Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                                            ­    Our Dear Leader

Democracy is dead, a memory, a husk
Selected, not elected: President Musk

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

          By Reading This Content You Agree to Our Privacy Policy


             It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander
             when you were…within range of a telescreen.

                                                 -Orwell, 1984


But your privacy? Nah; deal with it, you see
Baked beans, magazines and mountain scenes
Vacation trips and handy houseware tips -
They see you, they know you, they hunt you

Podcasts, partisan views, gossipy news
Engine parts, how-to vids, and funny kids
Treating head lice, tax advice, dancing mice
They see you, they know you, they hunt you

Through your made-in-Shanghai Palantir
Adverts will forever make you fear,
                                                           ­         My Precious

(“Palantir” is here an allusion to Tolkien’s genius, not to the software people.)

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                         The President Gets Tough on Firearms


       “I announced dozens of executive actions to keep guns out of
         dangerous hands…”

          Statement from President Joe Biden Marking Twelve Years
          Since the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting | The
          White House


The President wants to expand and widen
Gun laws for all that will be applied in
Each state in this nation that we abide in
No exceptions at all; every citizen's tied in

(Except, of course, for Hunter Biden)

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                        The O Antiphons, the Star, and Us

Solstice is not a time when the sun stands still
But rather a season when the sun stands aside
That we may better know the mysteries of deep night
In darkness just before deep Light returns

Out in the cold, and warmly wrapped in hope
We pray the O antiphons as we scan the sky
For the prophetic Star we long to see
The Star that guides us in our wanderings

Solstice is that season when the sun stands aside
So that eternal Dawn may then abide

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                              X, Formerly Known as Twitter

X, formerly known as Twitter
And there is you
Formerly known as you

Go read a book
Go get a job
Go get a life
Go get a clue
Work in the yard
Volunteer at the school
Wash the dishes
Clean up the house
Raise your children
Be positive
Be a role model
Be a real mensch
Be a real friend
Be a neighbor
By the Grace of God
Be truly you

You are no one’s glazed-eye parasite -
Go into the world and do yourself proud

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com


                              Camp Pendleton in Springtime

                            Field Medical Service School, 1968


There was no warmth in our sleeping bags
Spring rain sluiced down the dark and through our tents
Decaying tents from the Second World War
The Corps would spend no money on tents or us

But we were young, and playing at war was fun
We kept our rifles dry but nothing else
And yarned throughout the cold and soggy nights
Long days and nights mud-fighting the VC

Sometimes an hour or two of soggy sleep
But in my pocket, warm words from my favorite poet

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

              About That Beautiful Lady Sipping a Cup of Earl Grey

You’ve noticed her, I see – just a word of advice:
I was chatting with her over cups of tea
I mentioned that Earl Grey also tasted nice over ice -
There was ice indeed as she turned away from me