He Came Home from War a Different Man

He came home from the Middle East

A depressed and very different man,

After having served a tour

In Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

At one time an athlete with a hopeful future

And mentor to his cheering peers,

He struggled now to balance his memories

With the dismal, heavy weight of tears.

Tears that suddenly came from nowhere

Drenched his pillow. A panic would sweep

Through his body making him dread

The nights and the thought of falling asleep.

The outbursts of anger frightened him more;

They frightened his wife and children as well.

Avoidance and withdrawal only seemed

To aggravate his daily hell.

People and places constantly triggered

Painful memories of war and death.

Loud noises would send him through

The roof and make him gasp for breath.

Walking down a city street,

He'd have a flashback and quickly duck.

His heart would race until he gained

Control of his fears that had run amok.

The doctors diagnosed his condition:

Battle fatigue, or PTSD.

They had a list of remedies.

Of course, there was no guarantee.

Serotonin reuptake

Inhibitors failed to do the trick.

And tricyclic antidepressants

Made him feel listless and sick.

Tranquilizers and neuroleptics

Caused him to be more confused.

Prazosin and propranolol

Prescriptions both remained unused.

When the pills failed to help him,

Alcohol became his friend.

At least temporarily;

The haunting nightmares wouldn't end.

His family suffered along with him.

His friends slowly drifted away.

Who had time to spend with someone

Whose life was in such disarray?

His plaques and medals on his walls

Made his pain more acute.

His isolation made him feel

Emotionally destitute.

Cognitive behavior therapy!

That's what a doctor recommended.

The desperate man acquiesced.

He said he'd go, but just pretended.

He dropped the kids off at the sitter's,

Drove back home, texted his wife,

Held his pistol to his head,

Squeezed the trigger, and ended his life.

(1-30-16) By Bob B

The Elephant NOT in the Room: GOP Debate #7

The GOP presidential wannabes

In debate number seven tried to shine.

How many more of these can we take?

Somebody has to draw the line.

"The elephant NOT in the room," Trump,

Was absent for fear that Kelly would dis him.

There went some entertainment value.

But did anyone really miss him?

Rubio, always so agitated,

Covered insecurity with sass.

He always sounds as though he's running

For president of his high school class.

For humor at the two-hour debate,

Carson proved to be indispensable.

Asleep at the wheel, he'd suddenly awaken

And mutter something incomprehensible.

Cruz and Rubio went back and forth

Each applying the art of riposte

Regarding issues on immigration

And which politician flip-flops the most.

Bush tried REALLY hard

To turn around his current rejection

And prove that he is the best candidate

To beat a Democrat in the election.

Kasich insisted that he could solve

Our nation's problems in a jiffy,

Based on his previous record,

Which, some say, is a little iffy.

Christie's merely an angry lout.

His words always cut and chide.

It seems he's overcompensating

For something he is trying to hide.

Rand Paul was back on the stage.

To him the others are all out to lunch.

He claims he's the most fiscally

Conservative one in the bunch.

Pulling out the religion card,

Dodging questions, and giving stump speeches

Characterize the seventh debate.

Is that what Politics 101 teaches?

(1-29-16) By Bob B   

Wherever We Are

The scent of pine wafting through the woods;

The gentle rush of serpentining streams;

Plaintive begging calls from forest birds;

A silvery pool reflecting the moon's bright beams…

Nature's sights and scents and sounds combined

Or on their own can give great peace of mind.

A flower squeezing through a neighbor's wall;

An unattended garden, overgrown;

The sounds of children playing in a park;

A stranger musing on a porch alone…

Wherever we are, we can nonetheless

Be moved in ways that words cannot express.

(1-28-16) By Bob B

Corrido of the Bundy Brothers (Corrido de los hermanos Bundy)

This is a tale of two Bundys--

Ammon and Ryan by name.

They and the FBI

Both played the waiting game.

The brothers' dad, Cliven Bundy,

At one time had a close call

With the feds. I guess that he

And his sons are "tal para qual."

The brothers and their compadres

With rifles and pistols in hand

Headed north to Oregon

And occupied federal land.

A national wildlife refuge

Served as the activists' fort.

There they were holed up for weeks,

Until their plans were cut short.

Ammon says they were there

To serve a "righteous cause."

He says that the "Lord" disagrees

With our American laws.

(How does he know that? you wonder.

Does he have Aaron's rod

Or maybe a miraculous link--

A direct-line connection with God?)

Along with "Captain Moroni,"

The protesters said they would stay

Until they got what they wanted.

People said, "Take them away."

Agents moved in on the outlaws

On rural #395.

Shots rang out in the skirmish.

One outlaw didn't survive.

The others were arrested.

Off to jail they would go,

Leaving behind their footsteps

And blood spots in the cold snow.

The protesters’ use of force,

Intimidation and threats

Brought about their downfall.

I doubt they have any regrets.

Giving the land to the people

Is one of their muddled demands.

But aren't wildlife refuges

And parks the people's lands?

So it's addios to the Bundys.

Right now their fate is unclear.

But a new conspiracy theory

Will occupy them next year.

(1-27-16) By Bob B

Wisdom Beyond Wisdom

Seeking wisdom beyond wisdom

Is not as easy as some people say.

Once you think you've reached your goal,

You find you're miles and miles away.

All the words--the scriptures, the sayings--

Amount to a mere particle of dust

When compared with ultimate truth,

Beyond all measure, profound, robust.

The dangerous ones, who judge and condemn--

Who blame and shame and vilify--

Smolder in the embers of intolerant beliefs

That shape their moral battle cry.

Yongjia Xuanjiao of the Tang Dynasty--

Thinker and inspirational muse--

Cautioned humanity NOT to slander

The vast blue sky with limited views.

(1-25-16) By Bob B

Don't Drink the Water!

Have you heard of a recent disaster?

If not, let me give you a hint:

It has to do with polluted water

And a well-known Michigan city called Flint.

For a year and a half, state officials

Ignored complaints of contamination

And downplayed the possible dangers

That lead would have on the population.

As a cost-saving measure the leaders

Had switched up Flint's water supply

To the corrosive Flint River, causing

A problem that we cannot deny.

With no corrosion controls in place,

The water became poisoned with lead

That leached from pipes into the system

And made the water brownish red.

When officials--elected or state-appointed--

Brush aside people's complaints

And put children's lives in danger,

What an ugly picture that paints!

To cut costs, sometimes our leaders

Make a decision, often the wrong one.

Their great wisdom ultimately

Ends up costing us more in the long run.

(1-23-16) By Bob B

The Blame Game

So Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump.

Ah, two peas in a pod:

One practically unintelligible;

The other pretending to be God.

It's hard to tell if Palin's endorsement

Will help or hurt Trump's campaign.

Neither one admits mistakes;

That would go against the grain.

At a campaign stop in Oklahoma,

Palin brought up her son's arrest--

A case of domestic violence involving

Track and his girlfriend, which Palin stressed

Was mainly caused by President Obama.

Again, the president receives the blame.

Such accusations are getting so old--

Always obnoxious, always the same.

Track, a vet from the war in Iraq,

Came back changed, and who wouldn’t?

Misplaced blame won’t fix his problem

With alcohol and violence, and it shouldn’t.

Track probably served honorably,

And all vets deserve support.

But there could be many reasons

When a person's behavior falls short.

Palin can blame whomever she chooses.

Her passion for blaming is resolute.

But has it ever occurred to her

That maybe Track's just a violent brute?

(1-21-16) By Bob B

At Least We Can Laugh

We know that most politicians aren't

Famous for their brevity.

Nonetheless, they can often

Provide us with moments of levity.

WHEN he becomes the next president--

Yes, the man at the top--

Marco Rubio promises us

That he would never swap

Prisoners for hostages.

His strategy, or plan,

Would be like Reagan's in that he wouldn't

Negotiate with Iran.

Rubio's a bit confused, however,

Or he doesn't have a handle

On history. Or does he disremember

The Iran-Contra scandal?

Trading arms for hostages--

Wouldn't you agree?--

Is a form of negotiating

To set hostages free.

Comparing himself to Reagan makes him

Come off sounding hollow.

Particularly in this case Reagan's

The wrong example to follow.

(1-19-16) By Bob B

MLK Day 2016

The sun rises on a day in which

We commemorate

An important figure in American history--

Specifically, the late

Martin Luther King, Jr.,

A man to whom we owe

Respect for leading our country out of

The darkness of Jim Crow.

At thirty-three years of age

King pressed the case

For civil rights with JFK

And put the movement in place.

When only thirty-four years old,

The dreamer touched the nation

With "I Have a Dream," which gained him

Praise and admiration.

The Nobel Peace Prize came his way

At the age of thirty-five.

How much more could he have accomplished

If he were still alive?

May we be judged, said King, NOT

By the color of our skin,

But by the content of our character.

Freedom lies therein.

Bus boycotts, Freedom Rides--

So many people united

To march for rights and to bring more light

To a time dark and benighted.

The Voting and Civil Rights Acts

Opened many doors;

And yet the fight for rights continues,

Which clearly underscores

The need for constant vigilance

To guard against the suppression

Of equal rights for ALL people.

Let's make a steady progression.

King said, Nothing pains some men

More than having to think.

That means we must work all the harder

To try to stay in sync.

The sun will set this evening; tomorrow

A new day will dawn.

May the memories of MLK

Continue to live on.

(1-18-16) By Bob B

Funny Changes

Languages constantly change.

English has, and how!

If not, we would still

Be saying "thee" and "thou."

Sometimes advertising

And the media create a shift

In the way we use certain words

That's annoying. Get my drift?

Businesses, for example,

Have a "free gift" for you.

You think, "A free gift--oh, boy!"
I like getting gifts, too.

But think about it a moment:

Aren't gifts ALWAYS free?

So "Come in for your free gift"

Is a redundancy.

We hear that someone "went missing,"

Which to me sounds weird.

The expression sounds so clunky.

What's wrong with "disappeared"?

To say "to graduate high school"

Actually makes no sense.

(The number of people who say that

Has grown rather immense.)

Schools graduate students.

How hard does that sound?

We graduate from college--

Not the other way around.

And then there's "close proximity."

That's redundant because

"Proximity" itself means "closeness."

We should all know that it does.

So "close proximity" means

"Close closeness," though you might

Say, "That's what I meant."

I would respond, "Yeah, right."

Language changes aren't

Evil or reprehensible.

Grammarians just wonder why

The changes aren't more sensible.

(1-17-16) By Bob B

GOP Presidential Debate #6

The Republican presidential debates

Have become extremely boring.

Debaters sidestepped pertinent questions

And placed their focus more on scoring.

Still confusing facts and figures

And resorting to wild exaggeration,

The debaters made it their ultimate goal

To blast the current administration.

Rubio ignored questions and spouted

Talking points--yes, the ones

He's been saying all along,

Such as the president's after our guns.

Carson wondered if Americans have

Standards and values, which really is

A stupid question. Of course, we do--

Just not intolerant ones like his.

Trump's still spouting anti-immigrant

Rhetoric, which caused some dispute.

He just can't help making such statements

As "People come in; they live; they shoot."

Cruz, who is a skillful debater,

Made the mistake, by the way,

Of criticizing "New York values."

What a clumsy thing to say!

Bush criticized the president's recent

Executive orders and wondered why

The president hadn't worked with Congress.

Ha! Poor Jebby! What a guy!

Kasich often makes sense; however,

His problem is that in this race,

He's a little TOO sensible

For the right-wing Republican base.

And Christie, well, as usual

His talking points were planned out fully.

It's SO hard for him NOT to come off

Sounding like a childish bully.

Notice there wasn't a single question

About climate change. (Or did I snooze?)

Oh, I just remembered: the debate

Appeared on Fox Business News.

Were there insightful moments? A few.

But most were overshadowed when

The debaters bickered back and forth

And spewed their venom again and again.

(1-15-16) By Bob B

(Not) Wanting and (Not) Desiring

The foundation of selfishness

Has much to do with wanting and desiring

And places a heavy focus on

Thoughts of obtaining and acquiring.

The instinctive ego takes control

And motivations become self-centered.

We're often heedless and unaware

Of the shadowy place that we have entered.

Naturally, self-centeredness

Colors what we think and do;

But NOT wanting and NOT desiring,

On the other hand, can be selfish, too.

Wanting: selfish? Not wanting: selfish?

How--we might ask--does that make sense?

NOT wanting may substantiate

Our way of life at others' expense:

Not wanting others to share the same freedoms;

Not wanting others to have the same rights;

Being silent when seeing injustice;

Ignoring people's struggles and plights;

Not acknowledging the efforts of others;

Not desiring to work toward peace;

Not wanting to know oneself;

Not caring if hatreds cease;

Being indifferent to the happiness of others;

Not allowing others to progress;

Not wanting to know how to fix

Our planet once we've made a huge mess.

NOT wanting in many ways

Speaks as loudly as word or deed,

And we become helpless victims

Of our sad and varying levels of greed.

What motivates us really?

Do we know, or do we care?

Is it safer NOT to know?

It might seem so, but beware.

(1-14-16) By Bob B

I Read It on the Internet

"I read it on the Internet

So it must be true.

There it was in black and white,

With colored photos, too.

"Question what I read? Why?

That's customary?

It was on the Internet!

That's not necessary.

"No, the writer doesn't matter.

What credibility?

The article was written with

Impeccable facility.

"Of course it confirms what I think.

Thus, it was worth reading.

Words to the contrary

Wouldn't be worth heeding.

"Did it open up my mind?

Please, don't make me laugh.

'Open minds are dangerous!'

Should be my epitaph.

"A challenge? Ah, who needs that.

I would rather be

Nestled in my notions

And my complacency."

(1-13-16) By Bob B

They Just Can't Afford to Pay Their Share

It's funny how in the very odd world

Of income and taxes here in the U.S.

Those who can afford to pay their share

Often end up paying far less.

If I were among the 400

Highest-earning taxpayers here,

With an average of three hundred thirty-six

Million dollars of income a year,

I would have paid seventeen percent

In federal taxes in 2012.

How and why this happens is something

Into which we ought to delve.
 

Had they earned less--let's just say

One hundred thousand dollars instead--

They would have paid the very same rate!

Doesn't that also make YOU see red?

If high-paid lawyers and lobbyists

Can alter the tax code, set up a trust,

Or create a loophole for the wealthy,

It's not illegal, but simply unjust.

(1-12-16) By Bob B

It's NOT Rocket Science

All the president has to do

Is mention gun regulation that COULD work,

And what do we have? Thousands of paranoid

Gun-lovers coming out of the woodwork.

Can they calmly sit down for ONCE

And listen to a viable suggestion

And NOT madly run for their guns

And say the proposal is out of the question?

Ask them in a non-threatening manner

If they seriously recollect

That the president said he was taking their guns

Or anything else to that effect.

Say "Background checks. Listen again:

Background checks. NOT confiscation."

It's almost as though some guys confuse

Gun laws with the threat of castration.

We're talking common sense here, right?

We don’t want guns in the wrong hands.

But finding ways to control that has been

As hard as controlling the shifting sands.

Most Americans like the idea

Of background checks, according to polls.

It's just a few paranoid ones

That shoot the plan full of holes.

Why be held hostage by politicians

Held hostage in turn by the NRA?

If we want a safer America,

We must act now and not delay.

(1-9-16) By Bob B

Where Is Your Head, Mr. Ryan?

Paul Ryan can't understand

President Obama's breakdown and tears

When he discusses Sandy Hook.

I can't believe my eyes and ears!

If the death of twenty children

Doesn't move you, you have shown,

Mr. Ryan, by words and actions

That you must have a heart of stone.

Of course ALL shootings are sad,

But at Sandy Hook Americans saw

That twenty kids had been riddled with bullets.

Shouldn't that be the very last straw?

An executive order to close gun show loopholes

And expand background checks should improve

Our chances of stopping SOME shootings,

Since Congress has failed to make a move.

"Tyrant!" some shout. "Unconstitutional!"

Others say, "The tears are fake."

"An attack on law-abiding citizens!"

We hear that nonsense from many a flake.

Ryan says the president's trying

To turn our heads from issues that are real.

Making America safer for all:

THAT's what I would call a square deal.

(1-8-16) By Bob B

Eight!

Just what we need: to waste more money

Investigating the Benghazi attacks.

Having spent over 5.6 million,

We'd like the burden off our backs.

Seven separate congressional committees

Preceded the current protracted one--

A partisan Select Committee that has

Accomplished nothing in the long run.

A partisan exercise to attack political

Opponents is what it is. Surprised?

It has been over 600 days

Since the committee was organized.

And all because Republican leaders

Repudiated major conclusions

From previous investigations.

They'd rather forge facts from illusions.

Chairman Gowdy's timing is crucial

As he continues this political charade.

After all, it’s election year;

Republicans need a farcical crusade.

(1-7-16) By Bob B

Gunlandia (à la Seuss)

One day in a land that's quite renowned,

Disturbing news was floating around.

People cried, "Help! It's happening today:

Our leader is taking our guns away!"

Millions swarmed to their gun shops for fear

Their gun shops' demise soon would draw near.

Since no one wanted to be a gun mourner,

The lines stretched around every corner.

"So thirty thousand people will die

From guns in this country each year? Oh, my!

Just THIRTY thousand? Well, that's nifty;

I was afraid I was going to hear FIFTY
Thousand people," said one eager buyer,
Imagining all the guns he'd acquire.

"Three hundred million guns in this land,"

Said another, holding a gun in his hand;

"That's a statistic that I can't rebuff,

But frankly speaking that isn't enough.

A gun gives you power to a certain degree,

But having an arsenal: that makes you free!"

The people cried, "Yay! The more guns the merrier!

Down with every gun-buying barrier!"

From out of the shops the gun buyers streamed.

Their weapons sparkled and glittered and gleamed:

Fancy rifles; assault weapons, too;

Sawed-off shotguns in red, white, and blue.

Someone said, "Wait! There's one thing I need:

A machine gun will bring my collection up to speed."

The laughter and gaiety rose to a high pitch

As the shoppers scratched each gun-buying itch.

"My guns," said one woman, "actually give

Me and my husband a reason to live."

Hubby said, "Yeah, my gun is my life.

I even like it more than my wife.

Our leader wants to stack the decks

In favor of strengthening background checks.

I believe in simplification;

Down with every gun regulation!"

More cheers broke out from those who dreaded

The warnings from anyone more level-headed.

"The Second Amendment should be the rule

Of the land; if you disagree you're a fool,"

Pontificated a bespectacled chap

Who sported a spiffy NRA cap.

"And if gun show loopholes bother you, well,

You can simply go to hell."

Gun store owners were beside themselves;

They couldn't keep the guns on their shelves.

The manufacturers liked the ripple

Effect as they watched their bank accounts triple.

They said, "We have a reason to brag;

Let's put a firearm on our great flag!"

The people shot down firearm discussions

And heedlessly ignored repercussions.

They felt that they needed to put up a fight

For what they thought was a guaranteed right
In a country known as Gunlandia--a place
Where being gunless was a disgrace;

Where what really mattered was rule number one:

Life’s incomplete if you don’t have a gun.

(1-6-16) By Bob B

Saudi Justice

Saudi Arabia, our so-called "friend"

And ally in the Middle East,

Has proved once again it knows

How to perform a real blood feast.

Forty-seven alleged terrorists

On ONE day were executed

By beheading or the firing squad.

That it happened is undisputed.

Vague laws and dubious trials…

And then it's suddenly bang! or whack!

That's one way to stifle dissent

When you think you're under attack.

Consider our dealings with the Saudis.

Doesn't the thought make you recoil

Of billions of dollars in weapons sales

And our dependence on Saudi oil?

Some people here who are running for office

Categorically fail to condemn

The Saudis' actions, which goes to show

Some of us aren't much different from them.

(1-5-16) By Bob B

Outlaws

The Bundy outlaws are back in the news,

Once again stirring up both cheers and boos.

This time it's Cliven Bundy's son

Ammon Bundy who's packed up his gun

And headed for Oregon with his outlaw band,

Willing to make it "Bundy's Last Stand."

They call themselves a "militia," but no,

"Right-wing insurgents" is more apropos.

Fighting an ideological battle

That centers on more than ranchers and cattle,

The outlaws have made it their goal to thwart

A reversal made by a federal appeals court--

A legal decision, which extends

The sentence of two arsonist "friends,"
Who, by the way, turned themselves in,
Having decided to take it on the chin.

An idea spurs the protesters along:

That federal ownership of land is wrong--
At least when it limits livestock from grazing
On government land. Thus the hell-raising.

The gun-toting thugs have occupied

A federal building, where they'll abide.

How much support would they receive

For seizing a building and refusing to leave

If they weren't white? Good question, yes?

Not very much would be my guess.

(1-4-16) By Bob B

Everything Hangs by a Tenuous Thread

Everything hangs by a tenuous thread.

Don't be vain or unrealistic.

Such is existence: it comes and goes.

That's being honest and NOT pessimistic.

Abandon a false sense of security.

Throw off thoughts of invincibility.

Does knowing that things are beyond your control

Dare to threaten your fragile tranquility?

Fiery summers can parch the earth;

We are vulnerable in bitter cold winters.

Although our home seems strong and solid,

A tornado can leave our "fortress" in splinters.

Rising waters inundate the land.

When that happens, we grow less smug.

As hard as we try to control nature's flooding,

We can't simply pull a bathtub plug.

Our firm foundation seems indestructible;

Efforts to make us safe are painstaking.

Nevertheless, notice how helpless

All of us are when the ground starts shaking.

Timeless time is tightly tied

Inextricably to being.

Such interconnectedness

Ought to be consoling and freeing.

What about resilience? you ask.

Life has a resilient bent

That helps us deal with challenges

And face what we can't circumvent.

You know the saying, the old cliché:

Here today; gone tomorrow.

Our attitude will determine whether

Our life is full of happiness or sorrow.

Live each moment, love others,

Learn constantly, and plan ahead.

Just remember that ultimately,

Everything hangs by a tenuous thread.

(1-2-16) By Bob B