Happy 2016

Say good-by to the old year;

Say hello to the new.

Let go of the past and try to recast

A new and exciting you.

Say good riddance to all of your worries;

Start out fresh and clean.

Surely you'll find peace of mind

And a happy 2016!

The past year started out in sadness

With tragic shootings in France

At the Charlie Hebdo offices. And then

We ended our romance

With Brian Williams on the Nightly News.

The death of Freddie Gray

Strengthened the Black Lives Matter Movement

That carries on today.

Caitlyn Jenner came out to the world;

We said good-by to Bruce.

Trump declared his candidacy.

We thought he'd cook his own goose.

Murders in a Charleston church occurred;

The killer liked to brag

About his cache of weapons while

Waving the Confederate flag.

Refrain…

June brought a landmark decision in rights:

Marriage rights for all!

Trump rallied his followers around

The idea of building a wall.

A nuclear deal with Iran was made

That some people found a disgrace.

Bernie Sanders energized

The Democratic base.

Hillary Clinton's emails became

A controversial story.

Clerk Kim Davis marched to jail

In her self-righteous blaze of glory.

Pope Francis came to the United States.

Syrian emigrants fled

Their war-torn country seeking refuge.

"Deport immigrants," Trump said.

Refrain…

Hillary dealt with an eleven-hour grilling:

Ho hum…the Benghazi attacks.

Speaker Boehner announced his retirement

And gave himself the ax.

Paris suffered again through terrorist

Shootings in November

That were followed by San Bernardino's

Terrorist attacks in December.

On a promising note, one hundred ninety-five

Nations worked to arrange

A landmark accord to unite to slowdown

The pace of climate change.

We've barely skimmed the surface here

Of the year's ups and downs.

Here's to hoping that next year brings

Many more smiles than frowns.

And so…

Say good-by to the old year;

Say hello to the new.

Let go of the past and try to recast

A new and exciting you.

Say good riddance to all of your worries;

Start out fresh and clean.

Surely you'll find peace of mind

And a happy 2016!

(12-31-15) By Bob B

16 Times

16 TIMES

It was sixteen shots that did the harm--

All from an officer's firearm.

Bang!

October 20, 2014--

At least eight officers were at the scene.

Bang!

No other officer fired his gun;

Officer Van Dyke was the only one.

Bang!

A troubled youth carrying a knife,

Laquan McDonald lost his life.

Bang!

Van Dyke says he was threatened; still,

Sixteen shots? That's overkill.

Bang!

Who or what should be to blame

That "shoot to kill" is the name of the game?

Bang!

Why can't "shoot to immobilize" be

A viable possibility?

Bang!

Tough job: being a cop;

Nevertheless, this has to stop.

Bang!

Not all cops are extreme, of course;

But some should not be on the force.

Bang!

No need to draw a diagram:

The shooting was caught on a dashboard cam.

Bang!

One thing, however, isn't clear:

The release of the video took over a year.

Bang!

Societal issues are complicated,

As this incident has demonstrated.

Bang!

With such incidents on the rise,

We can't help but emphasize

Bang!

The urgent need for responsible policing

To stop excessive force from increasing.

Bang!

Will change come about? you might ask.

Must that be an impossible task?

Bang!

The images and sounds are haunting.

The challenges for certain are daunting.

Bang!

16 times…

(12-30-15) By Bob B

To Little William--December 2015

Little guy, celebrating

Your first Christmas: Hurrah for you!

I hold you in my arms and see

Life from a different point of view.

Welcome to the world, little one.

Keep that lovely smile in place.

You could win anyone over

With that charming, innocent face.

Up to now, your life has been measured

In inches and months, little small fry.

But looking at your inquiring gaze,

I wonder if you aren't wiser than I.

Those tiny fingers that clutch my pinkie

With strong yet dainty deliberation:

Will they help to reshape this planet

With compassion and determination?

In the meantime, I--your uncle--will

Enjoy watching you change and grow.

I hope the world grows kinder and safer

Before it's time for me to go.

(12-27-15) By Bob B

A Scary Indictment

The more Trump opens his mouth,

The more obnoxious he gets

As he spews his venomous vitriol

And abusive epithets.

His disquieting rhetoric--

Each xenophobic word--

Makes the man more dangerous,

Disgusting, and absurd.

His rude, misogynistic,

And truculent retorts

Show a malicious obsession

Of a person out of sorts.

Some people like him because

For him nothing's taboo.

He says out loud what he thinks.

THAT'S what CHILDREN do!

The number of people who like him--

A demagogue we should be dreading--

Reflects the scary direction

This country seems to be heading.

(12-23-15) By Bob B

Easy, Hard; Hard, Easy

Why is it easy to put on the pounds

But so darn hard to lose?

It's always a breeze to pass on the peas;

But ice cream is hard to refuse.

Often we catch ourselves driving too fast;

Are we ever driving too slow?

Our brains are less like a Rafael

And more like a Vincent van Gogh.

Time plods along when we're waiting in line

But races when we're having fun.

As hard as we try to stick to a budget,

There's usually cost overrun!

Medical costs are so Brobdingnagian;

Why can't they be Lilliputian?

It's easy to make but tough to keep

A New Year's resolution.

Doesn't it also seem easy to sink

Yet hard to stay afloat?

Finding the exact words is a challenge;

It's a cinch to misquote.

Love--it seems--should be so simple.

Why is there so much hate?

Being early is usually good,

But sometimes you want to be late.

Life's little inconsistencies:

Always a daily test…

All we can do is go with the flow

And try to do our best.

(12-22-15) By Bob B

Facts? What Are Those?

Repeat a lie often enough

And people will believe it.

Make confusion your primary goal,

And no doubt you'll achieve it.

Circulate a far-fetched notion.

It's simple. Go on; try it.

Put a bogus story on Facebook;

The gullible will buy it.

Trump, when caught in a lie, attempts

To come off sounding pious

As he knits his brows and purses his lips

And yells, "Media bias!"

Forget little jabs or attacks

That are foolish and maybe unwise;

Here we are talking fabrications--

In short: boldface lies.

How easy it is to stretch the truth,

Until someone sees through it!

But once the damage has occurred,

It's so hard to undo it.

In our information age

It must be antiquated

To be honest and truthful when

Facts are overrated.

(12-21-15) By Bob B

Santa Detained

All was quiet at midnight

In the comfortable little house

Till Santa accidentally

Stepped on the dog's toy mouse.

The SQUEAK! sounded to Santa

As loud as a cannon boom!

He stopped in his tracks and waited

For silence to fill the room.

Carefully placing the presents

Under the Christmas tree,

He spied a plate of cookies

Next to a glass of Chablis.

Suddenly from the hallway

Came a little sound:

"Hold up your hands, Santa….

Now slowly turn around."

Complying with the order,

Santa turned. Behold!

Identical twins stood there--

Barely five years old.

Both were holding toy guns.

Santa all the while

Had to struggle to keep

From breaking out in a smile.

"We just saw you closing

Mommy and Daddy's door,"

Said one. "We want to know

What you were looking for."

"I had to make sure," said Santa,

"That they were fast asleep.

You know how our Mommies

Hear every little peep."

The boys squinted their eyes,

Not sure what to believe.

All they knew was that Santa

Wasn't the kind to deceive.

"I heard," said the other twin,

"From a friend of mine

That you like to drink milk;

But Daddy says you like wine."

Santa hesitated:

"Well…it depends on my mood.

Sometimes I like variety

Regarding my drink or my food."

The first asked, "Why are Santas--

The ones we see at the mall--

Big and round, but you

Look so skinny and small?"

"Santa works so hard

And he's up so very late,

By the time he is finished,

He's lost a lot of weight."

Santa mumbled softly,

"Will they buy that story,

Or am I going to sound

Trite and conciliatory?"

The dog came in from the hallway

Wagging his tail as though

He had been Santa's friend

From a long time ago.

"How does Sparky know you?"

Both boys asked, surprised.

"ALL animals love Santa,"

The wise man emphasized.

The twins were resolute,

And both remained suspicious.

"You know," said Santa wily,

"It wouldn't be judicious

"To keep detaining Santa.

He has lots to do.

Other kids are waiting

For presents, just like you."

"Ju-what?...Aw, never mind!"

Responded the second twin,

Coming around to realize

The hurry Santa was in.

"We hope we get what we asked for.

But one thing we want to make clear:

If all we get is clothes,

You'll be in trouble next year."

Santa winked and smiled.

"Deal!" he firmly said.

Now put down your weapons

And go back to bed."

While drifting off to sleep

In their beds shortly thereafter,

The two boys heard some mumbling

Accompanied by laughter.

They shot out of bed in the morning--

Slightly after dawn.

The first thing they noticed was

The wine and cookies were gone.

But glasses resembling their dad's

Had been left behind.

Their dad said he could wear them

If Santa didn't mind.

(12-19-15) By Bob B

Here We Go Again

Democrat and Republican leaders

Need to think clearly, contain their wrath,

And apply diplomacy to help avoid

Leading us down a dangerous path.

By demonizing Putin and being

Manipulated into getting involved

In Russia's affairs, now there's a risk

Of bigger problems being left unresolved.

Leaders must also end the fixation

They have about deposing Assad.

Hello! Remember Iraq, Libya,

And Egypt! Such tactics have proved to be flawed.

To destabilize yet one more

Middle Eastern country is wrong.

Nations can only resolve the problems

In Iraq and Syria by getting along.

A united coalition of nations

Working together in the Middle East

And Africa should be able to bring about

Greater security at the very least.

Now Putin is not my favorite person;

He's helped to make Russia a scary place.

This is more about peace and safety

Then it is about anyone's saving face.

Do not listen to hawkish leaders

Whose aggressive stance will only make sure

That instead of ending overall conflict,

They'll make the world even LESS secure.

(12-18-15) By Bob B

Remembering Sandy Hook--Three Years Later

Do you remember Sandy Hook?

It was three years ago that we

Heard about a twenty-year-old

Going on a murder spree.

December 14: Do you remember

Hearing the news that day?

Twenty children are no longer here

To run and laugh and play.

Ages six and seven they were--

The kids who lost their lives.

Imagine the pain that lingers in every

Loved one who survives.

Six adults at the school that day

Were also brutally shot.

Will we ever find a way

To cut the Gordian knot

Of senseless killing and murderous mayhem,

Or having the fear that when

Our loved ones leave the house, they might

Never come home again?

Millions of Americans cling to a murky

Second Amendment right--

Spurred on by a huge gun lobby

Whose appalling power is tight.

It's bewildering why Sandy Hook

Wasn't the very last straw.

When it comes to sensible gun control,

People just hem and haw.

Universal background checks;

Assault weapons bans, as well;

No large-capacity magazines…

Must that be such a hard sell?

The focus of many is strictly on

Their "rights" and their pocketbooks

Instead of demanding ways to prevent

Future "Sandy Hooks."

(12-17-15) By Bob B

GOP Candidacy Debate #5

Overall the Republican debate

Went pretty much as expected.

Sadly, not even ONE of the debaters

Has what it takes to be elected.

Priebus introduced the debate,

But we have to wonder whether

He was joking when he said

The Republicans had their act together.

One of Trump's suggestions was

To shut down parts of the Internet.

Not very feasible, Mr. T;

Iran does that, don't forget.

Cruz wants to bomb the Middle East

To see "if sand can glow in the dark."

I think he in his hawkish zeal

Would prove that his bite is worse than his bark.

Then there were feisty Marco Rubio's

Nebulous traditional values rants.

He thinks his ideas have greater appeal

Now that he's wearing big boys' pants.

Carson says that to protect America,

We throw out PC, and sure enough,

By doing "whatever is necessary,"

We will be safe. Scary stuff!

Christie is quiet when bridges are mentioned

But quite vociferous in his campaign

When he speaks of a no-fly zone

And threatens to shoot down a Russian plane.

"Let's take back America," says

Fiorina; but don't give three cheers.

To her that means denying rights

For which we have fought for sixty years.

Paul is correct on regime change

But wrong when he points out what is harming

America the most. It's not our debt;

Other dangers are much more alarming.

Kasich and Bush--the supposed moderates--

Bow to placate the far-right base.

Bumbling, tumbling, fumbling, stumbling,

They both could use some style and grace.

Hawkish rhetoric, bombast, promises,

Advancing by stepping back to the past…

The debaters are playing a game to see

Who can "outwit, outplay, and outlast."

(12-16-15) By Bob B

Here, Then Not

Often we'd see her in the neighborhood,

Taking her friendly dog for a walk.

Always affable, upbeat, and cheerful,

Pat was eager to stop and talk.

The busyness of life fills

Our days with issues, both great and small.

Suddenly, it occurred to me:

For weeks I hadn't seen Pat at all.

Deep inside I had a bad feeling.

Always so visible, yet suddenly not there,

She had me worried because of her absence.

I wanted to ask and yet didn't dare.

A neighbor's words ended the mystery:

"Pat died eight weeks ago."

The information confirmed my fears;

The shocking news still came as a blow.

You can grieve the loss of another

Even though you weren't close friends.

Whatever you shared will be no more;

It's always sad when a life ends.

In my mind, I can still see her,

Walking Buddy with a smile on her face.

Her loving memory will be--I hope--

One that time will not efface.

Rest in peace, dear Pat….

(12-14-15) By Bob B

The Annual Alonzo Family Tamalada*

In contrast with the cold morning air,

The house was cozy and warm

As we all arrived to participate

Like worker bees starting to swarm.

The smell of pork and refried beans

Permeated the room.

The champagne bottles were chilling on ice--

How much did we consume?

Sally brought some egg McMuffins.

I thought, "Something's amiss:

Egg McMuffins and NO pan dulce!**

What kind of party is this?"

But I wouldn't miss it--nope--for nada:

The annual Alonzo family tamalada.

The giant bucket of masa*** awaited

Marisa's kneading hands.

While she kneaded the dough, the rest of us

Listened for Sally's commands.

After a brief champagne toast,

Our assembly line started.

Everyone had a job to do;

It wasn't for the faint-hearted.

Spreading the masa on the husks

Was a messy task.

I wondered, "How many will we make?"

But I was afraid to ask.

It wasn't very long before

Everyone in the casa

Was practically covered from head to foot

With fluffy tamale masa.

We spread and stuffed and folded and wrapped

While Sally entertained us.

The conversation, laughter, fun,

And champagne all sustained us.

The wonderful smells of lunch also

Encouraged us to work hard

Lest we be known as shirkers and our

Reputations be marred.

But I wouldn't miss it--nope--for nada:

The annual Alonzo family tamalada.

After a few hundred tamales,

The masa was getting low.

I said, "Yay! We're almost done!"

But Alice said, "Oh, no.

That was just the pork; now we're

Making chile and cheese."

Blurry-eyed I held up my spoon

And said, "More hojas,**** please."

On and on we continued to work

Like hive bees making honey.

But it was worth it, for these tamales

Are more valuable than money.

Alice, Yvonne, Kathy, Yolie,

Aida, and Sally know why--

As do Marisa, Rebecca, Karen,

Marisol, Nancy, and I--

We always look forward to getting together

For laughter, fun, and cheer

And this spirited, heart-warming gathering

Whenever December is here.

Homemade tamales can't be beat

When made in our special fashion

With love, care, conviviality,

Warmth, goodwill and passion.

I wouldn't miss it--nope--for nada:

The annual Alonzo family tamalada.

*tamale-making party

**Mexican sweet bread

***dough

****(corn husk) leaves

(12-14-15) By Bob B

Rudolph Was WHAT?

Did you happen to notice

That last year Santa's sleigh

Was missing an important

Figure, by the way?

Let's see: Comet and Vixen

Along with Cupid and Prancer

Were there, and so were Donner,

Dasher, Blitzen, and Dancer.

Which reindeer was missing?

Rudolph? Ah, you guessed it.

The news was out there, but

The media had suppressed it.

(Because of frequent fog,

Santa was being sensible

In counting on dear Rudolph,

Who had become indispensable.)

It all started like this:

On the morning of Christmas Eve,

Rudolph was tired from having

Been on the qui vive

For sneaky present robbers

All the previous night.

By noon, poor ol' Rudolph

Looked a sorry sight.

To perk himself up a bit--

The "where" is still unclear--

He dipped into a little

Too much Christmas "cheer."

Now I don't know about you,

But Rudolph's nose would flicker

Whenever he drank wine

Or any other liquor.

When the team of reindeer

Lined up, Santa could tell

That sleigh-guiding Rudolph

Wasn't doing so well.

Needless to say, Santa

Really got a whiff

When he approached his friend

And took a little sniff.

"I can tell, dear Rudolph,

That you've been making merry.

Did you turn your eggnog

Into a Tom and Jerry?"

"I think--hiccup!--a little,"

Said Rudolph with a blush.

"Go to bed," said Santa.

"We are in a rush."

That night Santa was forced--

Although he felt remorseful--

To use toys with lights

To guide him. How resourceful!

So last year if the batteries

To your toys were run down,

Causing disappointment

And many a tear and frown,

Don't feel so sad.

They went to a good cause:

They helped to distribute

Gifts from Santa Claus.

Regarding this year, I

Don't want to keep you guessin':

Rudolph's back in service.

I think he learned his lesson.

But some say Santa's considering--

Despite objections and moans--

Future gift deliveries

With the use of Amazon's drones.

(12-13-15) By Bob B

The Jensen Christmas Eve Dinner Brawl

The Minnesota night was cold;

Ask the man on the street:

It was so cold your words would freeze,

Drop, and break at your feet.

That didn't stop the Jensens at all--
Is that so hard to believe?--

From hosting their annual family feast

That frigid Christmas Eve.

One by one the families poured in

Bearing gifts and food.

Onkel Karl and Tante Inge

Arrived with their brood.

Onkel Jakob and Tante Hilde

And their three kids…Oh, dear!

If I listed all of the relatives,

It would take a year.

Of beer and wine and all kinds of spirits,

Of course, there were a LOT there.

Cousins Arne and Jan were already

Snockered when they got there.

Maybe that explains in part

The reason for the fight

That put a damper on the mood

On such a festive night.

The families had all sat down to dinner

And gazed upon the spread:

Potato dumplings, salads, sausage,

And cabbage, white and red.

Arne, staring at the roasted pig

With a look distant and glazy,

Made a funny joke about

Republicans being crazy.

All at once, the room grew quiet;

Nobody made a sound.

Everybody looked at Jan,

Who glared at Arne and frowned.

To change the mood, Pastor Olsen

Said, "Let's all say grace."
Just as he started, Arne got

A lutefisk in the face.

The roasted pig, the salads and lefse

Landed on the floor

As Arne and Jan pounded each other,

And wrestled, kicked, and swore.

The two were covered from head to foot

With gravy, potatoes, and fish.

The last straw was when they broke Grandma’s

Favorite rosemaled dish.

Suddenly, everybody heard

The sharpest, loudest BANG!

Followed by an echo.

Au! How their ears rang!

Grandma Liv was standing there

With a rifle in her hand.

No one was going to argue with her;

She was in command.

Above her was a hole in the ceiling;

Plaster speckled her hair.

The huge room was a total mess--

Food was everywhere.

"Scrape up what you can," she ordered.

"We're going to try this again.

Arne and Jan, just one word

And you two are dead men."

(Luckily there was no one upstairs

Above the dining room,

Though Onkel Odd was across the hall

When he heard the boom.

He was--and who wouldn't be--

So startled by the shot,

That the poor man jumped two feet in the air

And fell right off the pot.)

With dinner salvaged and the table reset,

Again they sat down to dine.

Grandma Liv sternly said,

"Now, family of mine:

Let's enjoy this Christmas feast.

Show me you are able

To have a pleasant evening and keep

Politics away from the table."

Having said that, she smiled and placed

Her rifle in her lap.

Not a soul dared to test her

For fear that she would snap.

Arne and Jan, battered and bruised,

Silently sipped their soup,

To Jan, Grandma said, "Din idiot!"

To Arne, "Nincompoop!"

The hole in the ceiling will remain

As a warning--or constant threat--

Of possible consequences lest

Anybody forget

That political talk at the dinner table

Was something they must nix,

For sausages, pig, lefse, booze,

And politics do not mix.

(12-11-15) By Bob B

Such Audacity!

They sit on their comfy couches

In their stuffy suits and ties

Or their stylish sleeveless dresses,

Expounding pernicious lies.

Promoting "purposeful ignorance"

As well as "aggressive stupidity,"

They inadvertently show

Their frightful lack of lucidity.

Facts are unimportant.

(The same for credibility?)

Expert manipulators,

They manage with great facility

To lead a gullible public

Into their intricate maze

Of wildly spurious claims

And specious reporting malaise.

Carefully selected "experts"

Throw in their two cents

While fawning interviewers

Come to their defense.

Masters of hypnosis,

They put thinkers to sleep--

The ones caught in their spell

Are led around like sheep.

And they have the audacity

To refer to themselves as "news."

That must be part of their strategy--

Their well-crafted ruse.

Control the minds of the people

And you will secure great power

To sustain them with propaganda

Hour after hour after hour….

(12-9-15) By Bob B

My Poem to the World

This is my poem to the world

In the year 2015.

The end of the year is approaching and

We've made it past Halloween.

Thanksgiving, too, is behind us now.

We're smack in the holiday season--

A perfect time for a poem, but I

Don't always need a reason.

If you celebrate Christmas, then

Merry Christmas to you.

If you celebrate something else,

You get best wishes, too.

If you celebrate nothing at all,

That is perfectly fine.

Just don't be offended by

These heartfelt wishes of mine.

My wish this year is all about HOPE--

No reason to be frightened.

My hope is that we can all

Become more enlightened--

Enlightened to the needs of the planet

And to people in need, as well.

We're all in this together, you know--

We're riding a huge carousel,

Spinning, spinning, while hurling through space.

Yes, we are speeding

At sixty-seven thousand miles

Per hour! But, keep reading:

At the same time the equatorial

Velocity of our sphere

Is 1,040 miles per hour

Year after year after year!

Think about this incredible speed

And movement, if you will.

It's so amazing how at times

Everything seems so still.

This uncanny illusion of stillness

Amidst so much motion

Compels me to formulate

A truly marvelous notion:

Since this miraculous universe--

So limitless in its scope--

Has endless possibilities,

Never give up on HOPE.

So how does all of above relate

To the topic I'm addressing?

It's all about the wonder of HOPE….

I know: I've been digressing.

My hope is that people everywhere

Will all of a sudden see

That we must make this earth the best

Place that it can be.

HOPE can lead us in the right direction

And possibly stem the tide

Of tears and suffering in the world

If positively applied.

We must focus on love love love

As an antidote to hate.

Love is inexpensive, so

Embrace it now, but wait!

If you embrace love, you'll also

Receive free of charge

Both compassion and goodwill;

The amount you save is large.

And think about how the world will improve

If intolerance decreases,

And the need for vengeance and vindication

Ultimately ceases.

Respond now you'll also obtain

Greater peace of mind.

So many wonderful perks! A better

Deal you will not find.

If you respond in the next few minutes,

You also will receive

The reassurance of all the greatness

That HOPE can achieve.

HOPE has the power to be the key

To open many doors

That might lead to a world of peace

And put an end to wars.

HOPE and compassion go hand in hand;

Watch them grow and flourish.

Water them with wisdom and love;

They aren't hard to nourish.

We can ameliorate the world

With HOPE: we must pursue it.

All of us can make a difference.

Now, go out and do it.

(December 2015) By Bob B