Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                                The Cold Kept Me in Today

The cold kept me in today
With a book, my dog, and the fire
The slanting sun, each mote-dusted ray –
It was all very like dear Tolkien’s Shire

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

           I Met a Man in Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital Parking Lot

He looked at my brand-new knock-off boonie hat
Pointed to himself, and said “1970”
He rattled on about “Come and Take It” flags
And the “stupid mother*s” who fly them

“The mothering VC wanted to do that
And so I shot them dn’ mother*s”
His wife was waiting for him, impatiently
Sadly, sadly, heard-it-all-before-ly

For he had been no closer to Viet-Nam
Than some John Wayne movie

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                             The Bond Girls are Grannies Now

James Bond’s girlfriends are mostly grannies now
Sweatpants and sneaks instead of bikinis
The school run with the grandchildren, the grocery store
Volunteering at the public library

If one of them mentions that she once kissed Roger Moore
No one knows who he was – the Lone Ranger, maybe?
Adolescent hippie-color fantasies
Budgeting for the little kids’ new shoes

Didn’t you used to be somebody?
Well, yes - and you?

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

      Bombshell: The U. K. Daily Mail is Saying the Same Thing

Everyone is saying the same thing jaw-dropping everyone is saying the same thing iconic everyone is saying the same thing breaking cover everyone is saying the same thing bombshell everyone is saying the same thing haunting everyone is saying the same thing mysterious everyone is saying the same thing eye-watering everyone is saying the same thing ******* clad everyone is saying the same thing toned abs everyone is saying the same thing backlash everyone is saying the same thing jaw-dropping everyone is saying the same thing cleavage everyone is saying the same thing bombshell bombshell bombshell

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                      The Holy Eucharist and Then Apple Butter

Church is where someone you don’t even know
Gives you a jar of homemade apple butter
And wishes you a happy Christmas

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                            Somewhere in Syria There is a You

Somewhere in Syria there is a you
Pondering all the existential questions:
What is the meaning of life? Is God real?
Can you get to your job without getting shot?

Your notebooks were hidden from the old regime
Your notebooks are now hidden from the new
Is there enough food for today, for tomorrow -
Rough men with guns are beating on your door

Somewhere in Syria there is a you
In the next few seconds – what will you do?

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

      The United States Postal Service is Holding my Mail Hostage
                       in Exchange for my Credit Card Number

The Postal Service claims that my zip code is not my zip code
They want confirmation and three cents to redeliver
They want my credit card number for those three cents
As if anyone can trust the USPS

They can’t even get mail delivery right:
They place other people’s letters in my mailbox
And the packages I receive have often been penetrated
By busy little postal workers’ hands

And for this they want my credit card
As the old cliché says, what could possibly go wrong?