I'm often asked what sign I am
Leading me to answer best I can
That while I know that signs exist
I try my best to cheerfully desist.

But there again if truth be told
My interest piqued this subject old,
So with new fervor I travailed
The results of which I here detailed.

My secret was I did ensnare
Those I knew well their soul to bare,
A little prying became my key
To best relate all I could feel and see.

Where to start my first big hurdle,
Poised with pen and trusted journal,
For notes aplenty had I scribbled
Amongst the coffee drops I'd dribbled.

Aries first and did they sing,
All their qualities to ring,
Strength and courage did resound
With their energetic spirit crowned.

Aquarius quite the fun,
They broke the mold for this strange one,
Smart and independent may they be
While their rebellious streak plain to see.

Cancer empathetic none too shy,
Happy to have me delve and fully pry,
Sensitive and moody all at once
That nurturing spirit their life's dance.

Capricorn - oh my word,
Quite a struggle to be heard,
Proud and private to a T
What you get you rarely see.

Gemini the twins - never know which one
You get at night or with the morning sun,
Sociable and witty most of the time,
When not by overwhelmed by life’s climb.

Leos - no two ever quite the same,
With strength and confidence impossible to tame,
Stubborn and dramatic at every twisting turn,
Their love a prize they’ll really make you earn.

Libra quite the quandary,
More complex than a jumbled laundry,
Their sociability abounds but need beware,
You never know what lies behind that charming stare.

Pisces – those kind and gentle souls
Unbounded creativity their life controls,
Idealism their Achilles heel,
And those many layers often hard to peel.

Sagittarius - run a mile
If you seek commitment and not an empty smile,
A restless independence their pervasive trait,
Close a window and they’ll find an open gate.

Scorpios - just like the name,
So many of their qualities surprisingly the same,
Driven with a singularity of mind,
Cross them and they'll sting you from behind.

Taurus - devoted and truly good of heart
Hard to rattle or an argument to start,
But when they do, they're stubborn to their core,
With you the one to end up rather sore.

Virgo craves order in everything they do,
Micro analyzing through and through,
Hardworking and reliable their middle names,
Straight to the point no time for playing games.

To my readers I so hope I don't offend,
But neither do I wish here to just pretend,
These observations are of people I well know
With traits their star sign seems to show.

So take some time and think it through,
Does someone here resemble – maybe you?
Don’t be shy - let all emotion out,
It may end in a smile or a sullen pout

Everything I've touched has turned to gold,
A feeling that never gets too worn or old,
I savor every moment, every win,
With my opponents stuck in their unsightly bin.

The more they shout and flail their arms,
The more my inner soul it calms,
Their din is music to my ears,
It gives me pep; it takes off years.

My aims are clear, my skills well-honed,
As to their mob, they seem half ******,
Supporting goals that folks don't like,
Wishing they would all just take a hike.

I've only started, the road is long
To fix our country, make it strong,
Instill a sense of pride and worth,
A gleaming beacon for this Earth.

Some complain I act the King,
With subjects kissing my eternal ring.
Do I care, not in a word,
But I do find the concept touchingly absurd.

Kings don't have the power I do,
Most don't even have the slightest thought or clue,
I instead can say and act,
Forgoing any nod to grace and tact.

I get things done, stir up the ***,
Turn detractors’ faces crimson hot,
Hire my friends, cull the wokes,
With a flourish of the pen and practiced strokes.

Next to Putin, now that's a blast
To try and make a peace that lasts.
Get it done with strength and charm,
End this war, curtail the harm.

Then who knows - that Gaza thing,
What a headache with a sting.
Two thousand years of pain and strife,
Where constant bickering is rife.

But if a deal is to be done
I'm the go to, I’m the man.
The Nobel thing will be my prize
This will cut Obama down to size.

And after that may you well ask,
What shall be my next enticing task?
Greenland’s there, Panama for sure,
Forget the catch, it’s the chase that’s the allure.

At first light trudging through the Arctic Snow,
Is it for thrill or just a Facebook photo show?
As the Arctic wind buffets our flushed face,
The long-awaited walk soon becomes a shambles of a race.
Hands morph to splintered wood, eyebrows deftly freeze,
And yet the brochure promised we’d do this trek with ease.
Soldier on, embrace the frigid grind,
Pray aloud that inner fortitude to find,
Not a sound outside our laden breath,
Every move made with fractured hapless stealth.
But coupled to the cold a streaming sweat,
A larger wager would I not have surely bet,
That a saunter on the glistening Arctic Tundra
Would at most develop the art of soothing Mantra.

Then a booming voice disturbs this quiet introspection,
As the guide engages in frantic group inspection,
His walkie talkie comes suddenly to life,
Stern commands soon wailing shrill with strife.
Bears ahead with teenage cubs in tow,
Keep down, stay low,
Curb the chatter, pretend you’re but a stone,
Form a line, don’t venture out alone;
Rifle’s cocked, don't turn around,
Polar bears don't run - they bound.
Now move backwards, avoid their steely gaze,
Take full advantage of this soaring Polar haze.

Maybe minutes, but seemingly an age,
As we shuffle blindly stage by stumbling stage;
Our Dunkirk - the waiting rubber boats,
Ecstatic for anything that somehow runs and floats.
Back to the ship, sodden and quite sore,
Not to mention frozen to the epicenter of our core,
We huddle around cups of steaming tea,
Sharing stories of all we had to fear and see.
You may well ask, was this the fateful end,
Did we to natures will forlornly yield and bend?

It's true the thought did rather cross our minds,
Fearful of more unscripted scrapes and woeful binds,
However, a good sleep and liquid strength galore,
Did somewhat mollify that sorry shameful score.
For as dawn broke early the next day,
To a person did we in seeming chorus say:
Off we trudge as more adventure waits,
To experience all that Nature's majesty creates,
Our only thought one of craving more,
And so we went, still frozen to our core.

When missiles fly
The Mullahs lie
They bide their time
To turn the tide

Their constant bluster
Now short of luster
For why we ask
No God sent task

To build a bomb
With feigned aplomb
Their word to spread
Among the dead

They have their place
To find God's grace
Not trample lives
Like stinging hives

Fear and temerity
No road to prosperity
But that's what they seek
Control of the meek

A proud nation with tales of old
A proud people who once were bold
A history where feats abound
A long lost empire to astound

Time for Iranians to now earn
That for which they clearly yearn
Freedoms tenuous flickering light
Now in their grasp in line of sight

One step back, two steps forward,
Swing around and do the dance,
Keep it fast, a little awkward
A whole world audience to entrance.

Now you've got them captivated
Up the tempo, raise the heat,
Some may need to be sedated
As they wither from your beat.

Hearts loud-pounding, foreheads thumping,
Gasping air among the shouts,
Doomsayers bleating, markets jumping,
Second guessing, full of doubts.

Quite the showman, what a show,
Media breathless wanting more,
Fans elated, bask in tow,
Others crowing, keeping score.

Just the start, watch him work,
Revelations by the day,
Not all true, surprises lurk,
Act with haste, keep foes at bay.

As for us enthralled spectators
Barely able to keep track,
Cajoled and pressed by paid narrators,
Every week a heart attack.

If we can but drown the chatter,
Keep a cool head, crack a smile,
Train our thoughts to things that matter,
Take the long view, wait a while.

Let the music work its magic,
His gyrations entertain,
Learn that life need not be tragic,
See the sunshine through the rain.

RAI 5/25

When is enough enough,
When is the going just too tough.
Why do people have to die
Forever in the ground to lie.

Are the spoils worth all the pain
When the path is **** and maim.
Is barren land worth just so much
Now deprived of human touch.

Do fatherless children justify the cost
Memories of a generation lost.
Weeping mothers by the score
Adding every day far more.

Politicians acting blind
To the misery resigned,
Just numbers on a sheet
Conscious only of defeat.

Pride and hubris win the day
Reason not allowed to sway.
Yet solutions need be found
Striving to be clear and sound.

Calmer voices must assist
For further slaughter to desist.
The way forward won't be fast
Searching for a peace to last.

Neither side will win outright
Time for discourse not brute might.
Russia needs restore prosperity
Ukrainians live without temerity.

Folks ask why
I chose Elon as my guy,
Smart and tough
Knows how to fight even when rough,
Let him loose
To put woke projects in the noose,
Cause a stir
For progressives to deter,
Stop the rot
That placed us all in this garotte.
Act with haste
Take a sledgehammer to the waste,
Clean up house
Never mind who first we douse,
Set the scene
For what will come not what has been,
Make us great
Stem the voices that insidiously berate,
Make us strong
Choose what's right and not what's clearly wrong,
Pull as one
Don't cheat and steal then simply run,
Trust in him
For the fate of all excesses will be grim,
Trust in me
See how great united we can be.