A short and an earlier popular poem of mine. Hope you like it! Thanks, - Raj, New Delhi.

       THE SURF-RIDER !
See him riding gallantly the crest of
waves,
With dexterity and poise and flowing
grace!
He rises to descend, to rise once more,
As the waves keep rolling towards the
shore!
Like those surfs the Rider continues his
mellifluous dance ,
Be it in England, in Spain or in France;
Riding high on waves as if in a trance!
The wind churns up the waves as it rises
and swells,
As the Rider manoeuvers his wake-board
riding those crests before it breaks !
Like a gymnast he executes strong cutbacks
- to reverse his turn,
His spirit dominate as the waves rise and
churn!
He did take his time to perfect his art ,
Having loved the sea  and the surf from the
very start!
He learnt to live in moments just like those
dancing waves,
Floating on their crests as his blood within
raves!
Those surfs like musical notes rise up and
fall,
Where some surfs are short and others tall !
Like a philharmonic conductor par-excellence,
He commands those waves with his skilful
presence!
Friends, riding on Time’s moments is no mean
art,
But like the Surf-rider one must make a gallant
start !
                                          -Raj Nandy, New Delhi

I worked at the hospital but they laid us all off

Cut backs in health care it was just too much

We sat with the elderly to help keep them safe

Their confusion tends to make them unsafe

I've gone to college and learned a new trade

With my CNA training I can get back to aid

To work once again with the elderly and confused

I can still be around and keep them amused

The grass is always green on the other side of life
inhabitants free from trouble and strife
money is flowing, happiness is rife

They never have to learn by their mistakes
no floods, no cutbacks, no heartaches
every day full of lucky breaks

What do they reach for?
what’s eating away at their core?
Do they remember a time before?

I’ll stay on this side
success a source of pride
skills have to be employed

How can we get up if we never fall?
We can’t answer if no-one calls
you have to fail to grow *****

So today I’m going to be the best me
swimming in a sea of uncertainty
experiencing everything is healthy

Everyday we strive
hope makes us thrive
life’s short, no-one survives

Used to be
Simply
Reading 'riting 'rithmetic
Little kids sat and dreamt
But seems now
Since Columbine
Those letters stand
For running 'rithing react
Quickly to loud bangs
Lock the doors
Hide under desks
Wait for swat
Pray you make it.
Let's thank all the drugs
Given to kids
Since birth when they
Cry too much
Or throw a fit
Thank the NRA
And your on the dole
Senators and representatives.
Thank the mental health cutbacks
In the budget
Thanks deadbeat parents.
Thanks to society for
Making life the things we
Value least.
But hero's and martyrs
Have been made too,
Along with all the dollars
For reelection campaigns.
So, next time your child heads off
For school
Hug the ******* hell
Out of them.
It just may be
The last chance
You ever get
To tell them
That you love them.

Man 'flu
man blue
who knew
that?

back at the flat
flat on my back
sneezing and wheezing
and Captain Morgan is
teasing me,
yo ** **.

I want a refund

this one day malady
is leaving me
and it's only been sixteen hours

cutbacks I suppose
even the runny nose
walks.

The cut back is a frontal attack on our standard of living, it
sounds like the time and motion men have taken up residence.

Do not be fooled into setting a precedent by giving more than your
daily allowance.

We reap no rewards as they swell the ranks of the unemployed and why should we?
it is they who repay us with minimum wages, and they are shamed into doing so by a government that shames us all.

They'll always want more until you're carried out the door feet first,
then they'll dock a day's pay for dying on the job.

Respect
is a two way street and not a cul de sac that they lead you down to cheat you, to beat you down

Cutbacks? you can keep them and
shove 'em where the sun don't shine.

With Trump back in the White House, life
Gets more dangerous every day.
The safeguards that had been in place
Now are quickly slipping away.

Without U.S.A.I.D.,
Diseases in other countries will spread.
While Trump hits his golf ***** around,
We will all be counting the dead.

Viruses that were under control--
Such as measles--will be on the rise
As Trump's dubious medical "experts"
Stifle the truth and spread their lies.

The firing of CIA employees
And FBI employees as well
Endangers us as the agencies try
To function with limited personnel.

In the past, a security clearance
Involved a background check. No longer.
They're passed out as though they're candy.
Compliments of the powermonger.

Giving in to adversaries:
Another unprecedented matter.
Trump is handing over to Putin
Ukraine's head on a silver platter.

By weakening NATO, Trump is giving
Putin the chance to expand his "realm."
How can world peace survive
With such egomaniacs at the helm?

As the Republicans make cuts
To Medicaid, people will suffer.
If anyone is struggling now,
Just wait: things will get much tougher.

Cutbacks in programs for veterans
Endanger the lives of more of our vets.
But Trump and Musk don't give a ****.
They act without thinking and have no regrets.

As regulatory agencies
And authorities are no more,
Trump and his team of cut-throats are putting
More lives at risk than ever before!

Trump and attack dog Vance both show
The world how they are immature.
They think they're tough, but they are really
Cowardly, weak, and insecure.

How sad to have a president
Who is so willing to sell us out!
Is he going to destroy this country?
I have not a shred of doubt.

-by Bob B (3-1-25)

I see all the sheep
getting in line to be sheared
by all the cutbacks

                    Kelly McManus

Strange times indeed
when time itself has
adopted corporate technique
and seeks efficiencies

cutbacks in shaded
public daydreams
and an addendum added
so on the clock is replaced
by elongated shifts
in fluorescent lighted kitchens
or fuggy bedrooms

and yes, we will accept
the company line
it’s for the greater good

but your worst innovation
is to bring forward collection
of our family and friends’
souls and smiles
like you can shave some time
to make a smoother run
down the line

these things aren’t yours to take yet

A young man worked for a major corporation for 12 years, but got laid off
He was a Systems Programmer
The Supervisor told the young man of cutbacks being laid offs, and that his position was eliminated
The last hired the first fired
That wasn’t comforting news for the young man
How will his bills be paid, and where will he live without an apartment?
All that was going through the young man’s mind
He felt in adequate and a failure
He cried in desperation alone
He saw himself as a down cast
But what the young man didn’t realize, he achieved value
There were goals in craftsmanship of talent with the skills embraced
The young man had skills in Technology
That’s a high mark and not a low mark
He needs to believe in himself, and don’t let anyone to discourage him
At some point, many will experience the hammer of unemployment
The young man decided to keep his skills fine toned in being prepared for another job opportunity
He was young and not ready for retirement
Believing and praying the young man did
Opportunity knocked and he was prepared
The young man called got called for an interview for another Programming position in a big corporation
He went to the interview, filled out the application and waited for the interviewer to come out
The young man sat down and answered the questions the HR person asked
He was later told, he got the job
Value at its best
Just believe and victory will tell its own story
The young man did and you can too
Remember, value is a commodity that no one can take away.

Punching the wrong buttons
at much error of time self manage
work the kiosk myself mistake
Just to try face to face
Job Interview for the county downtown

      when getting In Or Out
for the Lots of THEM
Is to pay 38$:dollars... for a gadgetry
Of beuravracy doohickeygolden arm


later...
Exit Attendants have been replaced by this kiosk

NO attendant no fuss
to raise a gate lever

No  little man in the cage
because of cutbacks

To get my car out of the public lot for parking  

      There is a lesson somewhere
as I thought about it ****  **** !
swiped my card.

trying to parking your *** and work
for the government is ******* expensive