What Are You Trying to Hide, Mr. T?

What are you trying to hide, Mr. T?

What do you fear we will find

In your secret tax returns?

Let's see.... What springs to mind?

Are there more illegal dealings

With Cuba? Maybe so.

Or maybe more deals with Russia

Than we want to know?

Regarding charitable causes, perhaps

You don't want us to see

That you are not as charitable

As you let on to be?

Or maybe you don't want us to know--

And thus prefer to stall--

That while we pay our federal taxes,

You pay none at all?

You talk of reasons for nondisclosure;

The reasons are falling apart.

You smugly say that not paying taxes

Shows that you are smart.

Could there be something going on

That's even creepier yet?

When the topic comes up you seem

To break out in a sweat.

You expect transparency

From others. Isn't that true?

But heaven forbid if others expect

Transparency from you!

(9-30-16) By Bob B

"There Were No Sniffles"

Trump said there were no sniffles

At the last debate.

The guy for no reason

Has a need to remonstrate.

So he had the sniffles that night;

Is that such a big deal?

He's sounding even more like

A blundering schlemiel.

Millions of people watched the debate

And heard him grunt and sniffle,

And saw him squirm uncomfortably.

To Trump that's all piffle.

Inveterate liars feel compelled

To lie tooth and nail.

Trump blamed the microphone.

Was that another tale?

When Hillary tells a fib--oh, no--

The end of the world is near!

But when Trump fibs, people act

As though they cannot hear.

(9-29-16) By Bob B

Don't Lose Your Head, Marie!

The world has fickle ways, Marie.

Winds of discontent keep blowing.

Gratitude drowns in despair.

Sometimes it's hard to keep on going.

Alliances are doomed to fail

When the light inside grows dim.

The world becomes a dangerous place

When human reason gives in to whim.

Are you a victim of circumstances?

Of family ambitions? Possibly.

Do you know enough to know

That knowing might have set you free?

Are you completely oblivious

When people drag your name through the mud?

What about the rumors that you

Desire to bathe in the people's blood?

Don't lose your head, Marie.

Keep your cool. Think about it.

The reason is simple: you know there's

Not much you can do without it.

Are you using others, or is it

More that others are using you?

We know your penchant for lavish spending

Isn't hard to misconstrue.

Did you really plaster your walls

With gold and diamonds? Please say no.

Denying it won't help you now.

It was the gossip long ago.

Public opinion is not based

On wisdom, reason, and facts, my dear.

I wish I were able to tell you that

Rumors and talk are nothing to fear.

A high profile is all that you need

For people with minds cruel and perverse

To criticize your character

Or--heaven forbid!--do something worse.

Don't lose your head, Marie.

Keep your cool. Think about it.

The reason is simple: you know there's

Not much you can do without it.

(9-28-16) By Bob B

Worlds Apart

Clinton and Trump: debate number one.

I'm NOT going out on a limb

In saying her fans will still vote for her

While his will vote for him.

Trump's focus was all about change,

And change can be good, indeed.

But can a person like him bring about

The kind of change we need?

The man was often incoherent

And basically unprepared--

Not a wonderful strategy

For a debate that's aired.

Interrupting Clinton's ideas

And acting like a child,

He resorted to gibberish

While she remained unriled.

Fact checkers were going crazy--

Especially with D.T.

People still wonder how he ever

Became the nominee.

Trump says that Clinton lacks stamina.

To him she has no vitality.

But then, we know that he lives in

An alternate reality.

For ninety minutes he appeared

To heckle his own debate.

Can he show that he's for real?

It's getting kind of late.

(9-27-16) By Bob B

If Your Birth Sign Is Libra...

Balance is a key word for you.

You give back what you've been given--

In relationships, that is.

You're a doer, creative and driven.

You lack passion, some people think.

But that is truly not the case.

A compromise between passion

And intellect must be in place.

You really need other people;

Your need to be liked must be fulfilled.

Though reluctant to face confrontation,

Sometimes you can be strong-willed.

You probably like to entertain.

Your grace and charm can make you flirty.

You want to make your surroundings pleasant

Without getting your hands very dirty.

To achieve peace and harmony

You will go to amazing lengths.

Being an expert communicator

Is considered one of your strengths.

Regarding physical exercise,

You could have a lazy streak.

You need motivation since

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

If you lack comfy surroundings,

You can easily be depressed.

Your stamina runs in cycles.

Be aware when you need rest.

Partnerships are important to you.

Just keep your head out of the clouds.

You relish being around other people,

But not necessarily crowds.

Diplomacy helps you succeed

As long as your wit and charm aren't obsessive.

When your wiles are ineffective,

Watch that you don't become aggressive.

If you try to please others too hard,

You lose your individuality.

It's crucial for you that others can see

Your kindness, fairness, and impartiality.

When you know it's time to move on,

You can do it with no hesitation.

Being knocked off balance can cause you

Emotional and mental frustration.

Your love of beauty in all forms

Is on an intellectual level.

You--with your social grace--

Could even charm the pants off the Devil.

(9-23-16) By Bob B

Margaret

Margaret was more than a family friend;

She also taught me to play the piano.

Once in while she'd have me sing,

When I was still a kid soprano.

I wasn't a gifted piano player.

In fact, I was far from it.

And the stage fright at recitals:

I never could overcome it.

I never practiced as much as I should have,

Which was obvious in my playing.

I'd never become a concert pianist.

That, of course, went without saying.

Yet Margaret never scolded me

Whenever I came unprepared

To my weekly piano lesson--

A little nervous, a little scared.

I would play an exercise

And utterly butcher the innocent piece.

"That one needs a little more work,"

She'd say. Then my fears would cease.

I studied with her for many years--

From childhood through my early teens.

My lessons were not a means to an end;

The end was entirely the means.

Spending time on the piano bench

With Margaret on a chair by my side

Is ingrained in my heart:

Time spent with my mentor and guide.

Instilling the love of music in me,

She was definitely my muse.

Music is a life-changing gift--

A blessing I hope never to lose.

I learned that life can bring happiness,

But also times of sadness and loss.

Margaret developed a brain tumor.

There'd be a river of sorrow to cross.

How could such a wonderful person--

And talented, too--capitulate

To illness? Then I faced the truth:

Cancer doesn't discriminate.

When Margaret died, to me all music

Sounded like a dolorous dirge.

But with time, the glorious sounds

Slowly began to reemerge.

She had taught me so much more

Than how to plunk on piano keys.

How sad it would be if ever the notes

Faded from our memories.

Music’s a powerful force in our lives.

Without it I wonder where we would be.

There’s ONE thing that I know for certain:

Margaret will always be music to me.

(9-12-16) By Bob B

Remembering Sergeant D

In the fall of 1972

When cosmos waved in the autumn breeze

For miles along the country roads,

And dappled foliage covered the trees,

In South Korea I knew a man--

I'll just call him Sergeant D--

Who was stationed in the city of Seoul

At a U.S. Army post with me.

Buddies we weren't. To tell the truth

I didn't know him very well.

But he was a definite character,

Always joking and raising hell.

Payday would come once a month

And Sergeant D would be in the black.

A few days later he'd want to borrow

Money that he'd never pay back.

That fall Sergeant D

Was "getting short," an expression that meant

He was close to leaving the service.

For him that was an exciting event.

"Short!" he'd yell, on entering the barracks.

"Short!" you'd hear from a block away.

He loved to rub it in, much

To his homesick army buddies' dismay.

To exit the service, he would fly

To California, where a car--

A flashy new model--awaited him

To drive back home--rather far.

So after the sergeant left Korea,

Picked up his car, and headed east,

He died on a California

Highway. Tragic, to say the least.

After having survived two tours

Of duty in Vietnam, this man

Left Korea and died before

His post-army life began!

Life is full of ironies

That always have us asking "Why?"--

Ironies that make us chuckle,

Make us ponder, make us cry.   

(9-10-16) By Bob B

Joe, the Bully

Joe, our grade school bully,

Never bullied me.

Flying under the radar,

I got off scot-free.

Though I felt relieved,

I should have been incensed,

For seldom were his victims

Ever recompensed.

I wish I'd had the chutzpah

To walk up to him and intone,

"Hey, brainless buttface,

Leave that kid alone!"

What I would have done next,

I haven't the slightest clue.

I was a geeky kid

Who'd jump if you said "Boo!"

I should at least have tried

An approach more diplomatic

And NOT have selected

An expression so…emphatic.

Nonetheless, I never

Castigated Joe.

I was a helpless kid;

What the heck did I know?

When we notice bullying

And we don't make a fuss,

Are we just delighted

That no one's bullying us?

We all know what happens

When people are afraid

To speak out against injustice.

Humanity is betrayed.

(9-8-16) By Bob B

Scary

We know Trump is a scary man.

We also know we shouldn't let

Our guard down. Now I wonder

How much scarier he can get.

Since his campaign was running badly,

He added to his floundering team

Two new faces, proving the point:

We aren't always what we seem.

Bannon, of course, we knew all along

Had alt-right leanings. No denying.

But Kellyanne Conway's membership

In the CNP is horrifying.

The secretive Council for National Policy--

The CNP--is a shadowy group

Where mainstream conservatives

And right-wing extremists stay in the loop.

How long Bannon and Conway

Were members of the group isn't clear.

How much damage can they do

Now that the two have Trump's ear?

Members include white supremacist

Ideologues among the rest.

Extreme religious right members

Bring up issues that they want addressed.

To call the group a theocratic

Organization wouldn't be wrong.

It operates behind the scenes

And membership is going strong.

Bannon with his immigrant-Muslim-

Women-bashing is among friends.

He can deliver his propaganda

And not have to make amends.

Fringe groups with extreme ideas

Have always been around, we know.

But when their ideas are given credence,

They end up causing a lot of woe.

(9-2-16) By Bob B

No Change

Donald Trump devours flattery.

(That's why he loves Putin so.)

And so, no way would he pass up

An invitation to Mexico

To meet with president Peña Nieto.

Looking rather out of place,

He read his speech; but what he did

Afterwards was a slap in the face

To Mexicans and to immigrants

As he expounded in detail his stance

On immigration, which ended up

Being his usual song and dance.

Using emotive loaded terms

With connotations that cut like sheers,

He appealed to the lowest common

Denominator of people's fears.

Focusing on the criminal element

Of the undocumented, he tried

To prove his point with misstated facts--

Again taking us for a ride.

He continued to harp on his towering,

"Beautiful southern-border wall,"

Which, according to many experts,

Actually makes no sense at all.

Regarding that wall, Trump doesn't

Want Americans to forget

That Mexico will pay for it,

Though "they don't know it yet."

He's still saying that all people

Here illegally will have to leave.

There's no softening in his approach--

No mention of any reprieve.

Still blowing racial whistles

And still playing the media with lies,

Nothing about his fear-mongering

Approach turns out to be a surprise.

Hateful speech disguised as concern

For all Americans doesn’t empower

Society. Instead it disrupts

Our freedom and turns Americans sour.

(9-1-16) By Bob B