Memorial Day Parade

The wounded vet marched in the town's

Memorial Day Parade

With feelings of pride along with the sense

Of having been betrayed.

He'd fought in nightmarish skirmishes

In a hellish no man's land,

Pledging allegiance to a country whose war

He didn't understand.

Though proud he was to have served his country,

He couldn't always claim

To be proud of his country at times,

Which was a rotten shame.

When signing up he knew he might

Have to pay a price--

But not the feeling of abandonment

For his sacrifice.

In some ways he felt lucky, for he'd

Returned with his duffel bag--

Unlike some of his friends who had

Come home wrapped in a flag.

The crowds cheered, the bands played,

The ceremony was formal.

Afterwards, the crowds would go home;

Their lives would go back to normal.

Normal for him was a daily struggle,

Therapy, medication,

Recurring dreams, unemployment,

Continuous frustration.

"No more empty promises;
No more tales or lies,"

He muttered softly as "Taps" was played

And tears streamed from his eyes.

(5-30-16) By Bob B

The Phantom Debate

Trump agreed to debate Bernie Sanders,

But one of his main stipulations

Was that the network would have to put up

Millions of dollars in charitable donations.

Trump suggested that the money

Go to causes in women's health,

Which, I agree, would be a good

Reason to donate a great deal of wealth.

But listen, ladies everywhere,

Donald Trump is trying to woo you.

I hate to tell you, Mr. T,

But most women can see right through you.

After Trump disparaged women

With negative comments whenever he could,

He thinks he's now showing women

Sincere efforts to try to make good.

It's like his attempt--which he figured

Would be redeeming and certainly valid--

To tweet a photo of him in his restaurant

Chomping on a taco salad.

That's his way to undo his words

Bashing Mexicans--his hateful invective.

"You see, I love the Mexican people."

Nice try, Trump, but none too effective.

But, alas, Trump changed his mind.

He cancelled the special debate with Sanders.

Which lucky group will be

The NEXT one to whom Trump panders?

ADDENDUM:

It didn't take long for Trump to do it.

It's hard to believe, but it is true.

In California, Trump has found

A new group to pander to:

This time it's voters in central Cal.

Trump told them that without a doubt--

Now be sure you are sitting down--

In California THERE IS NO DROUGHT!

Listen again: There is no drought,

Said the billionaire media star,

Who'll say whatever comes to his head.

Either HE is clueless or he thinks we are.

Trump thinks he can get away

With saying anything. Don't deny it.

It's scary to hear him spout his nonsense.

What's even scarier is people buy it!

(5-28-16) By Bob B

Lucita

Lucita clearly wasn't a beauty.

Her grade school features were unrefined,

Awkward, plain, unattractive….

(I'm trying not to be unkind.)

Her classmates loved--as many kids do--

To find people's faults and then make fun of them.

Lucita's classmates tormented her;

I know because I was one of them.

I didn't say mean things about her,

Tease her or call her a horrible name.

My silence, however, made me complicit;

Because of my silence, I shared their shame.

How often are we silent when

We see injustice right before us?

Do we fear becoming involved

Or hope that the "evil" will ignore us?

History shows what happens to people

When others stay silent and don't speak out.

Only by standing up to injustice

Can real change come about.

Lucita didn't stay long at the school.

I think her family moved away.

I'm sure the kids found someone else

To taunt, belittle, pester, and flay.

I hope that for Lucita a happy,

Fulfilling life has been her reward;

I hope the once gawky duckling

Opened her beautiful wings and soared.

(5-26-16) By Bob B

A Houseful of Memories

The house that I grew up in has changed through the years.

It hides now in the foliage so lush and thick around it.

It holds countless memories--of laughter, tears, and fears--

Despite the ocean of leaves and bushes that have drowned it.

I still can see us playing in what was once a yard--

Croquet, catch, softball, and often kick the can.

Finding things to keep us busy wasn't hard.

We played cops and robbers, tag, and Superman.

I see us in our costumes running out the door,

Eager to fill our trick-or-treat bags with treats.

In December, we rearranged the furniture before

Dad brought home our tree and Mom put out the sweets.

The smell of donuts frying in Mom's old deep fryer

Brought my weekend morning slumber to a halt.

The way she planned out life was something to admire.

She was thoughtful, caring, and organized to a fault.

I still feel the excitement of family get-togethers,

Visits from relatives, parties with our friends.

Our relationships were bonds instead of tethers.

I feel we maintained a love that never ends.

Then there was the time of chaos when my brother

Fell from a car, cracked his head, and almost died.

Though blinded, he survived; but unlike any other,

That was a time when we were terrified.

That house saw me pass through many years of school--

From kindergarten till I got my college degree.

During my hippie years when I thought I was cool,

The house was still my refuge while I was finding me.

Into the house came my newly adopted sister

While I was still in college. Soon the Army called.

I said good-by, but darn! how I missed her!

That was one of the few times I have bawled.

After I'd left for the Army, my parents moved away.

I never once set foot inside that house again.

Although I now live in a different house today;

I keep having dreams of that house from way back when.

Many many things are only memories now;

So many family and friends have departed.

I trust that thoughts of love and gratitude somehow

Will keep me from feeling down and broken-hearted.

(5-25-16) By Bob B

What Do They Say About Glass Houses?

Trump is blasting Hillary Clinton

For Bill's marital indiscretions--

Trump, whose own relationships

Could jump right out of True Confessions.

While married to Ivana, he played around

With the woman who became wife number two.

A few years later he dumped that wife,

And later wife three made her debut.

He loves to brag about sexual conquests

And play the role of the macho man.

He has a way of reducing women

To sexual objects whenever he can.

His multiple marriages are not at issue;

Neither are his gorgeous wife-clones.

But the insults that he hurls against others...

Hasn't he heard of glass houses and stones?

(5-24-16) By Bob B

A Frightening Place (à la Seuss)

When a tyrant arose in a land of the free--

Let's say his name began with a "T"--

The people who actually voted him in

Began to experience one word: chagrin.

At one time the public had been swept away

By most of the things that the man had to say.

To some of the people his words were outlandish;

One NEVER knew what verbal sword he would brandish.

He'd call his opponent a fake or a liar.

Whoever disliked him would come under fire.

What started out being reluctant endurance--

And frankly was not an uncommon occurrence--

Became what you'd call blind allegiance to him.

The general climate became rather grim.

Could he be a champion for all dispossessed

People who suffered? No, he was obsessed

With his power and authoritarian rule.

He certainly didn't pick them up in school.

How he hated the critics who called him a con

And pretended to be a handsome Don Juan!

Most people obviously found that amusing,

Except for the ones who devoured his schmoozing.

He claimed that he loved and admired his nation

But stressed in his speeches its sad deprivation.

He believed that the president needed more power

And he also thought he was the man of the hour.

How did the man with no grasp of history

Make it that far? 'Twas really a mystery.

Also, the man had no impulse control.

Who said the devil possessed the man's soul?

When asked about torture he smiled, saying that

He'd implement it at the drop of a hat.

The fear soon became so widespread in that land

As some of the people were hounded or banned.

The clueless ones quietly stood by and let

Their liberties undergo threat after threat.

The man's main appointees were so out of touch!

But people learned not to expect very much.

With the other political parties divided--

It was not a wise move, they later decided--

This madman deluded the country and managed

To let the land's national psyche be damaged.

There turned out to be a lot of distress in

That land that had needed a history lesson.

Life becomes scary and cruel and slanted

When dangerous things become taken for granted.

Just hope that your country will always beware

And not let this horrible thing happen there.*

(5-22-16) By Bob B

*Inspired by an article in The New Yorker, by Adam Gopnik, May 20, 2016

In Bed Together

Oh, what a surprise!

Our lovely NRA

Has endorsed Trump. So now,

Doesn’t that make your day?

In bed together, the two--

The NRA and Trump--

Are having a wonderful time,

Each one playing the chump.

They serve lies and false claims
To gullible voters, who

Eat up the far-fetched nonsense

And bow and kowtow on cue.

They say it's about the battle

For Second Amendment rights.

They cast their deceptive bait;

The paranoid public bites.

"Clinton's after your guns!"

Is one of their many refrains.

My goodness, they act as though

We haven't got any brains!

Mis- and disinformation

Are getting hard to avoid.

They must be miserable people

To be so paranoid.

(5-21-16) By Bob B

Heavenly Thoughts

The concept of heaven titillates,

Bewilders, and often befuddles.

Imagining how it operates

Leaves one in tangles and muddles.

Think of a woman whose husbands have numbered

At least two or three.

In heaven will they all be together?

How awkward that would be!

Let's say you want servants galore

To cater to every desire.

Is there perchance a sign on the Gates

That reads "Servants for Hire"?

If HER idea of heaven would mean

Being forever with HIM,

But HIS wishes do not include HER,

Her chances of bliss will be slim.

Though harp music is fine now and then,

Too much would be cloying.

But whiny, screechy electric guitars

Could also become annoying.

If winning's your thing, then heaven's for you,

Whatever the sport you choose.

But if you win, don't forget:

Somebody has to lose.

Now who wants to lose in Paradise?

There must be a glitch.

Or maybe it's false advertising.

You know: bait and switch.

If my idea of heaven would be

Walking around in the nude,

We would have a problem if

You, dear friend, were a prude.

If for a dog heaven would be

Forever chasing cats,

Paradise for a cat might be

A constant supply of rats.

That would be fine and dandy for dogs

As far as we can tell.

For cats, however, the dogs' heaven

Would end up being cat hell.

Back to the rats, if heaven meant

Feeding a hungry feline,

They would seek a sign saying Exit,

For which they'd make a beeline.

The more you think about the idea,

The more it gets confusing.

You can try to figure it out,

But you can't win for losing.

(5-19-16) By Bob B

For Cousin Carrie (1959-2016)

The night calmly, quietly departed,

Letting the sun nudge in the dawn.

A new day often brings joy,

But not today, for Carrie has gone.

A torch has suddenly been extinguished;

A candle's flickering flame has gone out.

As hard as we try to hope against hope,

Some things we can do nothing about.

Full of life, exuberance, and charm,

Carrie touched many hearts with her spirit.

Try as one might to match her vitality,

Few people could ever come near it.

Her matchless energy filled us with wonder.

Her gregarious character was lively and hearty.

As soon as Carrie entered a room,

She became the life of the party.

A struggle-free path she didn't have;

A few demons madly pursued her.

Despite occasional challenges,

Death was the only one that subdued her.

Subdue her? No, that isn't right.

Her inimitable energy exists

In the turbulent, blowing desert winds;

In the cool, soothing mountain mists;

In the majestic, glorious New Mexican mesas;

In the gently rising hot air balloon;

In the crest of the regal desert roadrunner;

In the calm, peaceful face of the moon;

In the gracefully blooming yucca flower;

In the crisp, caressing autumn breeze;

In desert blooms; in the pinyon pine;

In the autumn colors bursting from trees.

I will not say good-bye to Carrie.

I'll just take in a breath of air,

Hear her voice, her songs, her laughter,

And feel her presence everywhere.

(5-7-16) By Bob B

May Freedom Prevail!

A dark cloud passes over the land

Obscuring the light of rationality.

Winds of uncertainty beat against

The threatened structures of democracy's vitality.

Never before has a politician

Vowed to deport from American soil

Eleven million people. Tell me:

How does that not make your blood boil?

To carry out a mass deportation--

To tear millions of families apart--

Would violate the rights of us all

And be neither compassionate nor smart.

Never before has a politician

Promoted religious profiling here,

In a country where we have the right to believe

Or NOT--a freedom that we hold dear.

Never before has a politician

Suggested that America should harm

The families of suspected terrorists.

Good gracious! Sound the alarm!

If democracies undermine themselves

By taking away people’s rights it seems

That there's a very thin line between

Such democracies and fascist regimes.

May the light of reason pass through

The dark clouds obscuring the sun!

May reason stifle the threats of tyranny

So we can proclaim that freedom has won!

(5-7-16) By Bob B

And Then There Was One

After months of debating,

Name-calling, and the like,

One GOP candidate's

Popularity hit a spike.

All of the other candidates

Dropped out of the race

With tails between their legs

Or a little egg on the face.

The remaining GOP candidate

Is Donald T. Trump.

All along people thought

His popularity would slump.

How he made it this far

Despite inglorious attacks

On women, Latinos, and Muslims

Amazes me to the max.

His pompous and egotistical

Comments take the cake.

A misogynist and xenophobe:

What a president he'd make!

Many top Republicans

Don't even trust the man.

(Though one of the losing candidates

Is now his biggest fan.)

To the baffled people of other

Countries it’s unclear

How Trump became so popular

And what is happening here.

Trump’s now softening his tone

To woo those who eschew him--

An attempt a bit too late,

For people can see right through him.

A climate of fear and anger

And a path we soon would regret:

If that's what Americans want,

That's what they're going to get.

(5-5-16) By Bob B 

So There But for Fortune...

Touching her forehead to the cobblestone street

And raising her upturned palms in the air,

The beggar maintains her pose for hours--

A pose of misery, pain, and despair.

Into the Venetian square pours

A constant flow of tourist mobs.

Few pay any attention

To the beggar's miserable, plaintive sobs.

Once in a while her eye will catch

The eye of somebody passing by.

Feeling remorse, disgust, or discomfort,

The person turns away with a sigh.

Occasionally, a kind-hearted soul

Will drop a coin into the palm

Of the beggar woman's beseeching hand,

Hoping to give her a moment of calm.

"Grazie molto, signore, signora,"

The woman cries, lifting her head.

Tears stream down her wrinkled cheeks

From watery eyes, puffy and red.

"Don't encourage her," somebody says.

"Why doesn't she find some employment?"

"How disgusting!" says another.

"She puts a damper on my enjoyment."

Who knows the desperation

That brought the woman to her current state?

It's always easier to turn one's head,

To criticize or castigate.

One man says, "You'll never find me

Begging like her. That's what I know."

He's unaware that the poor woman

Said the same thing years ago.

(5-4-16) By Bob B

Into the All

Lest we hopeful humans forget

That glory ever fades,

Dashing hopes of permanence.

Ah, the ace of spades.

The morning dew on leaves and blossoms

Evaporates in the sun,

Bearing deep significance

When all is said and done.

Holding on to attempts to glimpse

Into eternity

Defrauds the mind that wants to believe

What wasn't meant to be.

What was, what is, and what shall be

Will manifest despite

All attempts to categorize

What is wrong or right.

Relaxing into the universe--

Into the constant flow--

We release the bonds, the fetters,

Of what we think we know.

That must be the ultimate--

The effortless release,

Blissless bliss, beingless being,

Indescribable peace.

(5-3-16) By Bob B

I Dreamed Again of Trumplandia

I dreamed again of Trumplandia.

The nightmare keeps recurring--

The lines between fact

And fiction constantly blurring.

The best of the worst is stifled;

The worst of the best promoted.

Reality is expressed

In words that are sugarcoated.

Lady Liberty frowns;

Her stance seems to shout:

"Away, huddled masses!

Wretched refuse, keep out!"

What is crass becomes golden;

What is golden turns crass.

What appear to be diamonds

Are actually cut glass.

Vindictiveness is praised.

The language becomes oblique.

The common form of expression

Develops into a shriek.

Walls surround the country,

So high that gawking crowds

Strain to see the tops

Obscured by dreary, gray clouds.

Cameras are able to capture--

When the spotlight shines--

The pupils of the leader:

Two dollar signs.

Despite reports, only

A few wallets grow fatter.

The government sends the message:

Wealthy lives matter.

I cringe when I see the people

Grow more and more apathetic.

I tell myself it's a dream

And hope that it's not prophetic.

(5-1-16) By Bob B