(Try singing this poem to the tune of Bob Dylan's song "Blowin' in the Wind.")

How many lies can a president tell
Until people say, “That’s enough”?
How often can one man play a hard game
Until someone else calls his bluff?
How long till people stand up to hate
And give it a fitting rebuff?
The thing you must do is listen to your heart;
You must try to listen to your heart.

How many clouds must darken the sky
Before we can feel the cold rain?
How long must people suffer in life
Until we can feel their pain?
How can a leader within a short time
Destroy what is hard to regain?
The thing you must do is listen to your heart;
You must try to listen to your heart.

How many laws can a president break
Until Congress tells him, "You're fired!"?
How can a leader have so many duds
Among the people he's hired?
What does it take for the voters to say,
"We've had it; your time has expired"?
The thing you must do is listen to your heart;
You must try to listen to your heart.

-by Bob B (1-15-20)

I never used to swear that much.
Really. But things have changed.
It's hard to keep from doing it when
One's president is deranged.

His constant tweets are maddening.
I really have to admit
That when I read them, I say he's full of
A word that rhymes with "spit."

To watch his reckless and smug demeanor
Makes me rather sick.
I can't help thinking he acts just like
A word that rhymes with "trick."

When I'm really incensed and feel
He's acting like a schmuck,
Before I can stop it, a word slips out--
A word that rhymes with "duck."

As I watch him destroy this country,
A phrase emerges, which
Starts with the word "son" and ends
With a word that rhymes with "twitch."

When he lies, my sense of decorum
Is difficult to sustain,
And I cannot refrain from taking
A certain name in vain.

When I've lost it, I say that he's--
And I am totally frank--
A blankety-blank, blankety-blanking
Blankety blankety blank.

I know that losing one's cool is not
Behavior considered sublime,
But what the heck? The president
Cusses all the time.

-by Bob B (10-15-20)

Some folks don't like Harris's giggle;
Some folks do not like her laugh.
Some don't like what people say
When they speak on her behalf.

Some, of course, don’t like the fact
That she's a Democrat. Oh, my!
And some would never cast their vote
For her because she's not a guy!

Some don't like her stance on women's
Reproductive rights and choice.
There are those who say they can't
Stand to listen to her voice.

And, of course, there are many
Who think that it is quite all right
To say that they would never vote
For her because she isn't White.

When I hear such stupid, racist,
Misogynistic reasons, I'll stress--
And many folks must also agree--
That all of that is pure BS!

They'd rather vote for a man, who,
When asked difficult questions, balks?
They'd VOTE for a man who sounds just like
A racist and fascist when he talks?

A man who'll chase down his opponents?
(We all know he's keeping tallies.)
Whose speakers belittle Puerto Ricans
When speaking at his campaign rallies?

Dehumanizing immigrants
In general is Trump's M.O.
You think he will not go any lower?
Just WATCH! You'll see how low he'll go.

Even if a person doesn't
Agree with Harris one hundred percent,
How could anyone not think that
She'd be a better president?

Protecting our democracy:
That's the pivotal issue here.
Should people vote for her or him?
The answer should be very clear.

-by Bob B (10-28-24)

My memories give me a lot 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)

(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.)

Curses; devils; magic wands;
Talking donkeys; talking snakes;
References to sorcerers;
Angels helping with prison breaks;

Bizarre prophets predicting the future;
Flaming chariots in the sky;
Fratricide and patricide;
The dangers of an evil eye;

Talking bushes; teleportation;
Exorcisms; magical cures;
The sun and moon both "standing still";
Visits to heaven through visual tours;

Soothsayers; seers and wizards;
Giants causing fear on Earth;
Dead folks coming back to life;
A super-miraculous ****** birth;

The strangest beasts you've ever heard of;
Divine intervention in wars;
Curious dreams predicting the future;
A lot of talk of harlots and ******;

Food that feeds some wandering folks
And falls from the skies for forty years;
An angry god with little patience
Causing lamentation and tears;

Violence and genocide
Commanded that jealous god;
Incestuous relationships;
A man parts waters by lifting a rod;

Angels that **** and fight with humans;
Evil spirits possessing swine;
Miracle workers; deadly plagues;
Water turning into wine;

Mysterious hands that write on walls;
A star that makes a guiding trail;
A prophet who's cast from a ship and then
Allegedly spends three days in a whale;

Voices from clouds; someone who
Can walk on water and talk to devils--
A storytelling itinerant preacher
Whose lessons work on many levels.

What's all this? A horror story
Or fantasy novel fit for all ages?
A book by Stephen King? Well, no.
It ALL can be found on the Bible's pages.

-by Bob B (6-14-25)

COVID-19 continues to spread.
We know that for a fact.
And yet it took the feds such
A long time to act.

Trump's denial at first didn't
Help the matter at all.
There are obvious consequences
When nations' leaders stall.

Trump supporters on TV report,
"People die every day
In swimming pools and accidents."
Obnoxious things to say!

One thing that makes their arguments
So utterly outrageous
Is that auto accidents
And pools are NOT contagious!

To save the economy, let people die?
That is what they're implying.
Their callousness and thoughtlessness
Are truly horrifying.

Trump's approach flip-flops daily,
From what we can see.
He wants ultimate power but no
Responsibility.

When state governors implement
Guidelines on his list,
He stupidly tells fanatic fans
To publicly resist.

He tells the country's governors
It's all in their hands.
Inept and lacking empathy,
He's tired of their demands.

By making them all fend for themselves,
He can later claim
That if the situation worsens,
They'll be the ones to blame.

It's all about the election to him--
That his power survives.
He hopes that no one sees how he's playing
Politics with our lives.

We can't move forward if we do not
Implement widespread testing.
Test, isolate, treat, and trace
Are what we should be requesting.

As one governor succinctly says--
Not wanting to blunder--
That it's much better to be six feet
Apart than six feet under.

-by Bob B (4-18-20)

Elections do have consequences.
Apathy is detrimental.
Putting in office the wrong person
Is not merely coincidental.

Some people say, "No problem
If Donald Trump abuses his power.
He's giving me exactly what
I want, so why should I be sour?"

Other people--regarding their jobs--
Complacently say, "I’ve got work.
So why shouldn’t I vote for him,
Even though the man is a ****?”

Many might say, “I don’t care
How he acts or how much he lies.
MY life is going smoothly.
That's not something I'll jeopardize."

Regarding election meddling by
Foreign powers, people say,
"If it helps the president
To get elected, fire away."

"So what if White nationalists
Infect the White House," some insist.
"Don't racists and bigots and haters
Also have the right to exist?"

People say, "Trump has an ego
And acts like a child if no one feeds it.
So what if we've lost respect in the world.
To hell with respect! Bah, who needs it?"

And then there are also those who believe
Every word he utters, as though
They can't see that the more he speaks,
The more we know what he doesn't know.

Yes, elections matter a lot.
Know what's real; know what's fake.
Our future is hanging in the balance;
The soul of our nation is what's at stake.

-by Bob B (1-14-20)

IF a warning falls on deaf ears,
Does it make a sound?
If people are led astray, can they
Eventually come round?

The more Trump talks, the more we can
See a mental decline.
We can also see that he
Has truly crossed the line.

He says the country is overrun
By criminals Brown and Black.
So people of color and immigrants
Are under constant attack.

Execution or deportation
Are two parts of his plan--
And with the help of the military!
Oh, he's a dangerous man.

Never before has America
Faced such a dire threat.
And people who fear Trump's rhetoric
Have reason to be upset.

Many disenchanted people
Are looking for someone to hate.
As Trump hands them scapegoats, they're
Willing to take the bait.

"Evil" people "infect" this country.
That is what he claims.
Immigrants and Democrats
Are the ones he blames.

The race science of Naziism
Clearly comes out in his speeches.
War zones, "illegals," and migrant crime:
That is what he preaches.

Experts have warned us what a second
Term for Trump would mean:
A scary nation, the likes of which
Here we've never seen.

-by Bob B (10-14-24)

They say we must be careful
Not to spread our germs.
Here's a situation with which
We've got to come to terms.
Viruses can be deadly--
Especially one like this.
This one isn't one that we
Can easily dismiss.

Wash your hands with soap,
Cover your mouth when you sneeze,
And do not touch your face with unwashed
Hands, geez Louise!
Avoid crowded spaces
To keep the virus from spreading.
To extreme social distancing:
That's where we are heading.

If you have a symptom
That makes you nervous, you
Should first of all not panic because
It might be the flu.
Stay home and be cautious;
Be sure to isolate
Yourself from others, for COVID-19
Doesn't discriminate.

If your test results
Indicate that yes,
You have caught the virus, then
Don't run to the press.
Let your doctor know.
To do that don't think twice.
Do everything in your power to follow
The doctor's sound advice.

Let's all do our part
To get this under control
So life can go on as before.
That should be our goal.
However, if you choose
To live life recklessly,
And end up catching the virus, well,
Don't give it to me!

-by Bob B (3-18-20)

I’ve made it! Where? To poem one thousand--
"Published" for people to read online.
Every time I finish a new one,
I get a feeling that's hard to define--

Not because it's a tour de force,
A magnum opus, or masterpiece;
It's just the idea of letting thoughts flow
And then feeling a sense of release.

Call it a marriage of thoughts and expression:
That's what writing is tantamount to.
I sometimes wonder: do you find
A poem, or does a poem find you?

I still enjoy the challenge of rhyme.
Up to now that's been my choice.
After hundreds of poems, rhythm
And rhyme have helped me to find my voice.

I like to merge poems and songs,
So, often I write with a tune in my head.
Some of my critics ask me, "Aren't
Some things better left unsaid?"

Oh, no, no! I have to reply.
When life gives you a little nudge,
You let thoughts out, come what may.
But true, the reader will be the judge.

Since there's such a wealth of topics,
And time's no issue since I'm retired,
So long as my Muse inspires me,
I'll write until I am labeled "Expired."

-by Bob B (5-1-20)

So Mike Johnson° and Mitch McConnell°°
Are angry with Harris, for she
Called Donald Trump a fascist.
Oh, my goodness me!

Let's just say there COULD be a reason
Why she went out on a limb:
She was just agreeing with
People who'd worked with him.

General Kelly°°° and General Milley°°°°
Expressed a condemnation
Directed at Trump. They said he was
A dangerous threat to this nation.

Perhaps there is another reason
Why she would concur.
But first, let's look at some of the things
That Trump has said about her:

He has called her a communist,
A fascist and Marxist and still
Continues to say that she is stupid
And also mentally ill.

When Trump criticizes others--
Something he'll often do--
His words reflect aspects of
Himself. That's so true!

Frankly, after hearing and seeing
All he's said and done,
If either of the two were a fascist,
HE would be the one.

Mike Johnson and Mitch McConnell
Ought to open their eyes
To see how they hurt America
By spreading MAGA lies.

-by Bob B (10-26-24)

°Current speaker of the House
°°Senate minority leader
°°°Former White House chief of staff
°°°°Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

When a loved one dies,
Our lives take a sudden turn.
It’s something we often forget--
Something we have to relearn.

Reasons and explanations
Remain beyond our ken.
We learn our lives will never
Be the same again.

Our heart, laden with sorrow
And pushed to the point of breaking,
Becomes overwhelmed
With painful, relentless aching.

Memories might console us
And give us some relief,
But nothing can prevent
Another visit from Grief.

When he pays a visit,
He tells us he's our friend,
Although his true intentions
Are hard to comprehend.

Quietly, he approaches
And whispers in our ear,
"Know that in the future
I will always be near."

-by Bob B (2-7-20)

There's a guy who always was
The paragon of health.
His fitness was a thing he treasured
Even more than wealth.
He said that exercise and eating
Well will keep you strong.
If he got a cold it never
Lasted very long.
He took daily vitamins
And supplements galore.
His favorite place to shop in seemed
To be the health food store.
He said that he'd take drugs but only
As a last resort.
Well, now he's taking pills, but they
Are of a different sort.

He takes a pill for his thyroid and
One to help him sleep.
There's one he takes for arthritis;
That one isn't cheap.
He takes one for anxiety--
To elevate his mood.
Some he takes on an empty stomach,
And some he takes with food.
He takes a pill for cholesterol;
Another one's for his heart.
All the different shapes and colors
Help him tell them apart.
The one he takes for his prostate helps him
When he has to ***.
Now without his stash of pills
He wonders where he'd be.

So, if you're down on drugs, I think
This gentleman will contend
That certain medications help you
Avoid an early end.
The only thing, he says, is meds
Are not a problem as such,
But why the hell do some meds have to
Cost so very much?
On ONE hand we can say that drugs
Might help us to survive.
And yet because of side effects,
We're lucky to be alive.
If you think that you've been lucky,
You might have been. That's true.
But when you reach a certain age,
THIS might happen to you:

You MIGHT need a pill for your thyroid and
One to help you sleep.
You MIGHT need one for arthritis;
Some of them aren't cheap.
You MIGHT need one for anxiety--
To elevate your mood.
Be sure to read the directions because
Some you take with food.
You MIGHT need a pill for cholesterol,
Or maybe one for your heart.
All the different shapes and colors
Help you tell them apart.
Men, your prostate pill will help you
When you have to ***.
Ladies, you'll take something else;
You WON'T get off scot-free.

Yes, without our stash of pills
I wonder where we'd be.

-by Bob B (1-13-20)

In this growing autocracy
That too many people are getting behind,
Folks are getting in trouble for merely
Saying the truth and speaking their mind.

ABC journalist Terry Moran
Was fired from the network for having said
That Stephen Miller's° a "world-class hater."
He hit the nail right on the head!

That's what Stephen Miller is--
A "world-class hater" through and through.
His neo-**** rhetoric
Is really bizarre, for he is a Jew.

James Comey°° is also in trouble
For what he'd written in the sand:
86 47.
He was merely taking a stand.

Because of what Mr. Comey had written,
Trump called on the FBI
To carry out an investigation,
For Comey he'd LOVE to crucify.

86 47.
I'll say it now; I'll say it again:
86 47,
About Donald Trump, the vilest of men.

If Miller and Trump would like to keep
Attacks on them from percolating
Through news sources everywhere,
Maybe they should both stop hating.

-by Bob B (6-11-25)

°Aide to Donald Trump
°°Former FBI director

Trump just couldn't wait for the chance
To bomb Iran's nuclear sites--
Urged on by Netanyahu
And Trump's supportive troglodytes.

Diplomacy is anathema
To Bibi Netanyahu it seems.
Bomb now, talk later:
That is how he plans and schemes.

Was it only a minor setback,
Or were the bombings a major hit?
When journalists want to know the truth,
Trump gets angry and has a fit.

"Obliterated?" "Severely damaged?"
Those are questions we have to ask,
As Donald Trump loses his cool,
Taking the media to task.

In 2018 Trump stupidly
Tore up the nuclear deal that we had
With the Iranians. In his articulate
Manner he said, The deal is bad.

If he had left it intact, the bombings
Wouldn't have been necessary.
And if the sites were merely damaged,
The setbacks will only be temporary.

But he feels like a warrior now--
The guy who wily avoided the draft
By using the good ol' bone spur excuse.
The British would say: "The man is daft!"

-by Bob B (6-26-25)

Some folks are afraid to use
The f-word; I am certainly not.
If YOU are, then think about
What's happening, and give it a shot.

Assaults on democratic rule
In America we must deplore.
This has never happened here
To such an extent ever before.

The f-word here is "fascism."
Just watch as it undermines
Our rights and freedoms in frightening ways.
Be aware of the tell-tale signs:

A ruler who wants total power
All to himself and stifles dissent,
And one who expects loyalty
From ALL, or he is never content;

A ruler who constantly lies and expects
Close supporters to spread his lies;
Who acts like a powerful despot whom
Folks are afraid to criticize;

A country where many people fear
Going to work, to stores, or to school
Because the government hunts them down
In ways that are unfair and cruel;

A ruler who supports the practice
Of scapegoating and demonization,
And gives extremist groups the right
To justify discrimination;

A place where freedoms are threatened by
A far-right governing apparatus,
And where the ruler is elevated
To practically a god-like status;

A ruler who uses violence
To help him achieve political goals
And always insists he's right, though all
His arguments are full of holes;

A dictatorial ruler who wants
Total control of the higher courts
And tries to force the media
To hide the truth in news reports;

And one who pits the people against
One another and has his squads
Who carry out his reign of terror--
Many of whom are thugs or frauds.

People will always say, "No way!
Fascism couldn't happen here!"
And live their lives ignoring the signs
As rights continue to disappear.

“The hell it can’t!” is what I say.
Look at the signs; learn from the past.
The once-so vivid colors of
Democracy are fading fast.

-by Bob B (7-1-25)

From recent floods in the state of Texas,
More than 100 lives have been lost.
Natural disasters can mean
That there's a tremendous human cost.

The horror and the tragedy
Cannot be overemphasized;
Nor can the magnitude of all
The suffering be verbalized.

We should lament the loss of lives
But NOT let ourselves get carried away
By false interpretations, which
Make no sense in the world today.

Governor Abbott of Texas has said
That prayers "could have been the reason
Why water stopped rising" where the storm
Took place this deadly monsoon season.

He thanked "God almighty" for having
Blessed his state. What a shame!
God always gets the credit
But never seems to get the blame.

If God was so concerned, then why
Did he even allow the slaughter
Of innocent people who were trapped
By rising, rushing river water?

What Abbott should be focusing on
Is public safety and being prepared
For such disasters, so in the future
Many more human lives can be spared.

Without research, adequate staffing,
Climate-change mitigation,
And smart, effective alert systems,
We will see more devastation.

Making a private matter a public
Announcement is what’s at issue here.
Abbott can pray as much as he wants
If that is something that he holds dear.

He makes God sound just like Trump:
Someone who without a doubt
Loves to start a fire and then
Receive great praise for putting it out.

-by Bob B (7-9-25)

The poor, poor billionaires
Are really having it tough.
It seems as though the money grabbers
Just aren't rich enough.

They dumped a lot of money, of course,
Into Trump's campaign.
Now they're hoping that poorer people's
Loss will be their gain.

Trump and wealthy supporters, including
Folks on Capitol Hill,
Are backing what Trump stupidly calls
His big, beautiful bill.

Many people will lose health care
With cuts to the safety net.
The bill will also add trillions of dollars
To the national debt.

Billions of dollars will go to ICE
To do its dastardly deeds.
Trump wants everybody to think
It's what the country needs.

Again we see that Trump and fellow
Republicans have the itch
To push through legislation giving
Tax breaks to the rich.

-by Bob B (6-29-25)

And so last week, Republicans--
Who legislate from Capitol Hill--
Passed what was very UNPOPULAR:
Trump's big, ugly billionaire bill.
UNPOPULAR? Republicans don't seem to care.

CEDING their congressional POWER
To Donald Trump--a would-be king--
They are there to do his bidding.
The man has got them on a string.
CEDING POWER? Republicans don't seem to care.

Giving TAX BREAKS to the WEALTHY,
Republicans are truly loath
To tell the truth--that these tax breaks
Really will not spur on growth.
UNFAIR TAX BREAKS? Republicans don't seem to care.

Ask them why they are taking billions
Of dollars from health care. Here's one reply--
Which isn't very compassionate--
Someday EVERYBODY MUST DIE.
PEOPLE SUFFERING? Republicans don't seem to care.

By giving ICE unprecedented
Power, it is crystal clear
That THAT along with billions of dollars
Could help create a POLICE STATE here.
POLICE STATE? Republicans don't seem to care.

Republicans always scream about debt,
But when they have power, they're very quiet.
The NATIONAL DEBT will greatly increase.
What happened to their debt-free diet?
NATIONAL DEBT? Republicans don't seem to care.

When critics oppose the bill, Trump says
He hates the Democrats. Not smart.
He thus INCITES more VIOLENCE
And keeps on tearing the country apart.
INCITING VIOLENCE? Republicans don't seem to care.

So what will be the Republicans' fate
When people vote in FUTURE ELECTIONS?
Will they lose at the ballot box
For heartlessness and misguided affections?
FUTURE ELECTIONS? Ah, NOW they'll care.

-by Bob B (7-6-25)

(This poem could be sung to the melody of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic.")

We know that there are folks out there who say they love to teach.
Some of them should know that they should practice what they preach.
Even THOUGH the preacher Jimmy Swaggart gave a fiery speech,
Hypocrisy lives on.

CHORUS:
While they're singing hallelujah,
They can really sock it to ya.
Some of them are out to ***** ya.
Hypocrisy lives on.

You heard him speak with thunder as he stood upon the stage,
And whenever he would talk of Satan, he was filled with rage.
But the money that flowed in was more than just a living wage.
Hypocrisy lives on.

CHORUS:
While they're singing hallelujah,
They can really sock it to ya.
Some of them are out to ***** ya.
Hypocrisy lives on.

And of course he slammed Jim Bakker just before his fall from grace.
An adulterer was Bakker, Swaggart said with a straight face.
After THAT he went and found himself a ****** to embrace.
Hypocrisy lives on.

CHORUS:
While they're singing hallelujah,
They can really sock it to ya.
Some of them are out to ***** ya.
Hypocrisy lives on.

After WHAT he'd done, poor Swaggart claimed to be oh so contrite.
And even though he knew that seeing hookers wasn't right,
He found another one and she was NOT an acolyte.
Hypocrisy lives on.

CHORUS:
While they're singing hallelujah,
They can really sock it to ya.
Some of them are out to ***** ya.
Hypocrisy lives on.

He was LESS remorseful this time, and he said that what he'd done
Wasn't ANYBODY else's business. Oh, the tale he'd spun!
When a preacher misbehaves so, he cannot fool everyone.
Hypocrisy lives on.

CHORUS:
While they're singing hallelujah,
They can really sock it to ya.
Some of them are out to ***** ya.
Hypocrisy lives on.

So I wonder now if many folks out there feel much regret--
I mean THOSE who helped him fund his fancy palace and his jet.
Though he's PASSED away, there's something that we all should not forget:
Hypocrisy lives on.

CHORUS:
While they're singing hallelujah,
They can really sock it to ya.
Some of them are out to ***** ya.
Hypocrisy lives on.

-by Bob B (7-5-25)