to him and said, "I'll
See you there where I go."

They led you to the gallows.
Different reporters said
What words you might have spoken
Before the rope fell, Ned.

(chorus)
What did you want, Ned Kelly?°
What gave you grounds for hope?
Well, Ned, it can't be fun when
You're hanging from a rope.

-by Bob B (5-16-24)

°Famous Australian outlaw (1854-1880)
°°Australians who took up "robbery under arms" and used the bush as their base
°°°Rowdies who defied social and political conventions
°°°°An associate of Ned Kelly's gang of outlaws

Months have passed, and now we're in
The very merry month of May,
And much to Trump's consternation,
Stormy° hasn't gone away.

Trump's attorney Michael Cohen
Has also gotten himself in a bind.
Now he's under investigation.
Just imagine what they'll find!

Stormy's lawyer, Avenatti,
After digging was able to unearth
Some pertinent and interesting
Information, for what it's worth:

Millions of dollars have flowed in and out
Of Michael Cohen's LLC.
It seems that access to Donald Trump
Doesn't happen without a fee.

Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg
Deposited a substantial sum,
Along with a few corporations.
A lot of people ask, How come?

Suspicious explanations abound,
Though we are tiring of the charades.
Is Cohen really an all-around expert
At everything--a jack of all trades?

Members of Congress say follow the money.
One says that without a doubt
Shake any tree in the forest of Trump,
And what do you know? a Russian falls out.

More dots are being connected,
Which to Trump must be a ******.
We've had a Stormy winter and spring;
Will we have a Stormy summer?

-by Bob B (5-10-18)

°Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford)

I ran into Tom Turkey today;
It's been a couple of years.
We sat in a local bar together
And drank a couple of beers.

"Tom," I said, "I know quite well
That life has its bumps,
But often when I run into you,
You're feeling down in the dumps.

"Last Thanksgiving had to be
A difficult one for you,
But what is happening this year
That's making you feel so blue?"

"Well," he replied, "you know the day
Is always bittersweet:
It's nice to see people celebrate
But sad to be the meat.

"COVID put a real damper
On last year's merrymaking.
I thought things would improve by now,
But my heart's still breaking.

"Hospitals are under siege.
Cases again are spiking.
In ONE state° 68 percent!
That's not to my liking.

"Unnecessarily,
Many people are dying.
And some people who downplay the virus
Resort to unscrupulous lying.

"It makes no sense whatsoever
When we have the means
To put an end to this horrible scourge
Through safe and effective vaccines.

"Almost as many people are losing
Their lives to COVID today
As LAST year before the COVID
Vaccine came into play.

"Certain counties where vaccination
Rates are super low
Want to send patients to other counties.
To me that's malapropos."

"Tom, I feel your pain," I said.
"I'm amazed as well.
Conspiracy theories and misinformation
Sometimes are hard to dispel.

"Let's hope that more unvaccinated
People will see the light
And work to get this virus under
Control by doing what's right."

"AMEN!" he said, and waddled
Out to catch his cab,
While giving me a cursory wave
And leaving me with the tab.

-by Bob B (11-24-21)

°In Michigan

Now peddling replacement theory,
And even calling it by name,
Some on the Right are using the term
Overtly, without a hint of shame.

A multicultural America
Is clearly what the proponents fear.
But who or what is being replaced
To many people remains unclear.

I used to think the concept was
A bigoted, racist thing of the past.
But what we are seeing happening now
Shows how long such ideas can last.

After the rallies in Charlottesville,
When mobs of white-supremacists chanted
"Jews will not replace us!" we knew
That we shouldn't take our freedoms for granted.

So now the Right is telling us
That immigrants are "invading" our land,
Bringing disease and who knows what else;
Therefore, we must take a stand.

Furthermore, the Right insists
That bringing immigrants in is not
Beneficial to all, for it
Is nothing but a "liberal plot."

To bolster their non-inclusive ideas,
Some on the Right have traveled abroad
To gain support from strongmen leaders
To whom they give an approving nod.

Ideas that used to be on the fringe,
Now occur on a larger scale
And out in the open--in clear sight--
As the GOP drops its veil.

Hold up a mirror, America.
Do you like what you currently see?
Heaven help us if this is the kind
Of country we were meant to be.

-by Bob B (9-30-21)

The Mueller Report is out--at least
We've seen the version that's been redacted.
Was anyone really surprised
At how the president reacted?

Trump's first reaction was
That he had been exonerated.
Not so fast, Mr. T!
There's no reason to feel elated.

First of all, obstruction of justice
Runs through the detailed report.
Trump and friends ignore those findings--
One more thing they choose to contort.

In our current culture of lying
Coming all the way down from the top,
One can find little hope
That all the lying's going to stop.

Trump's lackey, AG Barr,
Lied to the American people as well.
Of course, we've known all along
That he has a bill of goods to sell.

Now to add insult to injury,
Trump has come up with a solution:
Fighting congressional oversight
And tromping all over our Constitution.

Trump is defying subpoenas from Congress.
He's telling his people to do it, too--
Telling them to break the law.
So now what will Congress do?

Obstruction of justice appears to be
For Donald Trump a major M.O.
As he defies our basic values,
It's scary to see how far he'll go.

The cancer continues to spread in the White House.
It must be removed. Otherwise,
American democratic values
Will wither before our very eyes.

-by Bob B (4-25-19)

This is a violent universe.
Galaxies are colliding.
A ******* hole could gobble us up.
From some things there's no hiding.

A meteor could crash into Earth.
It wouldn't just make a din;
The impact and the after-effects
Could surely do us in.

A huge volcano could erupt.
What would be in store?
Much of life could become extinct.
It's happened on Earth before.

Ultimately, a red giant
Will be the fate of our sun,
And we will all be vaporized.
That doesn't sound like fun.

If the universe collapses
Upon itself, well, then
Maybe another big bang would
Happen all over again.

Or if it keeps expanding, we
Would take a different route.
Eventually, everything
Would just fizzle out.

Are there multiple universes?
Are we not alone?
Are they as violent as ours?
So much is unknown.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy
The sun's gorgeous display,
And watch it rise and set and hope
To see another day.

-by Bob B (7-3-23)

Tell me: where's a leader when you need one--
When we have a crisis in full swing?
What we have is hardly what we need now:
Instead, we have a man who would be king.

We know the president's administration
Attended crisis briefings; it was warned.
And yet when people point out some of its failures,
They in turn are pilloried and scorned.

A national emergency requires
That we have all the proper tools at hand.
It requires a coordinated effort
And someone with some know-how in command.

What does Trump do? He puts Kushner in charge;
He wants his son-in-law to run the show,
As if he's an expert on pandemics.
Tell me: what the hell does Jared know?

The willful ignorance of those in charge
Of fighting a deadly virus that knows no borders
Has led to chaos. And sadly some who have spoken
The truth have been given their marching orders.

The states shouldn't have to compete for supplies.
And no one out there should be making a killing
On badly needed medical equipment.
What we see occurring is truly chilling.

By downplaying the crisis at the start,
The president put many lives in danger.
The fact that some have praised his slow response
In fighting COVID-19 is even stranger.

Also, playing favorites isn't right
When doling out necessary supplies.
Patchwork policies aren't going to help.
And most of us are tired of all the lies.

It's hard when the leadership is feckless--
And when there's moral bankruptcy at the top--
For any country to deal with major crises.
When is the nonsense going to stop?

So tell me: where's a leader when we need one?
The one we have leaves much to be desired.
If only this November we will hear
The lovely words, "Mr. Trump, you're fired!"

-by Bob B (4-5-20)

A group of people heard there was
A city with treasure beyond compare.
They met a wise, compassionate leader
Who said, "I will guide you there."

The road was a long path that led
Through wild and treacherous terrain.
After many exhausting hours,
The weary group began to complain:

"We are tired and still very far
From our destination, and so
We’d like to turn around and go home.
Our previous plans we'll gladly forgo."

The leader thought, "How sad it is
That they'll so quickly abandon the treasure!
Surely, they will regret their wish,
And that will cause them great displeasure."

And so he magically created
A stunning city. All were impressed.
The city was full of cozy places
Where all the travelers could rest.

Parks with beautiful, soothing fountains
Were in abundance, and rows of trees
Crisscrossed the lovely flower-filled gardens,
And blossoms sailed by in the gentle breeze.

The leader observed that the group was growing
Complacent, and after they'd rested a spell,
He made the city disappear--
The safe and lovely gardens as well.

"This city was only a place where you
Could rest before you reached your goal,"
He said. "I hope that now you can
Continue your journey with heart and soul.

"By sticking together, we will reach
The city of treasures. You won't regret it.
Weariness will stop you from
Succeeding only if you let it."

Provisional experiences
Can guide us and give us inspiration,
But seeking and finding deeper truths
Can ultimately be our salvation.

Never give up on the lifelong journey
To knowledge and wisdom, for sooner or later
The light of simple pleasures will be
Outshone by a treasure that's even greater.

-by Bob B (9-11-23)

°Based on the parable in Chapter 7 of the LOTUS SUTRA

Ramadan, Passover,
And Easter coincide this year,
But THAT doesn't matter to Vladimir Putin,
For he has a war to engineer.

He has arranged for a senseless war
To be carried out on Ukrainian soil.
Why be concerned about human compassion
When there is a neighboring land to despoil?

Geneva Conventions to Putin mean nothing.
Depraved dictators make their own rules,
Bombing civilian hospitals,
Train stations, homes, and schools.

The world has witnessed other examples
Of paranoid, cruel, despots before
Who have no qualms about committing
Monstrous atrocities during a war.

To massacre innocent people so
Is nothing short of genocide.
When the war is over how many
Innocent people will have died?

Whatever you are celebrating--
If anything--don't refrain
From holding a special place in your heart
For the people suffering in Ukraine.

-by Bob B (4-17-22)

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)

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)

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)

A boy was taking a bath in a river--
An occurrence that was nothing new,
For he was a simple lad who lived
In the country and wasn't well-to-do.

He slipped on a rock and lost his balance
And splashed about with his arms outspread.
Not a swimmer, he didn’t like being
In water that was over his head.

Fearing that he was going to drown,
He called out for help from a passerby,
Who happened to be walking near
The river when he heard the boy's cry.

Instead of helping the drowning boy,
The passerby gave him a scolding.
The boy, struggling to stay alive,
Could not believe what was unfolding.

The passerby said, “It’s careless of you
To go out where the water’s so deep.
When common sense was distributed,
You were probably fast asleep.”

The desperate boy responded by saying,
"Sir, I've listened to what you've told me.
But I would be so grateful if you
Would save me first, then afterwards scold me."

We're not sure what happened next.
Let's hope that the passerby was able
To save the boy so there would be
A happy ending to Aesop's fable.

If we can learn the following lesson
From Aesop's tale, it would be nice:
In crises, giving assistance is more
Important than merely giving advice.

-by Bob B (8-28-21)

°An Aesop fable retold here in verse

Frankie, the devil-cat, was always
The infamous focus of blame.
Folks said Lucifer would have been
A more appropriate name.

Always in trouble he was! You couldn't
Find a more wicked cat.
If you can name one more evil than Frankie,
I will eat my hat.

Sometimes he would want your attention.
Bah! Attention indeed.
If you pet him, he'd bite your arm
And scratch it and make it bleed.

You couldn't walk across the floor
Barefoot, for if you tried,
Frankie would attack your foot
And bite it until you cried.

He had a strange design on his forehead
Which frightened the local priest.
"Beware!" the priest told Frankie's owners.
"The cat has the mark of the beast."

You might wake up from a peaceful sleep
In the darkness of the night.
Two yellow eyes would be staring at you,
And make you jump up in fright.

"****, **** cat!" you'd yell at Frankie,
And he would yowl and hiss.
When you got up in the morning, you'd sense
That something was amiss.

Your favorite knick-knack would be lying
In pieces on the floor,
And Frankie would stay hidden until
You were no longer sore.

When he was hungry, you wouldn't have
A single moment of peace
Until you filled his bowl with food.
THEN the racket would cease.

When Frankie's owners would leave the house,
It was as though he would boast
That now he could use their luxury couch
As his favorite scratching post.

They never caught him in the act.
A scary thing happened when
A guest who said Frankie should be declawed
Was never heard from again.

Frankie would sit by the window and wait
For other cats to come near,
Then he would scream so loudly that he
Would fill them all with fear.

One day out of meanness Frankie
Started to chew on a wire.
Zap! He was electrocuted.
What a way to expire!

The owners say he's in kitty heaven,
But people who knew him well
Roll their eyes and under their breath
Say, "More like kitty hell."

"Frankie, aka Lucifer:
The meanest cat around!"
Should be Frankie's epitaph
Now that he's underground.

-by Bob B (3-2-24)

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)

Some folks are descendants
Of Hamilton or Grant.
They can proudly boast,
While there are some who can't.
Well, I have the honor--
You will plainly see
That "honor" here is used
Quite sarcastically--

Of being a descendant
Of one with dubious fame.
In case you wonder, John
Billington was his name.
Ten years after his
Arrival in the year
1620, he
Was executed here.

Hey, Johnny!
Whaddya say?
Why’d you have to
Die that way?
You had to push
The envelope
To end up hanging
From a rope.

The Mayflower was
His means of transportation.
Fleeing debt, he hoped
To rise above his station.
His wife and two young sons
Joined him on the trip.
One mischievous son
Almost blew up the ship.

His son was thinking, "Hey,
This is loads of fun!"
While he played around
With his father's gun.
Stupidly, he put
The whole ship in peril
When he fired a shot
Near a gunpowder barrel.

John Billington was
Always in a jam.
About propriety
He didn't give a ****.
I guess he thought he was
A wise and clever chap.
But he should have known
When to shut his trap.

Hey, Johnny!
Whaddya say?
Why’d you have to
Die that way?
You had to push
The envelope
To end up hanging
From a rope.

A quarrel with a neighbor,
John Newcomen, led
John Billington to
Completely lose his head.
Billington shot Newcomen,
Who shortly thereafter died.
Two juries called it
An act of homicide.

There was no escaping
Punishment this time.
Billington was forced
To pay for his crime.
Fortunately, even
Though this story's grim,
I can proudly say
I don't take after him!

Hey, Johnny!
Whaddya say?
Why’d you have to
Die that way?
You had to push
The envelope
To end up hanging
From a rope.
Hanging from a rope!

-by Bob B (6-29-29)

Cleo is quite the regal cat.
Whenever strangers meet her
They must pay close attention to
The manner in which they greet her.

A "Hi, kitty, kitty!" just won't do;
That she won't allow.
She prefers, "Your majesty!"
Followed by a bow.

"Such a princess!" people say
On seeing her noble mien.
"I beg your pardon," Cleo thinks.
"Princess? No, it's QUEEN!"

"Where's my scepter? Where's my crown?"
She asks as she marches away
To sit on her throne--a padded chair--
And keep her subjects at bay.

If forced to move from her comfy spot
She makes her displeasure known
With angry looks and a meow expressed
In a very undignified tone.

"There's no justice in this base world
If subjects can treat you so,"
Cleo thinks as she leaves the room
With her pride taking a blow.

She finds a safe, secluded room
That isn't filled with noise
And waits for her evening banquet when she
Can surely regain her poise.

Her subjects know that her taste is refined;
Her needs must be addressed.
Food that's fit for a queen must do--
In other words, the best.

If the quality suffers, Cleo
Will turn up her nose, refusing
To eat another bite and thinks,
"I DON’T find this amusing!"

When people address her as Cleo, she wonders,
"Why don't people see
That Cleopatra is really what
MY name ought to be?

"But, alas, I must remember
That humans are all substandard.
They think they control the world,
And WE'RE the ones who are slandered."

At nighttime Cleo will seek a place
Where she will be undisturbed.
Everyone knows to leave her alone,
Or she will be quite perturbed.

She dreams of sitting alone on a chaise
Pulled by a team of mice
And then of eating her favorite meal:
Anchovies on ice.

-by Bob B (3-6-24)

Remember: schools graduate students;
It's NOT the other way around.
Students do NOT graduate schools
But FROM schools. And yet I've found

That many speakers confuse the expression,
Turning it around, and hence,
When they say they graduated
A school, it ends up making no sense.

Therefore, say you graduated
FROM a high school or college, please.
To say it correctly doesn't take
A great deal of expertise.

Schools that graduate many students
Ought to clearly and directly
Teach their students to say which school
They graduated FROM correctly.

-by Bob B (5-9-22)

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)

Trump’s America: sad, sad, sad.
The horrors are quickly coming to a head.
After three and a half ugly years,
See where his failure to guide us has led.

What have we heard over and over--
Hateful rhetoric, thousands of lies?
Democratic values to him
Are merely something to pulverize.

Accountability: what's that?
He's fought it every inch of the way.
His low and demeaning attacks on our freedoms
Were bound to blow up in our faces one day.

"What can I do to rally my base?"
He wonders. "Be as obnoxious as ever.
I can do whatever I want;
I just have to pull the right lever."

To unify the country? No way!
That hasn't been a part of his plan.
We've seen what happens when people elect
A president who's a shifty con man.

His groveling toadies in Congress have lost
Any integrity they might have had.
Their cowardly actions have shown us that if
Trump is toxic, they're just as bad.

"A fish rots from the head down."
We often hear that said, I know.
But with all that is happening here,
The old expression is so apropos.

A virus spreads; people are dying.
To Donald Trump, Wall Street comes first.
It's all about attention and money
For which he has an unquenchable thirst.

We know where his loyalties lie,
And it's NOT with us common people, for sure.
Beneath his pompous bluster lies
A man who's weak and insecure.

Come November we have to decide:
Do we give the tyrant the boot,
Or do we allow him to bring the country
Into greater disrepute?

-by Bob B (6-12-20)

We are on a slippery *****
When people push the envelope
When speaking English. Look below,
And you'll see what I mean to show.

"Who has ever seen an elf?"
"Luna, Richard, and myself."
Hearing that, I wonder why
"Myself" is used instead of "I."

When "myself" is used that way,
People, much to my dismay,
Forget that "I" will do the trick
And think the word "myself" sounds slick.

"I SEE myself" makes perfect sense.
And "I MYSELF can do it." Hence,
Here's a thought that should be stressed:
Use "myself" where it's used best.

"Please inform my office aide
OR myself." Well, I'm afraid
That when I see or hear that, it
Causes me to have a fit.

Please replace "myself" with "me."
"Myself" does not belong there. See?
ONLY I am able to
Inform MYSELF--not they, not you.

"Please inform…me" is what's meant.
Again, some folks circumvent
What's right with that which I suspect
They feel is perfectly correct.

"Tom and myself were asked to lead."
That sounds very odd indeed,
For doesn't "myself" sound awkward to you
When a simple "I" would do?

When speakers are a bit confused,
Words can sometimes be misused.
The following examples might
Provide a sense of what sounds right:

"Help yourselves to lunch," we hear.
And "Do not let yourself show fear."
"She bought herself a brand new fan."
"He himself designed the plan."

Reflexive pronouns they are called--
Intensive, too, and I'm enthralled
When English speakers are aware
Of using pronouns with great care.

-by Bob B (7-13-22)

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)

Nondescript, muffled sounds
Can penetrate cement and wood
And dirt, but silence dominates
This dank and dreary neighborhood.

Days are long and nights are frigid
Here where I’ve been laid to rest.
I slumber with my Purple Heart
And other medals across my chest.

How fickle life is! Good intentions
And dreams often come to naught.
Too late we learn the consequences
Of trusting all that we were taught.

Alas, the mighty powers that were
Had in mind a contrary plan.
They sent me off to fight their war
In the mountains of Afghanistan.

“When Johnny Comes Marching Home”: my buddies
And I would sometimes sing that song.
But fate presented a different plan
For my return all along.

I "marched" home, although my marching
Was somewhat a paradox:
I came home covered with medals
And lying in a flag-wrapped box.

Medals! Let the generals keep them.  
If I had a choice, I’d rather be
At home playing with my kids
And caring for my family.

-by Bob B (7-23-18)

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)

This is the tale of a person
Who always needs someone to blame--
Who's sociopathic by nature.
We will not mention his name.

Every **** thing about him
Is narcissistic and sour.
And yet for millions of people,
He is the man of the hour.

Way back in his early childhood
There MUST have been something constraining.
Did the young child have a nanny
Who offered him poor ***** training?

Constantly seeking attention,
As if to say, "Hey! Look at me,"
He wants to be in the spotlight--
Of course, always for a small fee.

When he moved out of the White House,
Not caring if he crossed the line,
He took with him box after box
Of documents, saying, "They're MINE."

Though classified docs were among them,
That didn't matter to him.
For almost two years he kept them.
Will he pay? Chances are slim.

All of his fans and supporters
Come up with any excuse
To try to protect him, when really
Someone should cook the man's goose.

He'll thumb his nose at the law
And want us to give him a break.
Sociopaths like him
Don't think they can make a mistake.

Currently, he is extorting
The government by making threats
Of violence if he's indicted.
This he does with no regrets.

Well, Mr. Sociopath,
It's time that you pay for your crimes.
And once that happens, let's hope
That we will all see better times.

Yes, Mr. Sociopath,
Look at the damage you've done.
You're good at fooling yourself,
But you cannot fool everyone.
Yes, some might be easily fooled,
But you cannot fool everyone.

-by Bob B (9-1-22)

COVID grifters are quite outspoken
In blasting vaccinations;
They pump voters full of rage
And then rake in donations.

The RNC° has also stooped
To lying about the shot
By telling prospective donors that it's
Part of a "liberal plot."

Why would members of the RNC
Want to be promoters
Of what could sicken, or even worse,
Possibly **** their voters?

The people at Fox News are thrilled:
Segments that they've produced
Regarding anti-COVID mandates
Give their ratings a boost!

People driven by money and ratings
In places where untruths lurk
Disseminate lies while at the same time
They know that vaccines work.

Social media platforms are also
Sites where we can find
The truth about vaccines being
Viciously maligned.

In short, unscrupulous folks all over
Choose to demonize
Efforts to stop the pandemic while they
Make money from their lies.

Before you share that Facebook post
That spreads misinformation,
Be sure the post you're sharing isn't
Complete fabrication.

-by Bob B (9-29-21)

°Republican National Committee