In the News - 7-31-14: Total Craziness!

Tell me: Are you sitting down?

If not, you’d better do it now.

Every day we hear crazy stories,

But this one is a real WOW!

Michele Bachmann, the Queen of Insanity,

Went to Texas to investigate

The influx of Central American kids

Trying to cross our border of late.

Regarding the humanitarian crisis,

Bachmann has come to a bizarre conclusion

As to why so many kids have come here—

The reason for this massive intrusion.

The kids are here—Bachmann explains—

At President Obama’s urgent request

In order to become MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS!

Is she CRAZY, or is she possessed?

Remember that just a few years ago

Bachmann had fanned the irrational fears

Of the connection between vaccinations

And autism. Now it really appears

That she has lost it. Her paranoia

Has driven her quite mad—if you please.

To her, these “addicts” bring to our country

A ghastly “pandemic of disease.”

Does Bachmann think we were born yesterday?

Surely she must, for she’s got some gall.

Instead of making such asinine statements,

It’s best that she say nothing at all!

***

Certainly you’ve heard of Lois Lerner—

The woman who worked for the IRS

And headed the division of tax-exempt groups

And became involved in a “scandal,” or mess.

Her referring to some right-wing groups as “crazies”

Made people think she was out of control.

She also referred to certain individuals

By using a word that ends with “hole.”

To tell the truth, some of those groups

Deserve to be scrutinized if there is doubt

As to their valid tax-exempt status

And what their mission is all about.

Regarding her use of the word “crazy,”

That was really not going too far.

To a certain extent, she wasn’t wrong:

Some of those right-wing groups truly are.

By Bob B (7-31-14)

I Know: Let's Blame the President!

There’s turmoil in Africa—all across the continent.

In Libya, Nigeria, and the Sahel

Terrorist groups are stirring up trouble;

Violence is brewing in Somalia, as well.

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

Though Bush got the U.S. involved in Iraq

And signed an agreement to remove the troops,

Everything’s falling apart in the area;

There’s chaos involving terrorist groups.

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

Hamas and Israel are at it again,

Both refusing to make lasting peace;

The struggle has been going on for years,

With death and destruction on the increase.

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

Many kids from Central America

Have fled from their homes for the U.S.

They’re trying to escape both poverty and violence

That leave their countries in a dangerous mess.

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

The American economy was in shambles

When Bush left office in twenty-oh-nine.

It’s going to take years to rebound

After experiencing such a decline.

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

The constant attempts by members of Congress

To fight the President day after day

Are wearing down the American people;

What an embarrassing display!

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

When our leaders say they have good intentions,

We hope their concern is not a charade.

But when Congress becomes dysfunctional,

Certain decisions have to be made.

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

Sadly, shootings at schools and stores

And theaters are definitely on the rise.

Each effort that’s made to stem the flow

Of the horrible violence quickly dies.

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

The termite infestation of your house,

The drought we had in our rainy season,

And even that outbreak of flu last year

Have all happened for a specific reason.

---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

For every world problem that exists,

There is an explanation and cause.

And naturally, everything points to one person

Who must be responsible for ALL the world’s flaws.
---I know: Let’s blame President Obama!

By Bob B (7-30-14)

On the Threshold of Frustration: A True Story Told in Verse

Eight at night and the doorbell rang,

And THERE right before my face

Was a newspaper—almost touching my nose

And barely giving me breathing space.

“Here’s your free paper,” I heard a voice say.

I stepped back to read the name of the rag.

At once in my mind I realized that

The name of the paper had raised a red flag.

“Sorry, but I don’t read that one.

Anyway, thank you for your time,”

I said to the kid as I started to close

The door, but the kid blurted out, “I’m

Hoping that you’ll subscribe to my paper.

Sign up right here; you won’t regret it.”

I shook my head in amazement and said,

“Do you know what? I don’t get it:

“I just told you that I don’t read it,

So why would I want to buy a subscription?”

The frustrated kid refused to take NO

For an answer and started to have a conniption.

“BUT...just do it for me!” he cried.

“The more I sell, the better my luck

In winning a trip to Hawaii; what’s more,

I’m also trying to earn a buck.”

At THIS point I was the frustrated one.

I thought to myself, This guy’s too much!

He’s completely clueless; moreover, he’s acting

Like a son of a such and such!

“Good luck with your sales,” I politely said.

“But wait, I’ll wash your car!” he cried.

“I’ll mow your grass; I’ll trim your trees.”

“NO thanks, AND good-by,” I replied.

Exasperated he bellowed out,

“I need this sale to up my score!”

I calmly said, “This conversation

Is over,” as I closed the door.

I didn’t hear him walk away;

For all I know he could be there still

Pushing his paper, trying to earn

More points but actually scoring nil.

While the kid lacked tact and subtlety,

I doubt he’d ever take my advice.

A bit more sense would serve him well,

And a little less pushiness would suffice.

A future politician? I wondered.

Or maybe a future billionaire?

Whatever the case, he's got chutzpah,

I thought as I returned to my chair.

(7-29-14) By Bob B

The Invisible Ones

The invisible ones are out there;

However, we seldom see them.

If circumstances were different,

We could always be them.

Sometimes on the sidewalk

They might amble by,

Asking for spare change.

Do we even reply?

Many are a statistic

That we hear on the news—

Facing a situation

That none of us would choose.

Under- or unemployed,

They’re often homeless, as well.

Sometimes complete families

Are living a daily hell.

How many children are hungry?

Would we rather not know?

How many people’s lives

Are a REAL Survivor show?

How many children lack health care

Or are abused and mistreated?

How many children’s hopes

Are miserably defeated?

“They are just being lazy,”

Say many critics with ardor,

Not recognizing

Situations that couldn’t be harder.

“If I can do it, they can!”

Say people with cold disdain

And a callous lack of compassion

For those living in pain—

Who forget that we don’t all live

In a land of milk and honey.

(Their biggest problem

Is where to invest their money.)

Policies make a difference.

Some laws—granted—are flawed;

But there are many needy

And they don’t all commit fraud.

The invisible ones are out there.

Let us not be blind.

They might be out of sight,

But don't let them be out of MIND.

(7-29-14) By Bob B

Let Go!

Is your life is full of stress,

And are you being tossed to and fro?

Two little words might help you;

Those two words are LET GO.

If the world is going crazy,

And wherever you look there is woe,

And you’d like to fix the world’s problems,

At some point you have to LET GO.

Sometimes daily pressures

Can make you a mean so-and-so.

Release the steam from your cooker

With a good attempt to LET GO.

If you’re a micromanager

And control is your M.O.,

You might increase your longevity

If you can learn to LET GO.

If words come back to bite you

And you end up eating crow,

Well, worse things could happen;

Just say to yourself, “LET GO!”

By always approaching life

With expectations in tow,

You’re bound to be disappointed;

Try to stay calm and LET GO.

If you are in high gear

And haven’t learned to go slow,

Stop wear and tear on your engine;

To do so you’ve got to LET GO.

If you’re still having some trouble

Getting your ducks in a row,

Delayed gratification

Will happen if you can LET GO.

You wake up and go to the kitchen,

And what? There’s no morning joe!

Stay calm and take a few breaths;

You’ll manage if you can LET GO.

Though easier said than done—

Ask sages, for they ought to know—

Your life changes forever

Once you learn how to LET GO.

If you’re up the creek with no paddle

And you have to go with the flow,

Relax and enjoy the adventure,

Repeating the mantra: LET GO!

By Bob B (7-27-14)

How Sad for the Palestinian/Israeli People!

How sad for the poor PALESTINIAN people—

Victims of Israeli rocket attacks

Aimed at alleged Hamas targets

And pounding Gaza to the max.

How sad for the poor ISRAELI people

Who are trying to live their lives day by day—

Who are targets of Palestinian rockets—

A constant barrage being sent their way.

How sad for the poor PALESTINIAN mother

Who lost her daughter when the hospital was hit

By Israeli rockets, scattering shrapnel;

She wonders what makes such killing legit.

How sad for the poor ISRAELI mother

Whose son was killed by Palestinian thugs.

She will NEVER see her son grow older

And will miss his laughter, his love, his hugs.

The PALESTINIAN mother shouts out,

“I hate them. I hate them. May they all die!”

“They do NOT deserve to live!”

The ISRAELI mom cries with her fist to the sky.

How sad for ALL PEOPLE caught in between

The violent struggles of extremist groups

And aggressive, intransigent ruling powers

With powerful weapons and well-trained troops.

How sad for ALL who lose lives or loved ones

Or who must watch with a broken heart

While everything starts to crumble around them

As their helpless worlds fall apart.

Bullets and bombs are not diplomacy;

Violence and killing are for heartless fools.

Innocent people should not be targets,

Nor their places of worship or schools.

What about diplomatic solutions—

Of working things out so that people can thrive?

What is accomplished by being a martyr?

We can do more good by staying alive.

Each death means that anger and hatred

Will fester and grow and surely extend

The never-ceasing violence and destruction.

When will these hateful blood feuds end?


By Bob B (7-26-14)

The Nocturnal Visitor (Homage to Dickens and Poe)

Floorboards creak; ceiling beams snap;

Walls crackle and pop.

Cold drafts chill me to the bone;

The shivers never stop.

I awaken at night to the sounds of moaning

That fill the house with grief.

An icy breath of anguish blows over me,

Allowing for little relief.

Lying awake, I wonder about

The cause of each eerie sound.

I’ll never know the answer unless

I take a look around.

Expansion, contraction, heat, cold:

A probable explanation;

But what explains the mournful moaning

That causes such consternation?

Feeling my way down the creaky stairs,

I shudder with coldness and fear—

Wanting to know but at the same time

Afraid of what might appear.

Silently standing at the base of the stairs,

I stare into the dark.

If asked how I felt, horror and dread

Would certainly hit the mark.

Groping the furniture, I sit on the sofa

And listen to the dead of the night;

I start to nod, then jump with a start,

Filled with panic and fright.

An amorphous figure appears before me—

Vague, undefined, obscure.

My fear turns into inexpressible sadness,

Which is difficult to endure.

“Are you a spirit?” I whisper, and wait.

At first I have little success.

Finally, I hear a soft, sobbing sound—

A plaintive, fragile “Yes.”

Yeah, right, I think, a spirit that haunts

My house. Isn’t that cool?
Is this a joke—somebody’s trick?

Do they take me for a fool?

“What draws you here to my house,” I ask.

“What is this perverse

Penchant you have for creaking and moaning?”

The spirit replies, “It’s a curse.

Years ago I lived in this home.

My life was happy and free.

Everything was going my way.

Now look what’s happened to me.

“The world was in my hands, it was;

I had everything under control.

Nothing could get the best of me

Till death bells started to knoll.

No! I refused to succumb or give in;

Too hot were the fires

Of greed and longing and wanting and having—

Too powerful were my desires.

“Too late I realized my mistakes;

Too late, too late, too late.

I’m stuck here to play out all of my longings.

This is my cruel fate.”

It occurs to me to ask of its gender;

I am curious to hear it.

“Are you a man or woman,” I ask.

It laughs and says, “Just a spirit.”

“I’m sorry for your pain,” I say,

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No,” it answers, “it’s up to me;

I must see this through.”

“Obviously, you’re not,” I continue,

“As quiet as a mouse.

But could you be so kind as to haunt

Someone else’s house?”

“Aha! So you think that THIS humorous!”

Cries the spirit with a roaring.

“I was here long before you arrived;

And YOU disturb ME with your snoring!”

“I’m sorry,” I say, and ponder what

Could be a possible solution.

One thing I know: these night-time visits

Are not good for my constitution.

“How about this? Let’s make a deal,”

I suggest. “You’re free to roam

As much as you want and can make a loud racket

Whenever I’m not at home.

When I am here—asleep or awake—

So I can have peace of mind,

You be quiet and work on your karma,

If to do so you’re so inclined.”

“Deal! You’ve got my UNDYING promise,”

It responds with a voice full and sunny.

I think to myself: Now the spirit’s the one

Who’s trying to be funny.

I yawn and say I’m going back to bed,

And I give the spirit my best

And hope that soon—VERY soon—

It finds eternal rest.

I often think of the gloomy spirit

And wonder if it’s working its way

Through its torment and suffering, which I hope

Are finally fading away.

If I hear a creak or pop in the night,

Now peace and calm prevail;

I hope I’ve learned a lesson from my

Nocturnal visitor’s tale.


By Bob B (7-25-14)

Noah's Dilemma

Noah was righteous (though maybe

A bit of a stick in the mud),

So God decided to save him

And his family from the great flood.

Again going over lists

After building his ark,

He had a couple of questions

Before they could embark.

“It says here that I need two

Of every living thing.

But I have some misgivings:

That’s going to be hard to swing.

“What’s this about a pl...platypus,

And penguin and k...kangaroo?

And I need to find two skunks.

What am I going to do?

“If I don’t find these animals,

They’ll think my work is a sham.

Ah, I know what I’ll do:

I’ll delegate this job to Ham.

“But first, another question

Is going to be hard to solve,

And that is the problem of food

And what it is going to involve.

“‘All food eaten on Earth’

Has to be on our boat.

With all that food and the animals,

How will we stay afloat?

“There’s another problem:

My lions aren’t nice and sweet,

And they have a strong preference

For gazelle and antelope meat.

“Cramped in so tight a space,

I hope we all don’t smother.

How will I keep the animals

From eating one another?”

He gave his list to Ham

And said, “I’ve found you some work.

I’ve got too much on my mind,

And it’s driving me berserk.”

Then Ham elicited help

From brothers Japheth and Shem.

No one else was available

To help him aside from them.

There were millions of species

Of animals that they had to find!

They’d be in a lot of trouble

If they left any behind.

Noah’s curse on Ham

Didn’t come till much later.

Meanwhile, Ham had a few

Questions for his pater.

“Now, about all this water:

I'm not disrespecting your wishes,

But will it be salty or fresh?

It makes a difference to fishes.

“For forty days and nights

We’ll be floating around;

When the waters recede,

Won’t all the plants have drowned?

"While all the animals come

From different climate zones,

The ark's not climate-controlled.

What about all these unknowns?"

Noah said, “Don’t even go there!

There’s no time to stall.

Let’s get a move on before

Raindrops start to fall.”

By Bob B (7-24-14)

Politics

Politics, O politics!

In life there is no simple fix.

In everything we do or say

Politics has a role to play.

When early man hung out in caves

And used crude tools and dug crude graves,

Someone had to take command

And maintain the upper hand.

Even the Neanderthals

Had cool paintings on their walls.

Who appointed the artiste?

Someone with some clout, at least.

Early humans had to spin

Their politics to get buy-in.

Organization was a necessity

When wild boar was their recipe.

Imagine cave meetings, if you can—

How they communicated man to man.

They’d just grunt and fart and such;

I guess men haven’t changed that much.

Under kings’ and emperors’ rule

You had to play politics, or you were a fool.

If you weren’t careful to watch what you said,

You could easily lose your head.

Men making rules had little regard

For the status of women, so it’s been hard

For women to earn their equal rights,

Which means lots of political fights.

That's politics at work; we know it!

If we're not vigilant, we can blow it.

In sports there’s a definite political tune,

And the church—especially—is not immune.

In every relationship, in each interaction,

In every connection, in each attraction,

Like it or not, politics will emerge;

If ideas don’t CON-, then they DIVERGE.

  

Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether

TWO or a MILLION people are together;

There’s no avoiding a political scene.

Human nature has a political mien.

We can talk local, county, state,

National or global politics. But wait!

What about the nature of politics in space?

It’s something to consider, just in case.

Some people have to play second fiddle.

If they're NOT at the top, they're bottom or middle.

Whether in the center, to the right, or to the left,

Hopefully, you don’t feel bereft.

If one side's right and the other side's wrong,

That’s okay; we can still get along.

As long as there are people, politics will never

Disappear; it will last forever.

Politics, O politics!

Always expect a bag of tricks.

Try, if you want, to wish it away;

Politics is here to stay.

(7-23-14) By Bob B

Walls

What is this thing that we have about a wall?

For centuries humans have had occasion

To build structures in hopes to forestall

Any threat of attack or invasion.

The Great Wall of China is very well known,

Requiring effort to be built through the ages.

A structure of such immensity requires

That it be designed and completed in stages.

Thick walls of castles and fortresses abound

To protect against plunder and pillage.

Protective walls also surround

Many a quaint Medieval village.

As you traverse America you’ll see

Walls and fences throughout the land.

DO NOT ENTER signs naturally will be—

Along with NO TRESPASSING—in great demand.

Around many homes is a wall or a fence—

Usually, that is, around the back yards.

Some people go to greater expense

And live in a gated community with guards.

Sometimes I wonder if they’re worth the labor—

All of these fences built at great cost.

But some say a good fence makes a good neighbor,

Quoting the line from the poem by Frost.

There are reasons for walls, no doubt.

In East Germany and East Berlin,

Instead of trying to keep people out,

Walls were constructed to keep people in.

Walls around prisons also deter

The inmates from fleeing before they’re released.

From seeing school walls, we can infer

How much school violence has increased.

The wall that Israel has built—we can see—

Winds in and out of the West Bank location.

It’s there for defense, we are told, although we

Can also see that it’s for separation.

Some want a wall on our southern border.

That will solve our problems, they say.

Frankly, that would be a tall order

Who has the money to fritter away?

Some walls are the intangible kinds—

The ones around us that are invisible

And prevent us from truly opening our minds.

To deny their existence would be risible.

I wonder: will it ever end--

This building of barriers to keep us apart?

It seems as though we're trying to extend

The wall surrounding the human heart.

(7-22-14) By Bob B

Our Friend the Ego

Our ego can be a dangerous thing.

Now “ego” here simply means

That sense of “I” that gets in our way.

Is it in our genes?

(I don't mean the ego discussed

By the famous Sigmund Freud;

All of that psychological jargon

I clearly want to avoid.)

The ego that I am talking about

Is the one that loves to believe

That the WHOLE world REVOLVES around it--

That likes not to give but receive.

It’s the same ego that feeds our impatience,

When we fail to see

Our actions reflecting the attitude,

"Hey, it’s all about ME?”

Our ego, too, can fan our temper

When incidents upset us,

And when we feel paranoid

That someone is out to get us.

If people cut us off on the highway,

The ego gets satisfaction

From watching us get back at them

With a stupid knee-jerk reaction.

Our friend the ego—quite insecure—

Loves retribution,

And if it's insulted, getting even

Is its favorite solution.

The poor ego is devastated

When it feels major rejection;

And men’s egos are destroyed

When they can’t get an erection.

If we can somehow let go of our ego

And try to take life as it comes,

We’ll encounter much less stress

And chew on fewer Tums.

Or we will find that conquering our ego

Provides us the consolation

Of truly appreciating our lives

With much less medication.

(7-21-14) By Bob B

The Downing of Flight MH 17

In horror the world has watched the news

Sadly unfold on the TV screen,

With conflicting reports and questioning views

Of the downing of Flight MH 17.

In anger and mourning the people decry

The ones responsible for this obscene

And murderous outrage and wonder why

They’d do this to Flight MH 17.

Two hundred ninety-eight people died

When brought down from the sky in this giant machine.

Let’s hope that the world does not brush aside
What happened to Flight MH 17.

When wars and battles are fought, it is known

That innocent people are caught in between

The ideological struggles, as shown

By the fate of Flight MH 17.

No one can fathom the immeasurable sadness

Of the victims’ families and friends. What a mean

Display of inexplicable madness—

The downing of Flight MH 17!

It’s been said that rebels—to make matters worse—

Have hampered investigators there on the green—

Something that sounds grimly perverse

At the crash site of Flight MH 17.

Will that East Ukrainian field ever see

Peace again, or will people wean

Themselves from such heartache? There’s no guarantee

They’ll forget about Flight MH 17.

In trying to learn how to circumvent

A similar occurrence, what can we glean

From this sad incident? May we prevent

More tragedies like Flight MH 17?

To all affected—out of respect—

Let’s stop what we’re doing, be calm and serene,

And take a moment of silence to reflect...

In memory of all on Flight MH 17.


By Bob B (7-20-14)

Some Americans Are Good at Being Ugly

Some Americans are good at being ugly.

You wonder if they are showing their true face

When they spew hatred and pour out their anger—

Showing a lack of compassion and grace.

“Welcoming” people who are fleeing their countries

With signs of “GO HOME!” or “ You’re not welcome here!”

Is reprehensible, considering that many—

Especially the children—have fled out of fear.

Some politicians liken those seeking refuge

To “invaders” and say that they’re “like a disease.”

Before even hearing the children’s stories,

Their minds are made up; they see DEPORTEES.

America has suffered from discrimination

Directed toward immigrants, as we all know.

Benjamin Franklin at one time thought we

Had too many Germans and ought to say “Whoa!”

Not always treated nicely, the Irish

Struggled, as well as did many Jews.

The Chinese were sometimes forced into ghettos,

Seen with suspicion, and considered bad news.

During World War II Japanese citizens

Were forced into camps. And don’t forget

That many insecure Americans have found

Our Latino immigrants an unwelcome threat.

Some people have not learned from our history

And continue to repeat mistakes from the past.

Behavior indicative of a great country

Should model respect and not leave us aghast.

The Americans who are ranting and being so ugly

Should look INWARD and be self-analytical,

The country could then earn the status it deserves,

With a people more tolerant and less hypocritical.


By Bob B (7-18-14)

Can You?

Can you keep a secret?

Or do you also find

That maybe Franklin had it right?

If so, then never mind.

Can you keep on smiling

When you’re feeling pain?

Do you fall apart when things

Go against the grain?

Can you say, “I’m sorry”?

Has it happened yet

That you’ve said—and please be honest—

Things that you regret?

Can you show your thanks

And resist the inclination

To take so much for granted and not

Feel appreciation?

Can you look within

And watch your busy thoughts,

Letting the calm embrace you while

You connect the dots?

Can you walk for miles

In someone else’s shoes?

If you’ve done it, was it truly

Felt or just a ruse?

Can you grasp the wisdom

That the messages impart—

Stirrings of the true self’s longings

Buried in your heart?


By Bob B (7-17-14)

Elusive Time

It takes a YEAR for planet Earth

To revolve around the sun;

It takes Neptune eighty-four Earth years

To complete a single run.

So if I’d been born on the planet Neptune,

I say as I’m sighing,

BEFORE I even turned ONE year old,

I’d have a good chance of dying.

(Yes, I know that I couldn’t LIVE

On Neptune; nevertheless,

I’m using the example to make my point.

Forgive me: I digress.)

Our solar system orbits the center

Of our GALAXY, the MILKY WAY.

I’m sure there’s a method of calculating

The length of a cosmic day.

If it takes over 200 MILLION YEARS

To revolve, then it’s very clear

That our solar system has

A very long COSMIC YEAR.

In fact, the last time our solar system

Was where it is right now,

Dinosaurs were walking on Earth.

If that’s not amazing, and how!

Clusters of galaxies also spin.

This is getting too BIG!

To figure out how much time that takes,

I need to know physics and trig.

Grasping the vastness of the universe

Is hard. What we must do

Is understand that time is relative

And depends on our point of view.

My hair—once brown—has now turned gray;

My gait is slower. It seems

The universe, world, life, and time

Are nothing but phantoms and dreams.

(7-17-14) By Bob B

At the Zoo

“We LOVE to watch the animals here,

And there is such an amazing variety

That observing them year after year

Keeps us from boredom and satiety.

“Look how they dash about their cage—

Holding their babies, giving them food.

They often act as though they’re on stage:

Some are loud; some more subdued.

“Some of their colors are flashy and bright—

Incredibly beautiful to the eye.

Some are less interesting—actually quite

Boring compared to the others nearby.

“They come in so many different sizes.

Look over there! He’s got a big head.

Watch out! That one is full of surprises.

That big one there is way overfed.

“At times they act a lot like us,

Nonchalantly sitting and staring,

Or making a wild and noisy fuss

With voices rising, tempers flaring.

“It’s interesting when they make funny faces

And screech, and grunt, and squeal, and ooh.

It’s good that they stay back a few paces;

If they got closer, who knows what they’d do?

“Sometimes it’s funny when they act silly,

Which they do quite often enough.

One expects them to be willy-nilly;

That is their style: to act off the cuff.

“When the sun sets, we always feel sorrow

As they retire. But what's to prohibit

Them from coming back here tomorrow,”

The chimps say as they gaze from their exhibit.

(7-16-14) By Bob B

Under Attack

The recent assault on our voting rights

Takes manipulation to ultimate heights.

Since 2010, twenty-two states—

Red states especially—have opened the gates

To laws restricting the rights of voters—

Supported by cunning rights-tromping promoters

Who try to justify with fatuous excuses

Their attack on what they call “voting abuses.”

The actual rate of our voter fraud

Is INFINITESIMAL. Yet how very odd:

The restrictions have slyly disenfranchised

Minorities, students, and seniors—Surprised?—

Precisely the ones who tend not to dote

On a right-wing candidate when casting a vote.

The REAL fraud here comes from politicians

Hell-bent on undemocratic missions

To take away rights under the guise

Of protecting our nation. Beware of their lies!

Too bad more people can’t see through the schlock

And perceive how these new voting laws are a crock.


By Bob B (7-15-14)

Sometimes Mother Nature Sucks!

Sometimes Mother Nature sucks!

But we can’t live without Her.

It behooves us to pay attention to

Her whims and learn about Her.

If it weren’t for Mother Nature,

We would NOT be here.

Because of HER we can survive

In Earth’s atmosphere.

The indispensable light from Her sun

Helps vegetation grow

By allowing for photosynthesis

Here on Earth below.

Thermal energy from the sun

Causes evaporation,

Which in turn supports life on Earth

Through welcomed precipitation.

The soothing sun caressing the earth,

The gentle breezes and rains,

The towering peaks, the rolling hills,

The lakes, the rivers, the plains...

How beautiful Mother Nature can be!

But, oh, She has a dark side—

A sometimes wild and violent demeanor,

A harsh and extremely stark side.

Parched by fiery rays of the sun,

The earth suffers damage and drought;

Lakes and rivers and streams dry up,

And destructive fires break out.

Gentle breezes become tornadoes

And hurricanes in violent forms.

And lovely rains turn into torrents

And cataclysmic storms

That flood our cities and towns and fields,

Causing death and disease;

Then freezing temperatures sometimes follow—

Nature’s angry reprise.

Sometimes the ground upon which we live

Suddenly rolls and shakes,

Or spits out fire and volcanic ash

And creates hot lava lakes.

So often we have some wonderful moments

When nature can delight us;

But don’t forget there are snakes and mosquitoes

And other creatures that bite us.

Doubtless, Mother Nature deserves

Both our awe and respect.

Of course She’s fickle, but still She doesn’t

Deserve our abuse or neglect.

Her whimsical ways confuse and confound us,

But we have to cut her some slack.

Mess with Her and—oh, my goodness!—

With a vengeance She’ll strike back!

(7-14-14) By Bob B

Compassionate Treatment

When faced with a humanitarian crisis,

We must act with understanding and sense.

In the past year we’ve had thousands of children

Fleeing their homelands to cross over our “fence.”

Refugees, victims—they have different reasons

For coming to America, for crossing frontiers.

They have the same motives that immigrants have had

For coming here for hundreds of years.

It’s true that we cannot house the world,

But people from various countries are assured

Due process according to our laws

When they seek refuge. Let’s keep our word.

But descendants of immigrants running this country

Have been determined to pick and choose

WHO could not be allowed to enter,

As in the 1940s when we turned away Jews.

It’s amazing, too, when our immigrant leaders—

Those who are lucky to be here—become

Arrogant, cold-hearted, unempathetic,

Xenophobic, bitter, and numb.

When the kids are bused to processing centers

And encounter Americans who shout and rail

And hold up their signs filled with hatred and ignorance,

They encounter behavior that’s beyond the pale.

Compassionate ways to solve the problem

Should be our focus—NOT abuse.

Let’s hope that the vast majority of Americans

Are much more caring and not so obtuse.


By Bob B (7-13-14)

Our Unsung Heroes

Our great unsung heroes of the House*

Have finally passed legislation.

Hurrah! They’re finally doing something

After months and months of stagnation.

How proud they must be—so efficient, so honorable—

To actually deal with some issues!

I’m moved to tears, so please excuse me

While I reach for my tissues.

Boosting the funding of fossil fuel research

Is at the top of their list,

While slashing programs for renewable energy

Is something they couldn’t resist.

No efforts or money must be directed

To climate-change baloney.

Of course, our representatives know

That modern scientists are phony.

No more enforcement of energy standards

For light bulbs—though some people love them.

As far as the House is concerned those people

Can take those new bulbs and shove them.

Incentives for high-efficiency toilets

Will also feel the crunch.

For anyone who tries to protect the environment

Must be out to lunch.

With our country facing so many issues,

We look to our leaders to lead.

Because of their sharp and intelligent focus,

Our progress is now guaranteed.

Those unsung heroes are worthy of praise,

But my simple words merely spoil it.

Just think of the impact these heroes will have

On your light bulb and your toilet!

By Bob B (7-12-14)

*U.S. House of Representatives