Attorney General Jeff Sessions
Continues to open wide the door
To bigotry and narrow-minded
Repression in his holy war.

Current plans: a task force,
One that is religious, in fact,
Within the US government--
A holy crusade to be exact.

Sessions feels that Christians are victims
In the separation of church and state.
Protecting their so-called religious liberty
Will give them the right to discriminate.

In countries where both religion
And government go hand in hand,
Injustice reigns, thoughts are controlled,
Rights are suppressed, books are banned.

We are seeing church and state
Dangerously intertwined,
Which goes against the kind of country
Our founding fathers had in mind.

What's happened to America--
The land of the free and the home of the brave?
Thomas Jefferson has to be
Turning over in his grave.

-by Bob B (8-2-18)

If you plan to run for an office
With an R that follows your name,
The GOP must know you are
Completely willing to play its game.

If you do not follow the rules,
You'll find that you will be hard-pressed
To win elections nationwide.
To win there is a litmus test.

You must adhere to three ideas--
Three things that you cannot do.
First, opposing Trump's election
Lies would be the end of you.

Next, you cannot criticize
The U.S. Capitol insurrection
Of January 6 last year.
Condemn it and you'll face rejection.

Finally, if you oppose
Political violence, you will see
That you just don't fit in at all
With the current GOP.

A cult of personality
Is what the Party has become.
Winning culture wars is now
The Party's golden rule of thumb.

Pass the litmus test and your
Chances of winning will be greater.
Lack of integrity? What about that?
You can worry about that later.

-by Bob B (1-8-22)

All was still on the temple grounds.
The sun softened the morning haze
While birds playfully pranced about,
Enjoying the warmth from the sun's gentle rays.

Morning meditation ended.
The master excused the monks to do
Their duties. A novice stayed behind
To ask for a private interview.

"I understand," he said, "that it's
Time for us to do our chores,
But I have an urgent problem.
Can we speak behind closed doors?"

They entered the dokusan chamber where
Regular interviews took place.
The novice closed the door to the chamber.
There they sat, face to face.

The novice said, "I don't know
What to do. I'm bored to death
With daily meditation sessions.
I'm SO tired of watching my breath!"

The master nodded his head and replied,
"Bored, you say. Hmmm. I see."
He stood up, walked to the door,
Turned and said, "Come with me."

He led the monk to the river's edge.
There he grabbed him by the head
And held it under the rushing water
Until the young monk’s face turned red.

The novice squirmed and flailed his arms,
"I am going to drown!" he thought.
When the master freed him, the monk
Gasped for air, feeling distraught.

Admitting that his strategies
Were such that some would disallow,
The master said to the monk, “Tell me:
Are you bored with your breath right now?"

-by Bob B (4-1-19)

°An old Zen anecdote retold here in verse

Oftentimes I wonder how life
Would be if a single event from the past
Had been different or hadn't occurred.
My whole life would have been recast.

All that's happened--right or wrong,
Wanted or not, good or bad,
Planned and expected or coincidental,
High or low, happy or sad--

Would be different. But would life be
Better or worse? If either, how so?
I can speculate all I want,
But that is something I'll never know.

Whether I take the road less traveled
Or whether I follow the beaten path,
Decisions I make are sometimes fruitful;
When not, I deal with the aftermath.

If certain causes and conditions,
Whether they were big or small,
Had been even slightly different,
I might not be here at all.

All it takes is a butterfly
In the Amazons to flap its wings,
And that--some people say--will have
An effect on countless other things.

Go to the beach and walk away
With just one grain of sand. No more.
Although it's imperceptible,
The shore now is a different shore.

Everything is interconnected
In ways too subtle to understand--
From giant, spinning galaxies
To the tiniest grain of sand.

-by Bob B (12-12-21)

It certainly will not spell your doom
If you can't decide when to use "whom."
I always stay calm and never lose it
When folks aren't sure about how to use it.

I will attempt--for the duration--
To avoid a grammatical explanation.°
That will be hard--I must admit--
And if it gets too tricky, I'll quit.

"To whom it may concern" is easy
(Although to some the phrase sounds cheesy.)
Substitute "him"°° for "whom" and see
That "whom" is correct; we DON'T say "to he."

"He is a person who I believe
Will never, ever get a reprieve."
"Whom" here wouldn't fit the bill
Because the word "who" is the subject of "will."

"Whom did you see at the park today?"
If "I saw him" is the answer, okay,
Then "whom" is good, even though you
And others might STILL prefer to use "who."

“For whom did you bake the bread?” I ask.
“For him,” you answer. Easy task?
So, in that sentence, “whom” toes the line.
And if you make “for” the last word, fine.

“Who do you think deserves to win?”
"Whom" would be a problem therein,
For "who" must go with the verb "deserves."
A little knowledge can calm your nerves.

But how about "Whom did you see at the gym?"
If the answer is "I saw him,"
Then "whom" it is. But if you're confused,
Know that "who" is more often used.

"The guy whom I saw at the meeting last week
Spoke English, German, French, and Greek."
"I saw HIM at the meeting…" Voilà!
So "whom" works there. Got it? Hurrah!

Once you’ve got it, your next endeavor
Will be practicing who- and whomever.
It's up to you, but I'll say directly,
If we use "whom," let's use it correctly.

-by Bob B (7-24-22)

°I could talk about subjective and objective pronouns, but I'll leave that for later.
°°Of course, we could use "she/her" to test the pronouns, but "he/him" works well because of the final "m."

Sadly, we can see that in Congress,
Republicans still have a bone
To pick with Dr. Anthony Fauci.
They CANNOT leave him alone.

As much as the doctor has tried to do
To save Americans' lives
During the recent COVID pandemic,
Ignorance still thrives.

Far-right extremists in the House,
Instead of legislating,
Are wasting energy and time
Being nauseating.

It's really hard to listen to
Their baseless accusations,
Paranoid, nonsensical rants,
And ludicrous speculations.

They won't admit that they've been wrong
And even say they're sorry
For persecuting a doctor whose
Reputation is starry.

Instead, they'll put their trust in a man
Who said that viral infections
Could perhaps be treated if we
All took bleach injections!

Because of all the senseless attacks
That have taken place,
Dr. Fauci has received
Death threats from Trump's base.

Let's elect people to Congress
Who wisely use their positions
To focus on laws that help all people
And not just the politicians.

-by Bob B (6-4-24)

Stand up for democracy--
For true democracy, I mean,
And NOT for what is being spread
By the far-right propaganda machine.

Stand up for the rights of voters--
For rights that make democracy strong.
Ignore the cries of voter fraud
From folks who try to string you along.

Stand up for integrity
And truth, and do not give the nod
To efforts of many folks on the Right
Who are committing election fraud.

Stand up for the rule of law.
Accountability is key.
No one should be carrying a card
That reads Get Out of Jail Free.

Stand up for a compassionate nation--
One that can learn from past mistakes.
When it approaches danger it knows
How to swerve and apply the brakes.

Stand up for responsible
Behavior. May everybody strive
To work conscientiously
With others to make democracy thrive.

-by Bob B (1-18-22)

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)

Where can I get my remedy
For COVID-19 today?
The president said he knows how he
Can make it go away.

He said it's very simple, for it
Merely involves an injectant--
Just inject into your veins
A household disinfectant!

Let me see: what would be better--
Lysol, Purell, or bleach?
Or maybe he would recommend
Getting a shot of each.

And then he offered another idea:
What might expedite
The death of the virus is bathing ourselves
In ultraviolet light!

For the longest time he pushed
A drug and strongly suggested
That it be made available,
Although it hadn't been tested.

His other strategy has been
To fire or demote
Those who don't agree with him.
Scientists take note.

What a guy! What a leader
To get us through this mess!
Where he gets his bizarre notions
Is anybody's guess.

By the way, he failed to mention
That Lysol injections do
Ultimately **** the virus
BECAUSE THEY **** YOU, TOO!

-by Bob B (4-25-20)

Being nasty can rile your critics,
Stir up your fans, and incite your base.
That nastiness can leave an ugly
Mark that's difficult to erase.

Being narcissistic might make
Your fans think you have inner strength,
Though others can see how catty and petty
You are when rambling on at length.

Saying you're a nationalist
Might make you think you sound patriotic,
Although you embolden neo-Nazis
And others who find your words hypnotic.

Dehumanizing people
Is cruel and has a disastrous effect.
It shows your carelessness, your lack
Of sympathy, and lack of respect.

Calling asylum seekers "invaders,"
Enemies who are infesting our land,
Spreads a political fiction--a hoax--
That dangerously gets out of hand.

Perverse culprits devour your words.
Unstable extremists can hear
A message no matter how you meant it,
Thinking you've put a bug in their ear.

Then the killers--equipped to the max
With all the deadly weapons they need--
Go on a violent shooting spree:
Death and injury guaranteed.

Rhetoric has consequences.
Words really matter a lot.
Violence breeds violence
When hatred is so carefully taught.

-by Bob B (10-30-18)

Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson,
Now compares himself to Moses.
It's rather disconcerting what
His total self-aggrandizement shows us.

It's what he told Christian lawmakers.
Now he's waiting to cross the Red Sea.
How arrogant and delusional
Can a politician be?

Strangely, he said that God had spoken
To him when he was down on his knees.
He might as well have compared himself
With Paul Bunyan or Hercules.

It makes one wonder whether Johnson
Has been a bit too much on the sauce.
Will his ego grow so large
That he will nail himself to a cross?

Let him raise his rod and try
To part the waters. Wish him luck.
To tell the truth, Johnson seems
Less like a Moses and more like a schmuck.

-by Bob B (12-7-23)

Lately some sources reveal
A Zuckerberg/Trump shifty deal,
Which changed the complexion
Of last year's election--
The one that Trump's trying to steal.

Donny felt that indeed
There was really no need
To fact-check his scads
Of political ads,
And sources say Markie agreed.

Afterwards what did we learn
That Facebook got in return?
No applications
Of tough regulations--
A deal that's not easy to spurn.

Zuckerberg says it's not true.
That's something he never would do.
So where does that leave us?
If people deceive us,
They'll NEVER admit it. Would you?

-by Bob B (9-23-21)

Shadow is a scaredy-cat,
His tough appearance a masquerade.
It takes little to scare him, for even
His own shadow makes him afraid.

Loud noises terrify him.
The telephone rings, a door slams,
A horn honks, fireworks go off,
The vacuum roars and Shadow scrams.

When guests come to pay a visit,
As soon as Shadow hears the sound
Of a knock on the door or the ring of the doorbell,
The scaredy-cat's nowhere to be found.

Under a bed, behind a couch,
Deep in the closet--out of sight--
Shadow waits in the grip of panic,
His green eyes open wide with fright.

One would think that by this time
Shadow's fears would be subsiding.
However, as long as he hears strange voices,
He remains in his places of hiding.

As soon as guests have left the house,
Shadow appears, looking as though
He's saying to his insensitive masters,
"Why do you have to torment me so?"

Whatever is out of the ordinary
To Shadow is an impending threat.
Imagine the pandemonium
Whenever he has to see the vet.

Nobody knows why Shadow's so fearful.
Deep in his past was something traumatic?
His doctor can't begin to explain
Why his behavior is so erratic.

Who can fathom the mind of a cat?
Something frightening must have spooked him.
The sad effects of a horrible nightmare?
Had someone long ago harshly rebuked him?

Astrologers looked at his birth chart to find
What could have caused his alarming neurosis.
“Mercury square Saturn,” they said,
And then they recommended hypnosis.

A Tarot card reader saw the Hermit
And the Eight of Swords, both reversed,
Flanked by the Moon and the Nine of Wands.
“My goodness!” she cried. “The poor cat’s cursed!”

A local preacher dropped by and said,
“I can pray this problem away.”
He then proceeded to speak in tongues.
It didn’t work, needless to say.

If you have a list of suggestions,
Do him a favor and check your list.
If Shadow is going to shake off his fears,
He's going to need a therapist.

-by Bob B (2-1-20)

The Great Cover-up. That's what it was.
The trial in the Senate--a sham.
The Trumplicans want the process behind them.
Water over the dam.

Witnesses were not allowed
To testify, which meant
That many of us were disappointed
With how the process went.

Whatever the outcome would have been,
The truth was highly suppressed.
That's what happens when evidence
And facts are not addressed.

Praise to Romney, the only Republican
Senator who admitted
That Trump at least on one of the charges
Should NOT have been acquitted.

The other Republican Senators
Chose absolution.
They backed their cultish leader instead of
Defending the Constitution.

Good-bye, rule of law. Good-bye,
Democratic protections,
For Trump's been given carte blanche to
Corrupt future elections.

-by Bob B (2-6-20)

DT:
Of ONE thing I must say that I am aware:
A marriage can be any person's cross to bear.
So that is why I put my trust in laissez faire.
And that’s how I survive.

My first wife frowned on my philandering.
I said that paparazzi were just slandering.
No way! she said. I was meandering.
And that's how I survive.

The situation then grew hairier.
And since there was no way to bury her,
I merely said, "I'll just unmarry her."
And that's how I survive.

There was a gal that I was with when I got caught.
In 1993 we tied the knot.
I think she had a certain liking for my yacht.
And that's how I survive.

My second marriage started out to be a blast.
But everybody knows that it didn't last.
Divorce for me was just a rebroadcast.
And that's how I survive.

Then I met this gorgeous pinup girl.
Talk about a beauty! Yes, a real pearl!
I thought that I should give this one a whirl.
And that's how I survive.

But everybody knows that a wedding ring
Won't STOP me if I feel I want to have a fling.
Fidelity is not a deal to which I cling.
And that's how I survive.

How long this one will last, well, no one knows.
Every marriage has both its highs and lows.
My wife's aware of what she can and can't disclose.
And that's how I survive.

I’ve a special tool, which--I must say--
Helps me keep both friends and foes at bay.
It happens to be called an NDA.°
And that’s how I survive.
Yes, that’s…how…I…survive.

-by Bob B (2-4-25)

°non-disclosure agreement

The recent anti-vaccine mandate
Rally in Washington, D.C.
Was without a doubt a real
Conspiracy theory potpourri.

Participants' wild speeches and comments
Were off the mark and hard to digest.
People have called the gathering
A regular "conspiracy fest."

Vaccine misinformation was rampant.
First of all, the message gets lost
When life-saving measures are
Insanely compared with the Holocaust.

Blaming the press? Blaming doctors?
Advocating Nuremberg trials?
Evidence of current vaccine
Effectiveness was met with denials.

They don't realize the danger
When vaccine misinformation spreads.
Actually, more people react
Adversely to over-the-counter meds.

Opposing vaccine mandates, however,
Isn't the primary issue at all.
The problem is the dissemination
Of anti-mandate folderol.

It's fair to disagree with mandates
As long as reasons are legit.
But when they're based on baseless lies,
Then the arguments aren't worth spit.

Frankly, the public's safety and health
Are something we shouldn't undermine.
When the next booster comes out,
This guy plans to be first in line.

-by Bob B (1-25-22)

Many people wonder what
Trump can do to cause more woe.
Never ceasing to find a way,
The man has reached an all-time low.

He is still separating
Families that have been here for years--
Deporting parents and leaving their kids
To fend for themselves. Imagine their fears!

Crossing the line again, he's showing
How cruel and hateful his policies are,
For now the man is pushing one
That's more inhumane than others so far:

Non-citizens being treated
For life-threatening illnesses must
Leave the country in thirty-three days.
Trump thinks that's fair and just.

The Trump administration is saying,
"Sorry, but the time is nigh
For you to leave the United States."
In other words, "Go home and die!"

The White House **** Stephen Miller
Has to have his hand in this.
Whatever he can do to hurt
Immigrants gives him infinite bliss.

How sad it is when leaders are
Devoid of human compassion and heart!
Do we stand idly by and watch
The president tear the country apart?

-by Bob B (8-29-19)

I like to think that I eat well.
But eating well to me doesn't mean
That I intend to completely remove
Sugar from my daily routine.

I know that protein and grains and fruits
And veggies are vital; I like them a lot.
But sometimes a hunk of chicken or steak
Or a carrot doesn't hit the spot.

We are what we eat, people say.
I am not saying that I am a ****,
But I would rather be seen as a cream puff
Than seen as a chicken, a cow, or a pig.

"Moderation" sounds judicious,
Though it's a word that's hard to define.
Your idea of moderation
Might be completely different from mine.

If somebody said, "Add ten years
To your life by avoiding sugary treats,"
With no hesitation, I would reply,
"YOU take the years; I'LL take the sweets."

-by Bob B (11-24-19)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-by Bob B (7-14-23)

°An old Buddhist parable

Obviously, Donald Trump
Couldn't care less about whom he hurts.
The heartless man apparently thinks
We're all getting our just deserts.

All of our lives are now in danger
As he installs his admin team--
Most of whom are incompetent
But blindly support the Trump regime.

He's fired people across the country
For having done their job. What's more,
He has become even more deranged
And more unjust than ever before.

His new tariffs on imports show
How he wants to maximize
His power by hurting other countries
And us as well as prices rise.

And then, of course, he bullies other
Nations if they do not comply
With HIS demands. We MUST speak up.
This situation is do or die.

Trump is out to show the world
That he's a strongman--lawless and cruel.
Hurt other people before they hurt you.
That's the Trumpian golden rule.

-by Bob B (2-2-25)

The long war in Afghanistan…
Now, when all is said and done,
What started out as a war with a cause,
Turned out being a losing one.

The longest war in U.S. history…
Did we ever have clear goals?
Explanations for why we stayed there
For twenty years are full of holes.

At first, going after al-Qaeda
And Bin Laden was our claim.
Eventually, it turned out that
Nation-building became our aim.

Propping up the Karzai regime…
To some that was a colossal flop.
We organized from top to bottom
Instead of going from bottom to top.

A government, unstable, corrupt,
In a country full of feuding tribes…
Democracy to the Afghans became
A system mainly built on bribes.

We thought we had made headway there,
But then we encountered a stumbling block:
Our focus shifted when we were misled
To get involved in a war in Iraq.

We tried to fight the ***** trade--
Another problem we tried to master.
Unfortunately, it turned out that
Our efforts were a complete disaster.

Others with whom we negotiated,
Sometimes took us for a ride,
Leaving us without an inkling
As to who was on whose side.

Warlords who we know had committed
Atrocities, became our friends.
Scenarios where that plays out
Usually have disastrous ends.

A dark pit of endless money
That led the way to grift and greed…
We were bent on building projects
That the Afghans didn't need.

When we bombed a wedding party
And a hospital, let it be noted
That those in command hid our blunders.
The truth was often sugar-coated.

"We are NOT nation-building,"
And "Victory is in sight," we heard.
One thing we should know by now
Is we can't hang on their every word.

We lament the lives that were lost
And all who were wounded during the war.
We also lament the loss of trust
In our leaders. That will be hard to restore.

-by Bob B (1-21-22)

Preparing the house for fumigation
Isn't fun at all.
But it's also distressful to know
That termites have paid a call.

At first there is no evidence.
"Life is grand," you say.
Then you discover that throughout your house
Termites are chomping away.

"Eek!" you scream. "Those NASTY critters!
How dare they incommode
This household! Look at how they are
Destroying our humble abode!"

How dreadful that in our sanctuaries
These blasted insects lurk!
Removing or double-bagging food
Is a lot of work.

Not only food, it's cough drops, meds--
Whatever can be ingested--
That must be taken care of when
Your domicile is infested.

If you lived in an igloo, then
You would NOT be dealt
A termite problem, but global warming
Would make your igloo melt.

Also, where would you put your router?
Each electronic device
Might not be compatible
Surrounded by all that ice.

What about a house of glass?
Maybe that would be good.
A house of steel? A house of stones?
Anything but wood!

If all the termites living on Earth--
Parents, daughters, and sons--
Were put on a scale, they'd weigh four hundred
Forty-five MILLION tons!

Humans would weigh 350
Million tons if we
Were all put on a scale together.
That would be fun to see!

So, you can see that we're outnumbered.
The termites are in command.
Will we win, or will those little
Bugs get the upper hand?

If we fail to act right now,
The damage will keep getting worse.
Maybe termites are helpful in nature;
For us they are a curse.

Preparing the house for fumigation:
What a pain in the rear!
I can't wait till it's over and we
Can hear the words "ALL CLEAR!"

-by Bob B (4-14-24)

The account that follows fills me with sadness--
Sadness and anger at the same time.
Oftentimes a draconian law
Can itself be a crime.

A mother, Amber Nicole Thurman,
Because of Georgia's abortion "solution,"
Died because her doctors wouldn't
Treat her, fearing prosecution.

Unexpelled fetal tissue
Required attention--a D&C.°
Thurman had developed sepsis.
They had to move ASAP.

But because of Georgia's laws,
The doctors, afraid of going to jail,
Waited far too long to act.
Thurman's organs had started to fail.

When the doctors finally
Performed the procedure, it was too late,
Thanks to the strict and narrow-minded
Laws affecting the folks in that state.

Governor Kemp was thrilled when the state's
Abortion ban went into effect.
What other anti-freedom laws
Will Georgia try to resurrect?

Whether to end a pregnancy
Is not an easy decision, but still,
Women should have the right to decide
If it should be by procedure or pill.

Applying loaded words such as "******"
To women and doctors is simply wrong!
Some lawmakers want us to think
That we are weak, but they are strong.

In their attempts to limit women's
Choice, they think that they have won,
While Amber Thurman leaves behind
A six-year-old motherless son.

-by Bob B (9-18-24)

°dilation and curettage, a surgical procedure that involves removing tissue from the ******

Sing, Democracy! Sing your song!
Let your voice be loud and clear.
Resist the onslaught of vicious attacks
On all the values that you hold dear.

Sing, Democracy! Let the sound
Of freedom muffle the sounds of suppression.
Do not cower when threatened by
Corrupt abuse of power and aggression.

Sing, Democracy! Do not let
Extremists stifle your beautiful voice.
When your music overpowers
The sounds of tyranny, rejoice!

Sing, Democracy, louder yet
When voices of ignorance try to subdue
Your song of hope for humanity,
For you know what is honest and true.

Sing, Democracy! Everywhere,
Let truth, honor, and freedom thrive.
But always know that you must be
Vigilant if you want to survive.

Sing, Democracy, lest your voice
Be stifled forever, and all you've known
About the value of freedom and justice
Turns to a whimper and dies with a moan.

-by Bob B (12-18-19)

We saw from many Republicans
Their true colors yesterday
With their blind allegiance to
Donald Trump on full display.

While we paused to remember the horrors
Of January 6 last year,
We saw Republican lawmakers
Kowtowing to their puppeteer.

Aligned with white nationalists
And thugs, the Party's come to be
Unrecognizable
From the former GOP.

While members of Congress met to reflect
On what had happened a year ago,
Republicans--except for Liz Cheney--
Unsurprisingly failed to show.

Republicans in Missouri had
A fundraiser--one whereby
They celebrated the insurrection
And pushed Trump's election lie.

In interviews, two notorious
Trump sycophants mentioned their pride
In what the violent mobs had done.
Violence being sanctified?

Amplified by hostile foreign
Powers, many lies keep spreading.
With truth constantly under attack,
It's scary to think where the nation is heading.

How can lawmakers cater to Trump
And still maintain any self-respect?
Furthermore, without a backbone,
How can they even stand *****?

-by Bob B (1-7-22)

(This poem can be sung to the tune of "There's No Business like Show Business" by Irving Berlin.)

Let's GO ridin' with JOE Biden
'Cause JOE Biden's a pro.
Four years of the Trumps have been appalling,
Full of scandals, chaos, and despair.
I am sick and tired of Trump's stonewalling.
A second term would be too much to bear.

And SO sidin' with JOE Biden
Means YOU already know:
If we want a president who knows the score,
Who knows what the rule of law is for--
The kind of guy who has us coming back for more--
Then let's all vote for Joe!

The nonsense, the bluster, corruption, false claims,
The cover-ups that cover up their crimes,
Betrayals, deception, abuses, the games,
The lack of guidance in these worst of times…
The Trumplicans keep trying to suppress
The voters and have made an awful mess.

We KNOW sidin' with JOE Biden
Will END four years of woe.
Biden really knows the Constitution
And wouldn't use the White House as a prop.
The Biden/Harris ticket's the solution
If you want the nonsense all to stop.

And SO stick it to TRUMP'S ticket;
With JOE'S ticket you'll know
You will find a president who hates deceit,
Who has compassion and does not cheat,
And who won't sit around and watch Fox News and tweet,
So let's all vote for Joe;
So let's all vote for Joe!

-by Bob B (8-29-20)

It's going to be a quiet Thanksgiving.
But that's all right--that's okay.
Caution now means better chances
Of seeing a future Thanksgiving Day.

Yes, it's sad that COVID-19
Happens to be our current reality.
But hopefully within a year,
We will see a return to normality.

Now with COVID numbers rising
And hospitals filling, it's getting scary.
To get the pandemic under control,
A bit of prudence is necessary.

There can still be turkey roasting,
Gravy simmering, potatoes boiling,
And homemade pumpkin pie beckoning…
And I'll be in the kitchen toiling.

The situation's not ideal,
But we'll get through this; we'll make do,
FaceTiming our family
And having Thanksgiving dinner for two.

-by Bob B (11-22-20)

If I were a woman, my
Reproductive rights should be
MY business alone, not YOURS.
YOU are not my referee.

If I became pregnant through ****,
My voice would be loud and firm:
It’s up to me if what is growing
Inside me should be carried to term.

I would not listen to hypocritical
Views about protecting life
From those whose words of shame and blame
Ignore my feelings and cut like a knife.

I would not listen to people who
Ignore what should be a woman's right.
And yet to secure this right, women
Always seem to be having to fight.

I would seek out expert advice
And weigh the options to do what's best.
I know it wouldn't be an easy
Decision. To that I would attest.

No, I'm not a woman, you see.
My name certainly gives me away.
But still I try to listen to
What many women have to say:

"You have the right to express your displeasure.
Yes, that would be fair and fine.
But I'll stay out of YOUR insides,
And you, in turn, stay out of MINE."

-by Bob B (5-4-22)

The con man and the crazy crackpot
Have now become aligned
With each other, and both of them
Are threats to humankind.

RFK Jr. has
Aligned with DJT.
Trump thinks that will help him win
Another term, you see.

Strange conspiracy theory monger,
Kennedy is known
For having eccentric ideas that
Make wise people groan:

That climate change is nothing but
A pretext with the goals
Of forcing on society
Autocratic controls;

That antidepressants have led to a rise
In school shootings; what's more,
That vaccines are worse than the virus itself!
Are you keeping score?

And listen to this: Now Kennedy
Wants you to remember
That chemicals in the water supply
Can turn our kids transgender!

Could Trump and his campaign team
Get any more bizarre?
Not only foolish but dangerous
Is what they truly are.

-by Bob B (8-24-24)

This poetry site is so quirky.
Its value has gotten quite murky.
Whatever its goal,
It's out of control.
I'd say it's becoming a turkey.

It needs a skillful technician.
And frankly I have a suspicion
That no one's in charge,
Which by and large,
Explains its current condition.

-by Bob B (6-3-22)

It’s a female’s world.
Well, for emus it is.
Once her egg's been laid,
The rest of the work is HIS.
Her mate, who's already built
Their nest, sits on the eggs
And barely even gets to
Rise to stretch his legs.
He doesn't even drink,
Eat, or leave the nest.
His only nourishment
Is morning dew at best.
Meanwhile, the female
Doesn't hesitate
To say good-bye to her beau
And look for another mate.
After the eggs have hatched,
The male takes care of the chicks
By teaching them how to perform
The usual emu tricks,
Such as how to eat
And how to socialize
With all the other little
Emu girls and guys.
Soon the process will start
All over again.
I wonder if he envies
The life of an emu hen.

-by Bob B (10-14-21)

Powerful grief can overwhelm us.
It doesn't merely make us feel blue.
At times it's more insidious,
For it is able to **** us, too.

Joe and Irma García had been
Married for twenty-four years until
A killer with an assault weapon had
A deadly mission to fulfill.

Nineteen elementary students
And two teachers were gunned down
Senselessly, brutally,
In what was a quiet Texan town.

Irma was one of the teachers killed.
Two days after his wife had been slain,
Joe dropped dead from a heart attack
Brought about by unbearable pain.

Their four kids are orphans now.
May we hold in our hearts today
The memory of Joe and Irma,
Who never should have died this way.

-by Bob B (5-29-22)

The prosecutor versus the felon:
The felon had better be wary.
THIS prosecutor will be
A powerful adversary.

Both are running for president.
The felon thinks that he
Can disconcert the prosecutor,
Who happens to be a she.

She can see directly through
The tactics that he uses
To boost his power and also to flout
The laws that he abuses.

Perceptive, undaunted, astute, and wise,
She knows a con when she sees one.
And anyone who pays attention
Certainly knows that he's one.

Judging from past experience,
We know that he'll resort
To unabashedly accepting
His Russian buddy's support.

Come November, voters should
Remember the following quote:
"This is a fight for freedom," she says.
She will get my vote.

-by Bob B (7-26-24)

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

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

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

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

-by Bob B (4-11-22)

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

All day long a fisherman stood,
fishing in a river.
Although he was ambitious, he
Was failing to deliver.

He pulled in his net a final time,
Intending to walk away,
For he was rightfully weary, and it
Was time to call it a day.

"It's too bad," he sighed, trying
Not to be upset,
When all of a sudden he noticed a fish
Squirming about in his net.

The tiny fish pleaded and pleaded
With him to set it free.
"I am HARDLY worth the effort.
Wouldn't you agree?

"Throw me back into the river,
So I can grow for a spell.
When I've become a larger fish,
I could serve you well.

"Right now I am just a tiny,
Insignificant thing.
But later you could put me on
A platter fit for a king."

"What do you take me for--a fool?"
The fisherman replied.
"That you do not amount to much
Cannot be denied.

"How in the world could you expect
That I should release you when
Both YOU and I know that I would never,
Ever see you again?

"Why let go of a certainty,
For something uncertain? And so
You're going home with me, and into
The frying pan you'll go."

The moral? Once in a while because of
The situation you're in,
You must be creative if you
Want to save your skin.

Another moral isn't about
Trying to  save your ****.
It goes as follows: a bird in the hand
Is worth TWO in the bush.

-by Bob B (9-13-21)

°An Aesop fable retold here in verse

Our country is being run by buffoons!
Once more I will shout it:
OUR COUNTRY IS BEING RUN BY BUFFOONS!
And there's no doubt about it.

Trump, of course, is the biggest one,
But people whom he appointed
Are up there with him, showing how badly
Our nation is disjointed.

Top officials conducted a chat°
Of sensitive information,
Which was a major security breach
And cause for consternation.

They used a device system that was
Clearly unclassified,
And later when the story came out,
They hemmed and hawed and lied.

How did the story come out? you ask.
Well, this is the scoop:
They included a journalist
In their discussion group!

None of the members even questioned
The journalist's identity.
Such behavior gives me no
Feelings of serenity.

When you have incompetent people
Placed in key positions,
Their unsafe decisions can lead
To dangerous conditions.

Their discussion put American
Lives in danger. Yikes!
They spoke of the country of Yemen and our
Military strikes.

One of the members was even in Russia!
That can't be excused,
For Russians have tried to hack into
The system the chatters used!

People should be up in arms!
No question as to why.
On hearing the story, Trumplicans merely
Shrug their shoulders and sigh!

-by Bob B (3-26-25)

°Those involved in the Signal group chat:
JD Vance (VP and Trump's attack dog)
Pete Hegseth (defense secretary)
Michael Waltz (national security adviser)
Stephen Miller (deputy chief of staff)
Marco Rubio (secretary of state)
John Ratcliffe (director of the CIA)
Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence)
Steve Witkoff (envoy to Ukraine and the Middle East)
Scott Bessent (treasury secretary)
Brian McCormack (chief of staff of the National Security Council)
Susie Wiles (White House chief of staff)
Joe Kent (chief of staff to Gabbard)
Jeffrey Goldberg (editor in chief of THE ATLANTIC)

Why do many religious folks
Tend to get their feathers ruffled
If people say they are atheists?
Why should atheists have to be muffled?

Atheists are often considered
The devil incarnate or evil unveiled.
They are attacked, their lives are threatened,
They're ostracized and even jailed--

Done in the "name of God," of course.
Oh, the reasons that people give
In countries all over the world where people
Refuse to practice "live and let live"!

Do we need a god to tell us
How to live or how to behave?
If I blindly follow dogma,
Don't I become religion's slave?

Constantly seeking, questioning,
Observing, expressing healthy doubt,
Exploring the many facets of life,
Discovering what life's about,

And learning how to sift through all
The knowledge that we humans have gained
Will help us put more focus on
Issues that can be explained.

Some things, yes, are inexplicable,
Mystifying, beyond our knowing.
A question we must ask ourselves
Should always be "Am I still growing?"

There ARE religious people who aren't
Threatened by what others believe.
Secure in their beliefs, they aren't
Fearful, brain-washed, and naïve.

They do not judge nonbelievers
And tell them they are going to hell.
Tempering their beliefs with love
Is what they do so very well.

And then there are the ones who feel
Compelled to express their condemnation.
They need to mind their OWN business
And worry about their OWN salvation.

If you as a nonbeliever are asked
Your position, a way to convey it
Is merely "I'm an atheist
And I am not afraid to say it."

-by Bob B (1-17-25)

While you're being investigated,
If "witch hunt" is often repeated,
Your eager-to-please fan base will say,
"Oh, poor guy. He's being mistreated!"

Maintain the false allegation
That during your election campaign
The FBI "spied" on you.
America's loss will be your gain.

Spread distrust of our institutions.
Just repeat lie after lie,
And fans will scarf it down as though
It's honey falling from the sky.

Although a foreign country assisted
Your campaign, cause confusion
By fervently repeating the words
"No collusion. No collusion."

Conspire with any members of Congress
Willing to sell their souls to the devil.
Your shared obstruction of justice will give you
Success in which you later can revel.

Discredit the media and call them fake
When you dislike what they're relaying
So people in your echo chamber
Won't believe what reporters are saying.

Say that the truth is relative;
Raise doubt in what's true and real.
Do whatever it takes to cover up
Everything that you want to conceal.

It's so easy to muddy the waters.
Getting ratings: that is the key.
Generate conspiracy theories.
Create your own reality.

-by Bob B (5-29-18)

What has happened before our eyes
Hasn't been a big surprise,
But puzzle pieces--bit by bit--
Have come together, and how they fit!

Eight broadcast hearings and we
Can see Trump's culpability
When violent thugs decided to storm
The Capitol--so true to form.

Trump didn't care that some were armed,
For he wasn't worried that he'd be harmed.
He riled up the mob that winter day
And sent it on its merry way

To the Capitol. Yes, even a noose
Was hung there as all hell broke loose.
Trump was watching the violent scene
On his giant TV screen.

For OVER THREE HOURS, the big man child
Let the violent mob run wild
While he did nothing--zero, zip--
To call it off. That's leadership?

Lives were threatened; lives were lost.
Damage was done; lines were crossed.
People pleaded, and yet it's known
That Trump just tweeted and talked on his phone.

In fact, as flames of violence grew higher,
He kept throwing fuel on the fire,
For he continued to incense
The mob, further endangering Pence.

And yet Trump seeks absolution
For thumbing his nose at the Constitution?
He should have to pay--amen!--
And NEVER hold an office again.

-by Bob B (7-22-22)

Back in January this year
Sergeant Kennedy Sanders was killed.
Today, for all her dear loved ones,
The hole in their hearts remains unfilled.

Assigned to a military outpost
In Jordan, she and her team became
Targets of a drone attack.
Islamic terrorists were to blame.

Operation Inherent Resolve
Was a mission to combat hate--
The hate that's being perpetuated
By groups such as the Islamic State.

Rebuilding infrastructure was
Why the engineers were there.
The threat of danger was always something
For which the soldiers had to prepare.

Just one day prior to
The day that Kennedy met her end,
She and her mom had talked about
The kinds of Girl Scout cookies to send.

How sad! Because of fanaticism,
Countless innocent people have died.
Religious extremism proves to be
A giant thorn in humanity's side.

Unfortunately, the suffering
Is NOT just caused by militant groups.
Sometimes fanatic leaders cause grief
Through bombing raids and sending out troops.

Kennedy's friends and family
Will sadly but proudly make their way
To Kennedy's grave where they will leave
Flowers on this Memorial Day.

-by Bob B (5-27-24)

He longs to rewrite history--
For us to see the world through his eyes,
With help from his favorite TV station,
Which scandalously spreads his lies.

He'd love to control the media,
Eliminating the critics who
Point out his flaws. Watch him try
To shoot one on Fifth Avenue.

He caters to his oligarchs--
To those who use their power and wealth
To fill their pockets and gain control,
Often through fraudulence and stealth.

He uses kowtowing appointees to help
Create dirt on his critics to draw
As ugly a picture as he can
And violates the rule of law.

When we have a national
Emergency, and things look dim,
He does his best to cover up
The truth and makes it all about him.

He even wants political
Opponents to be locked away.
Yep, Trump is acting more
Like Vladimir Putin every day.

-by Bob B (5-15-20)

Back a rat into a corner
And you will find without a doubt
That it becomes surprisingly vicious
As it angrily lashes out.

So if that is your plan of attack,
Heed the warning: be prepared!
Be sure you have the tools you need;
And, above all, don’t be scared.

The best thing to do would be
To stop the problems before they begin.
Be certain that your house is secure
So that no rats can find their way in.

Check the foundation; walk around
And fix whatever the structure lacks.
Don't let the vermin sneak inside
By making **** sure there aren't any cracks.

You can put your house in order.
Consider how much you will have gained.
But don't forget to be vigilant:
A dwelling has to be maintained.

A strong, secure house is the best
Protection against dangerous pests.
Then you can live in relative peace.
At least that is what wisdom suggests.

-by Bob B (11-9-20)

As the day was drawing to a close,
The late afternoon was turning cold.
A goatherd summoned all his goats together
In order to return them to the fold.

Suddenly, one goat chose to stray
And didn't want to join up with the rest.
The goatherd knew that if they didn't hurry,
They would not get home till dusk at best.

He shouted, but the goat ignored his orders.
Furious, he threw a heavy stone
And hit the goat, breaking one of its horns.
The goatherd then let out a fearful moan.

"Oh, no! I'm in trouble now!" he cried.
"For me, this is going to mean disaster."
Distraught, he begged the poor goat not to say
A word about his actions to their master.

"Don't be stupid," said the rebellious goat.
"My broken horn would stand out in the herd
As if to cry out, 'Hey there, look at me!'
Even if I didn't say a word.

"So here is some advice for you, my friend:
Hiding certain things is not forbidden,
But you will come off looking like a fool
If you try to hide what can't be hidden."

-by Bob B (8-13-21)

°An Aesop fable, "The Goatherd and the Goat," retold here in verse

During a recent interview,
Donald Trump presented a slice
Of what he would do in a second term.
Before, he said, he was far too nice.

Nice? My goodness! If that's what he calls
Being nice, then when he's mean
He will be a thousand times
More obnoxious and more obscene!

He says he'll use the military
To round up millions for deportation,
As though hard-working immigrants
Are a serious threat to our nation!

Funds appropriated by Congress--
He says---he will refuse to release.
The functions of the office that studies
Possible future pandemics will cease.

Our independent judiciary
Soon will be a thing of the past,
For Trump will control the DOJ.
Its role under him will be recast.

States will be able to monitor
Pregnancies, he says; what's more,
The number of prosecutions of those
Defying abortion bans will soar.

He will deploy the national guard
To any place that he sees fit.
His staff will have to back the Big Lie;
Good riddance to those who challenge it.

He plans to gut the civil service.
Loyalty and THAT alone
Will be what he demands of all--
The image for all to bow down to: his own.

On hearing Trump's alarming words,
It's really hard to comprehend
That if you love democracy,
How your hair would NOT stand on end.

-by Bob B (5-2-24)

(This poem can be sung to the tune of Jerry Herman's song "Hello, Dolly!")

Good-bye, Donald!
Yes, good-bye, Donald.
You are going to have to leave the White House soon.
And when you leave, Donald,
Do not grieve, Donald.
For you all right, the timing might
Be inopportune.
We always knew, Donald.
It's so true, Donald.
You were never qualified to lead this land.
You made a mess, Donald--
Caused nothing but distress, Donald.
That is one thing we'll never understand.

Good-bye, Donald!
Time is nigh, Donald.
Will you now return to what you did before?
Whom will you scam, Donald,
As you scram, Donald?
Perhaps you think you're in the pink,
But we're keeping score.
Hey, outside your gate there,
Agents now wait there.
So what happens next there's no way to foretell.
One thing we know, Donald:
You have now got to go, Donald.
Will you be tweeting from a prison cell?

-by Bob B (11-7-20)

As Putin continues his ****** quest
To ravage Ukraine, we watch in shock
As innocent Ukrainian
Civilians are dying around the clock.

We have to constantly ask ourselves,
"Is all of this dying worth it to him?"
If this is part of his ongoing push
To expand his rule, the future looks grim.

Announcing phony accusations
Before the UN is part of his plan
To craftily legitimize
His propaganda as much as he can.

Of course, conspiracy theorists here
Are siding with Putin--our adversary.
Fox News Channel's Tucker Carlson
Spouts pro-Putin commentary.

It's almost as though Carlson has
A means of direct communication
With Putin, whereby the two of them
Can further their mutual adulation.

And so they continue to throw spaghetti
Against the wall to see what sticks.
Watch the results as the two of them
Keep throwing lies into the mix.

As both Putin and Carlson peddle
Disinformation, people are dying.
How anyone can justify
Such senseless bloodshed is mystifying.

-by Bob b (3-13-22)

What is this world coming to?
Sometimes I can't believe my ears.
When it comes to ludicrousness,
We are encountering new frontiers.

Mike Johnson° has told us that
Republicans value the rule of law.
However, for a very strange reason,
Their grasp of it has a major flaw:

The rule of law is important to them
When they can use it on others, you see.
But if the law is directed at them,
They want complete immunity.

Johnson has placed two House members,
Ronny Jackson°° and Scott Perry,°°°
On the Intelligence Committee.
Now try to tell me THAT'S not scary.

Demoted from admiral to captain,
Jackson has proved to be a skunk:
One, for mistreating his staff members,
And two, for treating patients while drunk.

Perry's appointment is more bizarre,
For he had had a strong connection
With plots to ignore election results
And with the Capitol insurrection.

That Johnson has placed these two men
On the committee has to defy
Reason, for now they will be
Overseeing the FBI!

A Black House member, Byron Donalds,°°°°
With his MAGA fiction in tow,
Said that Blacks were much better off
During the Jim Crow era! Whoa!

And one more thing: Trump says since
He's been accused of "alleged" crimes,
Because he's a victim, Blacks love him,
For they have suffered through difficult times.

My goodness! What is going on?
With all this crazy nonsense transpiring,
It appears that in these Republicans,
Synapses in their brains are misfiring.

-by Bob B (6-7-24)

°Current Speaker of the House
°°Republican representative from Texas
°°°Republican representative from Pennsylvania
°°°°Republican representative from Florida

Empty shelves. Lack of supplies.
Fighting a virus that's unforgiving.
School closures. Loss of jobs.
A new reality in which we're living.

Hospitals filling. Medical staff
In danger from lack of protective gear.
Stores and industries shutting down.
For how long remains unclear.

Closed borders. Cancelled flights.
Social distancing's a must.
Living in a dystopian novel,
We hear the command: Adjust! Adjust!

Where is our federal leadership?
Scrambling for sure, but this is worth noting:
The president's spreading misinformation
And keeps applying a sugar coating.

We need help! our governors say;
We're limited, but doing what we can.
The president says, "We are not
A supply shop." Compassionate man!

When asked pertinent questions about
Allaying the public's fears or stress,
Our insecure president
Loses control and attacks the press.

For months we knew of the imminent threat,
And yet where was the preparation?
The jaw-dropping inactivity
Of our leadership endangers our nation.

Our ICU surge capacity
Must be increased, experts insist.
And personal protective equipment
Should be at the top of the list.

Unfortunately, the president's
Narcissism gets in his way.
We DON'T need empty promises;
We need action. Now! Today!

We'll get through this eventually.
Because of him? NO! In SPITE of him
Who leads us down the rabbit hole
And governs by a hunch and a whim.

-by Bob B (3-21-20)

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

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

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

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

(End of Part 1)

-by Bob B (11-19-24)

How you shine your light on the world,
Your energy and self-expression,
Your sense of purpose, your urge to create,
Your individual, lasting impression,

Your essential values, the way
You try to relate to everyone,
How you cope, and how you see life--
That's all symbolized by your SUN.

The image that you have of yourself,
Your subconscious predispositions,
How you fulfill emotional needs,
How you respond to certain conditions,

Your sense of belonging, how you like
The feelings of being inside your cocoon,
Your longing for security…
That's all symbolized by your MOON.

Communication, your conscious mind,
Your logic, your reason, and how you think,
How you establish connections with others
With whom you want to remain in sync,

The manner in which you express your perceptions,
Your intellectual give and take
Are symbolized by your MERCURY,
Which loves learning for its own sake.

Your need to establish relationships,
Your sharing, your giving and your receiving,
Your values, your tastes, your urge for pleasure,
Your knowledge that harmony's worth achieving,

Your sense of collaboration, your need
For comfort with all that it emphasizes,
Your strong desire to protect those you love--
That's what your VENUS symbolizes.

What about your will-power,
Your strong initiative and drive,
Your self-assertion, your energy,
The power that makes you feel alive,

Your sense of individualism,
Your urge to reach beyond the stars,
Your action, impatience, and petulance, too?
That's all symbolized by your MARS.

When you want to expand your horizons,
When limitations would be a horror,
When you have an urgent need
To improve yourself and be an explorer,

When connecting with something else
That's greater than you can make your day,
When you are hopeful and optimistic,
Your JUPITER is having a say.

Is there a need for social approval,
For discipline and organization?
Are you a little fearful of change
And seek to establish a solid foundation?

Do rules and boundaries give you peace?
Do you find virtue in follow-through?
Can you be a bit rigid at times?
If so, then SATURN is working through you.

Perhaps you're feeling slightly eccentric,
A bit detached, in need of a change.
Maybe you're being a non-conformist,
And others find you a little bit strange.

Are you feeling rebellious and willful
And wanting to break with the status quo?
Are you impulsive, intense, or restless?
Then your URANUS has you in tow.

If you're a dreamer who's somewhat elusive,
Compassionate, and idealistic,
Who wants to be free from your ego-self
And tap into a life that's artistic,

And if you have the urge to assist
Those who suffer from exclusion,
Let your NEPTUNE energy flow.
Just watch out for escapist delusion.

Perhaps you want to penetrate
The psychological depths of being
And also feel a transformation
Of consciousness--a new way of seeing;

Maybe you want to analyze life,
Let go of the old, question taboos,
Explore compulsions, and try to transmute them
Into new form. Then PLUTO's your muse.

By tapping into the energies
That flow through us and make us whole,
We can grow from our self-knowledge
And self-exploration--a wonderful goal.

-by Bob B (2-23-22)