It's such a disruption to my peace of mind
To witness the plunge of our great humankind.
Amazing potential is what we possess,
But **** it if we are not making a mess!

The human attention span's clearly decreasing,
And humankind's selfish demands are unceasing.
Conspiracy theories are way out of whack,
And good education is under attack.

Our probing, inquiring, sharp journalism
Is no longer trusted and faces a schism.
Reason is too often stopped in its tracks,
For too many people are falling for quacks.

And what about people who don't have a clue
Of being accountable for what they do?
They WILL not admit that they're wrong, and they claim
That other folks ought to be taking the blame.

So many people don't listen to reason--
That their form of patriotism is treason,
That storming the Capitol is a real crime
And that those who do it might have to serve time.

It also amazes me how an adult
Can fall for a weird personality cult.
Are people so desperate that they'll believe
The lies that their precious cult leader will weave?

A lot of folks don't trust the experts who say,
"Tomorrow depends on our actions today."
Such folks don't mind if we keep burning coal;
Renewable energy isn't their goal.

And then there are those who will NOT bid good-bye
To Trump's undeniably wacky Big Lie.
It really astounds me how some folks can't see
How dangerous their careless actions can be.

They'll trust information that's propagandistic,
And many of them have become nativistic.
Critical thinking has gone down the drain.
Is half of the country now going insane?

What--I'll keep asking--will be the solution
For stopping what seems like reverse evolution?
The thought has me feeling a bit ill at ease
That once again we might be swinging from trees.

-by Bob B (4-12-24)