How we ever ended up
In Wonderland is anyone's guess.
A white rabbit led us down
A hole without an easy egress.

Not enough people wondered
Why the rabbit seemed so strange--
How such a peculiar figure
Could bring about positive change.

Opened doors are way too small;
Closed doors are securely locked.
Either the key is out of reach
Or the path to find it is blocked.

Desperately, we seek an escape.
Once a singular exit appears,
We can swim out with the rat
Or stay and drown in a flood of tears.

We find ourselves in a caucus-race,
Going nowhere. No one's winning.
Floundering about we wonder
Why the Cheshire Cat is grinning.

The caterpillar dreamily tells us,
"Eat of the mushroom--from either side.
One makes you smarter; one makes you dumber.
Use your conscience as your guide."

It's hard to keep our stories straight,
For we hardly know who we are.
We aren't what we were yesterday,
And yet we are, which seems bizarre.

Identities become confused
When everyone speaks in nonsense rhymes.
The bundle that we hold in our arms
Becomes too much to handle at times.

The March Hare, Dormouse, and Hatter,
Sitting together and drinking their tea,
Have a circuitous conversation--
An alternate reality.

Dare we play with the King and Queen,
Who, by the way, think we're fools?
We have all the accoutrements,
But they keep changing all the rules.

The Queen shouts, "Off with their heads!"
Without a bit of remorse or repentance.
Her philosophy is, of course,
The verdict should follow the sentence.

All the chaos in Wonderland
Has baffled us and also incensed us.
How do we manage in such a place
When the cards are stacked against us?

Find Alice. Where is Alice?
She might help us find the solution.
If she saw through the Cheshire Cat's smile
And if she has a strong constitution.

- by Bob B (3-6-17)