Where are the Upright, the Honorable, the Just?

Every night when I watch the news,

I'm always in a state of wonder.

There's so much dishonesty and deception going on!

My fragile optimism has been torn asunder.

Where are the upright, the honorable, the just,

The honest, the genuine, the scrupulous, the noble?

Do they exist, or are they a fantasy?

And it's not just here: the problem is global.

What is it with some of our athletes,

Business leaders and politicians?

It seems as though "skeleton in the closet"

Is a requirement for their positions.

People we ought to respect and look up to--

People whose decisions should not be capricious--

Are often involved in shady deals

And making decisions far from judicious.

If they're NOT indicted for racketeering,

They're charged with bribery, graft, deceit,

Embezzlement, perjury, or tax-evasion.

Have truth and honesty become obsolete?

I'm tired of hypocrites and holier-than-thous

Who claim to be trustworthy, caring and just,

But ultimately prove that they deserve

Not our praise but instead our disgust.

And then there are those we should trust and revere--

Ones we should both emulate and admire--

Committing crimes and covering them up,

Which only adds more fuel to the fire.

It's reassuring when we can see

Righteous wealth, righteously gained.

Suddenly, unscrupulous swindlers emerge

And people's savings accounts are drained.

Hackers are constantly invading our privacy,

And somewhere out there there's always some louse

Attempting to steal our sacred identity.

Life's now a game of cat and mouse.

Now I'm not one to say I'm perfect;

I'll be the first to admit to that.

Honorable ones, please stand up....

To you I'd like to tip my hat.

(In case you’re wondering what I am doing,

I thought that it would naturally be fitting

To let you know that if you could see me,
Though not a criminal, I am still sitting.)

(5-29-15) By Bob B

Three Poisons

Hatred, greed, and delusion:

The three unwholesome roots.

They are responsible for so much suffering:

Pain, sadness, disputes…

Hatred buttresses the ego

With vengeance, distrust, and despair.

We end up being inextricably

Caught in its captious snare!

"I want, I want, I want…":

Such is the urge that drives us.

Sadly, we're unable to see

The goodness of which it deprives us.

Delusion poisons us all

And obscures wrong and right.

We flounder about in blind confusion,

Unable to see the light.

But, hark! All is not lost.

Three antidotes exist:

Loving-kindness, generosity,

And wisdom--just a short list.

With loving-kindness we see

The good that comes from caring.

Ugly hatred can't survive

When it's kindness that we're sharing.

Generosity quenches

Our constant, greedy craving.

A truly magnanimous spirit leaves

No room for misbehaving.

Delusion is maybe the hardest

Unwholesome root to destroy.

But wisdom can conquer ignorance

And fill us with radiant joy!

If we applied to the poisons

The antidotes listed above,

What a world we could all live in!--

A world full of peace and love.

(5-27-15) By Bob B

Discover Your Inner Music and Dance!

Discover your inner music and dance!

Sing your song with glee.

Let your ability to be yourself

Light up your glowing marquee.

Accept yourself; be kind to yourself;

And be considerately bold.

Don't let purveyors of mediocrity

Force you into a mold.

Proclaim your individuality.

Be humble yet self-assured.

Don't let the light of your heartfelt endeavors

Ever be obscured.

So what if you are not like others.

If you want to go far,

Keep your focus, follow your heart,

And simply be who you are.

Be impervious to scornful mutterings.

See through hypocrites and fakes.

Don't let others' weaknesses cause you

To imitate their mistakes.

Be attentive to those around you,

But go where your inner guides take you.

Don't let the sticklers for conventionality

Stifle your song or break you.

Appreciate every single moment;

Try to maintain good cheer.

Trust in yourself and realize

There's nothing, there's no one to fear.

(5-25-15) By Bob B

Our Legacy on Earth

Recently I read that if climate change

Continues to progress unabated,

The existence of ONE in SIX species

On our planet could be ill-fated.

In other words, one in six

Of Earth's species could disappear

By the end of the 21st century

As conditions become more severe.

As extinctions threaten many species,

Experts exhort us to banish doubts.

Many can't adapt to heat waves,

Rising sea levels, and horrible droughts.

According to scientists, five mass extinctions

Have occurred since this planet's birth.

The NEXT one will be the first

Largely caused by humans on Earth.

Earth--five billion years of age,

And look at the effects of mankind's blight.

Actually, relatively speaking,

We have done this overnight.

Some people say, "Ah, whatever!

By that time I won't be around."

Do these people hear themselves

And know how stupid and selfish they sound?

If we want to save our planet,

We can't survive by constantly taking.

Mankind's modus operandi

Is to push to the point of breaking.

The future of Earth rests in our hands.

What do we want our legacy to be?--

Dwindling food supplies, political chaos,

Polluted land, a poisoned sea?

(5-22-15) By Bob B

My Tongue

I'm glad my tongue's not as long as a giraffe's.

How awkward that would be!

It would get in my way when I tried

To chew gum, talk, or drink tea.

A tongue is a tongue is a tongue, Gertrude

Stein would probably say.

For a giraffe I'm sure it comes in handy

And isn't mere appliqué

But maybe having a tongue like a giraffe

Would indeed have its place:

When in an emergency

I had to wash my face.

(5-18-15) By Bob B

Money Continues to Talk

Listen to the politicians running

For president, and what do you hear?

Their words reflect the ideas of wealthy

Donors whose voices ring in their ear.

Eighty plus percent of money

For campaign funding actually comes

From fewer than one percent of Americans!

My donations are cracker crumbs.

Therefore, when our laws are written,

Naturally, they tend to favor

The interests of wealthy campaign contributors.

The situation’s becoming graver.

The problem is NOT the evil of money,

The problem is more about its abuse.

When money continues to corrupt our democracy,

We all suffer from its misuse.

We should not kid ourselves.

I hate to upset the apple cart,

But we are naïve if we trust that all of our

Leaders have our best interests at heart.

(5-19-15) By Bob B

Funny, But Not

Start a rumor in the state of Texas

And watch the state go crazy.

Some Texans' capacity for rational thought

Is becoming increasingly hazy.

Paranoid conservatives in Texas fear

A U.S. military plot--

A government takeover of the state--

Which leaves them horribly distraught.

That martial law will be imposed

Is one of their major concerns.

"Just like Nazi Germany," they say.

The paranoia churns.

The paranoid ones vehemently insist

The government has set its sights

On denying certain citizens of
Their constitutional rights.

Walmart stores--they add--will close

For use as internment camps.

For such a display of complete foolishness,

These Texans are the champs.

Ted Cruz and Louie Gohmert--

Who basically haven't a clue--

Joined the governor's call to prevent

The military coup.

The whole idea is quite hilarious.

How did they ever conceive it?

The scary thing is seeing how many

Gullible people believe it.

(5-18-15) By Bob B

The Ass in the Lion's Skin*

Wandering down the road an ass

Encountered a lion's skin.

He dressed himself up in it

Without an ounce of chagrin.

Frightening all creatures who saw him--

Animals and humans as well--

The ass stifled his braying and watched

As they all ran off pell-mell.

Finally, unable to hold it in,

He brayed some loud "Hee-haws!"

The fox heard him and also happened

To notice his hooves--not paws.

"Well, my friend, if I'd only seen you,

I might have been afraid.

But now that I've heard you speak, you can

Dispense with your charade."

The moral? Clothes can disguise many fools,

But despite their fancy array,

When they open their mouths--Yikes!--

Their words give them away.

Or

You can put on fancy airs,

Pretending you're suave and urbane,

But if you are truly an ass at heart,

An ass you will remain.

(5-17-15) By Bob B

*An Aesop tale retold here in verse

Ah, This Is the Life!

The lion stepped out into the sun

And rubbed his side against a tree.

Surveying his exhibit at the animal park,

He said, "This is the life for me!

"Dinner is served on a regular basis;

I never have to hunt for my food.

I'm served the tastiest horsemeat and mutton.

I even eat rabbit when I'm in the mood.

"There's no fighting to defend my territory;

That to me is a huge relief.

My kickback style might surprise some

And go against popular belief.

"The lady lions share my feelings;

They like my pomp, my manner, my style.

At the same time, they can appear

A bit stand-offish once in a while.

"I can be lazy and sleep for hours,

Or if I choose, I'll romp and play.

And when I start to feel a bit frisky--

Well, THAT'S a topic for another day.

"My friends in the wild suffer from afflictions--

An illness, an infection from a small gash….

If I catch a cold or need attention,

The humans are here to help in a flash.

"Visitors sometimes get on my nerves

As they stand and gawk and stare.

But when that happens, I can always

Ignore them or go off and hide in my lair.

"Or I can lie here and stare at the humans

And fantasize and imagine how great

It could be one day to find

A delicious human on my plate.

"I remain the king of the beasts;

The other animals still quake when I roar.

(Some of the non-differentiating types

Even tremble when I snore.)

"Ah, yes," (yawn) "I have it easy.

Although many would NOT agree.

As far as THIS lion is concerned,

My life is really the life for me."

(3-14-15) By Bob B

Mr. Miller

Mr. Miller was our neighbor,

And what a mean, grumpy old man!

At least that's what we kids thought.

Whenever we saw him, we all ran.

He seemed to have an uncanny sense

Of knowing when we were in his yard.

Some of the feisty neighborhood kids

Tried to catch the grump off guard.

At Halloween the Miller house

Was one I always tried to avoid

Until one night my friend said, "Let's visit

The Millers." I wasn't overjoyed.

Mr. Miller opened the door

And--wow!--he wasn't wearing a frown.

He and his wife were warm and friendly

And they had the BEST candy in town!

It's odd how suddenly a person can change

To a kind neighbor from a mean old fart.

But amazingly the transformation

Was not in him, it was in my heart.

Soon after that Halloween

He suddenly died, which left us in shock.

I'll never forget kind Mr. Miller--

The "Boo Radley" on our block.

How often we judge before we know!

How often we live in fears we create!

Once our eyes are opened, how glorious!

But when that happens, it's often too late.

(5-12-15)  By Bob B

A Finger Pointing at the Moon

A finger pointing at the moon:

Such are the Teachings, they say.

The Writings themselves are not the Truth;

They merely point the way.

Direct experience leads us to

The gateway of the inspired.

Yet efforts to paint the ineffable with words

Leaves MUCH to be desired.

Journeying through life we encounter distractions,

Which in their clever fashion

Can obfuscate the clarity

Of the heart of true compassion

Or lead us down a confusing path

Where knowledge and wisdom are blurred,

And the hopes of our transcending the mundane

Are stifled by a word.

Seeking the Truth is a noble goal;

Awareness comes never too soon.

Just be careful not to mistake

The finger for the moon.

(5-11-15) By Bob B

An Unaccepted Gift

Akkosaka Bhāradvāja--

The brahmin--found the Buddha one day

And railed against him, throwing harsh words

And abusive insults the Teacher's way.

The Buddha calmly said, "Dear brahmin,

Answer, please, my question to you:

You are a guest and your hosts offer food;

If you don't want it, what do you do?"

"I don't accept it," the brahmin answered.

"In that case to whom does the food belong?

To the hosts, no?" asked the Buddha.

"Tell me: am I right or wrong?"

"The offered food belongs to the hosts,

Of course," responded the brahmin surveying

With curiosity each word that

The great Master was wisely saying.

The Buddha said, "Likewise, if you do not

Accept the insults of those who blast you,

Their unwanted "gifts" stay with them,

While you're unscathed; it all goes past you."

The brahmin, moved by the Buddha's words,

Reflected on the meaning and sought

Deeper understanding and wisdom

From all the lessons the Teacher taught.

If others try to hurt you with words,

Give their nasty comments short shrift

By staying unruffled, unperturbed--

By resolutely refusing their "gift."

(5-5-15) By Bob B

Bullies

Some people are bullies;

They push others around.

On what we would call their true nature

We really don't have to expound.

Growing up we knew bullies.

Remember them way back in school?

Avoid them or you'd pay for it

Was the general rule.

Adults, too, can be bullies.

We have seen them in action.

Intimidating others

Gives them great satisfaction.

Some politicians are bullies;

Their tactics are quite nefarious.

They love to put on an act

And pretend to appear gregarious,

Yet their lack of concern

For the people's well-being shows.

"You mean they couldn't care less?"

You've hit it right on the nose.

Certain groups can be bullies

And resort to torture and killing.

Their lack of human compassion

Strikes us as frightfully chilling.

Some countries are bullies,

Horribly abusing their power

And expecting other nations

To bow down, grovel, or cower.

They want to call all the shots--

Diplomacy's not on the table--

And often take advantage

Of a country that's weak or unstable.

That WE would be stuck with bullies

Was bound to come to pass.

WE humans will always

Find some who are pains in the ass.

(5-3-15) By Bob B