Dear Putin...

"Dear Vladimir Putin, my friend,

Thank you for your ongoing support.

You know I'm really going to need it

If I somehow land in 'court.'

"Keep bombarding social media;

Expand the use of all those bots.

But definitely cover your tracks,

For people will try to connect the dots.

"You know how I--one of your fans--

Highly respect your strongman appeal.

You've perfected your talents there,

As I the art of making a deal.

"I like the way you cripple dissent;

You've got the people under control.

I'm NOT there yet, but give me time.

It remains my overall goal.

"Poisoning my opponents? Well,

Maybe I wouldn't go that far.

But you and I together can think of

Other techniques, tzar to tzar.

"Right now the investigation

Here is really driving me mad.

I want to fire Mueller but need

Grounds completely ironclad.

"Maybe you can help me there.

I'm sure for you it's worth a try:

Help my kiss-ass Republicans

Vilify the FBI.

"I'm trying to follow your media playbook

On how you limit opposing views.

I'm able to spread a lot of untruths

On MY station called Fox News.

"My efforts to trick the religious right

Have been clever and not at all shoddy.

Even though we both know there's

Not a religious bone in my body.

"By the way, you don't have

Tapes of me when I was there

In Russia, do you? You know the kind:

Tapes of me in my underwear.

"Remember the word sanctions, my friend.

We can lift them--buh-lieve you me--

If all the tapes of me disappear.

Your friend, Donald T."

-by Bob B (1-31-18)

How to Obstruct an Investigation

Obstructing an investigation

Is really easier than one thinks.

Surround yourself with fawning fans

To help you work out all the kinks.

It helps if you can early on

Fire the head of the whole shebang,

And then sully his reputation

With every subsequent harangue.

Build distrust in the FBI

So when the people hear those initials,

They'll remember how you impugned

The credibility of law officials.

Spread the fear that a secret society,

Cleverly organized and malicious,

Is out to get you, even though

In reality, it's fictitious.

Let your "friends" in Congress create

Alternate scandals that detract

From your investigation, even

Though they are not based on fact.

A news station that has the least

Credibility helps a great deal--

One that pedals conspiracy theories

With unabashed passion and zeal.

Undermine investigative

Efforts by frequently causing confusion,

And then repeat ad nauseum

"No collusion! No collusion!"

Using some Stalinesque techniques

Helps your cause, and once you've begun,

The people, too, will call the media

Public enemy number one.

Having power will make you feel

That you possess unlimited choices.

If democracy gets in the way,

Keep on trying to quiet voices.

All of the strategies listed above--

If they're mercilessly applied--

Will come in handy, especially

If you have something to hide.

-by Bob B (1-25-18)

Like Lucy with Her Football

You did it again, Senatorial

Democrats. How naïve!

You keep falling for the tricks

McConnell has up his sleeve.

Long ago a funding bill

Could easily have been sent--

One with bipartisan support--

To the president.

Republican leaders chose, however,

To play a game, and that's

How they let a shutdown occur

And then blame Democrats.

True, the president's wishy-washy

Feelings aren't always clear.

It doesn't help when bigoted voices

Are whispering in his ear--

Voices of Kelly, Steve Miller,

Iowan Steve King,

And Tom Cotton from Arkansas,

All with a racist sting.

And so for now the fate of the Dreamers

Is a question mark.

You trust that McConnell won't continue

To leave them in the dark?

McConnell waits--like Lucy with her football--

For you to run up and kick it.

Will you fall for the trick again,

Or tell him where to stick it?

-by Bob B (1-23-18)

White House Limericks, January 2018

If Trump wants to read Fire and Fury,

I would suggest that he hurry.

The next exposé

Will be more risqué

And give him more reason to worry.

Was Donald Trump feeling forlorn,

And afterwards did he feel torn,

From having a fling

And feeling like king

With one of the hot queens of porn?

If Bannon would do what he oughtta,

He'd check out his list of errata,

For now he has learned

How it feels to get burned

And be Trump's persona non grata.

From watching the news on the tele

We're seeing much more of John Kelly.

Our first thoughts of him

Were not quite so grim,

But he's become Machiavelli.

Trump was really obsessed

With proving his mind was the best.

His cognitive exam

Was probably a sham,

And most people are not impressed.

A leader went out on a limb

And joined a new fitness gym.

"Forget it!" he said.

"I'd rather be dead.

To hell with me being slim."

-by Bob B (1-21-18)

The President and the Porn Star

Loudly the Muses sing out a tale:

The President and the Porn Star.

They sing about qualifications and how

Much a leader can lower the bar.

Their voices resound as they tell the story

That happened ten years before he became

The president. Though married he was,

Marriage to him was just a game.

Four months after his fifth child was born,

The man--a celebrity--had his fling.

Did his third wife know? The Muses

Haven't told us everything.

Feeling outrage overload,

The public merely said, "Just one

More story to add to a growing collection.

The man was just having some fun."

If the celebrity had an adventure,

If he had his little affair,

That was his choice--his decision.

Frankly, the Muses really don't care.

When money became involved in the matter,

It gave the story an added dimension.

Hush money paid to the star?

That's what attracted the Muses' attention.

A payment of one hundred thirty thousand

Dollars went to the porn star's account

Before the election to keep her silent,

The importance of which was paramount.

With so many songs to sing, the Muses

Inspire us to listen, to learn,

To grasp the art of living, to seek

The beauty of truth, for which we yearn.

Keep singing, Muses. Follow the money.

Point out hypocrisy, fraud, and deceit.

What more can your songs reveal?

The truth should never become obsolete.

-by Bob B (1-19-18)

They Can't Keep Their Stories Straight

Certain Republican members of Congress

And White House staff have of late

Had a lot of difficulty

Keeping their made-up stories straight.

Senators Graham and Durbin reacted

When Trump referred to "shithole" nations

And thus disparaged Salvadorians,

People in African countries and Haitians.

But Senators Perdue and Cotton

At first said they weren't aware

Whether the president said the word

And tried not to get caught in the snare.

A couple days later they said, NO,

He didn't say "shithole" at all.

How convenient: this sudden change

Of mind from nothing to sudden recall.

After that they changed their stories.

It wasn't "shithole" but instead

The word was "shithouse." Yes, that was

What President Trump had said.

At first Trump didn't deny it,

But later said his language was "tough."

(But we've heard what comes out of his mouth

Whenever he speaks off the cuff.)

What difference does it make?

The word isn't the main point here.

Attitude, racist feelings,

And lack of respect are very clear.

Once they lie, they have to keep lying--

They have to keep plugging away.

As their stories change, the liars

Look more foolish every day.

-by Bob B (1-17-18)

March!*

We hear the sounds of approaching thunder

Drowning out the cries and pleas

Of people calling out for freedom--

Urgent calls in times like these!

March!

We hear the words that spit and sputter--

That splatter against mellifluous sounds

Of peace, of hope, of promise, of caring,

Creating verbal battlegrounds.

March!

We see the dark and threatening clouds

Looming above, waiting to rain

On love and reason. The winds of hatred

Equal the force of a hurricane.

March!

We see around the neck of compassion

A cruel, ever-tightening noose,

While the henchmen multiply--

A surge of bigotry on the loose.

March!

We feel in our hearts the constant longing

For dreams that should be guaranteed

By thoughtful laws and not by decisions

Forged from ignorance, power, and greed.

March!

We feel the sadness, pain, and despair

Of all who are trampled and left behind,

Of all whose rights are being denied,

Of all who are hated and maligned.

March!

We know that we can transcend bias;

When myth prevails, wisdom departs.

We can flourish by wisely removing

The chains of intolerance from our hearts.

March!

We know that we have the potential

To live in a country governed by laws

Embracing all the people here

And freeing us from tyranny's claws.

March!

March to demonstrate solidarity

With others who hear the urgent call.

March together in peace for social

And economic justice for all!

March!

-by Bob B (1-31-17, 1-17-18)

*This is an update and reposting of my Jan 2017 poem

Sing Out for Freedom!*

They marched together; they marched strong,

With flags, signs, and banners waving.

They marched in sun, snow, and rain

To speak out for rights and causes worth saving.

The Women's March on Washington

Became a world phenomenon

Occurring on seven continents.

May the powerful memory live on!

Women, men, and children with

Determination undeterred

Peacefully rallied together,

Letting their mighty voices be heard.

Echoing through the cities' canyons

And filling city parks and squares,

Their voices loudly demanded that leaders

Listen to democracy's heirs.

When people's rights are under attack,

When greed-driven politicians

Bow to Wall Street and corporations,

Ignoring the struggling people's petitions,

The people then must raise their voices

And hope that their peaceful protest starts

A major shift in understanding--

A positive change in lawmakers' hearts.

The protesters clearly spoke:

We must protect democracy

From the threatening ravages

Of plutoc-, corpoc-, or kakistocracy.

They'll march again in 2018.

They'll march to show that it has never

Been more urgent, for now there are

More reasons to march than ever.

Onward, marchers. Don't give up.

You have a voice; let it ring

From east to west, from north to south.

Sing out, people! Sing! Sing!

-by Bob B (1-22-17, 1-13-18)

*This is an update and reposting of my Jan 2017 poem.

MLK Day 2018: The Dream

Take a look around

And tell me what you see.

Do you see a country

Where everyone is free?

Do you see the people

United in a land,

Where people of all color

Are walking hand in hand?

Do you see a church

Where years ago inside

Dynamite exploded

And four young girls died?

Do you see a counter

Where people were not served--

Where unjust laws determined

What certain folks deserved?

Do you see a street

Where protesters were sprayed

With high pressure hoses

While they marched and prayed?

Do you see a window--

If not, take closer note--

Where folks were turned away--

Were told, "You can't vote!"?

Do you see a house

Not everyone could buy

Unless they "qualified"?

Hmm. I wonder why?

Do you see a job

Where privilege preordained

Who'd be hired? Of course.

The practice was ingrained.

From out of the darkness emerged

A beacon, a shining light:

A man who offered us

A peaceful means to fight.

But while we've moved forward,

We keep stepping back,

For now voter rights

Again are under attack.

The long walk for freedom

Is not an easy walk.

Justice is also threatened

By insensitive talk.

For ugly, hateful rhetoric

Stirs the hard of heart

To act in unjust ways

Where reason plays no part.

Understanding, compassion,

And love should be our guide.

Let them push both hatred

And prejudice aside.

Stay on the path to justice

Even though it may seem

That roadblocks get in the way.

Don't give up the dream.

-by Bob B (1-15-18)

Sorry State of Affairs

The White House sent senior adviser

Stephen Miller to CNN

To blast the recent publication

FIRE AND FURY. Once again,

Jake Tapper must know when they

Invite White House racist slime

To CNN for interviews,

They're wasting both his and our time.

Miller merely had talking points

And wasn't there to be interviewed.

Seeing that it was going nowhere,

Jake Tapper became unglued

And stopped the interview altogether.

Trump tweeted that Miller destroyed

Tapper, but what else would we expect

From Trump, a man who lives in a void.

It's funny: it's not at all surprising

How Trump and his team, by hook or by crook,

Resort to using antics that

Confirm everything in the book.

They and Republican members of Congress

Haven't just been caught unawares.

All of them have drunk the Kool-Aid.

What a sorry state of affairs!

-by Bob B (1-8-18)

Two Children Bickering

K.J.U.

Notice my long-range ballistic missiles--

Grand and statuesque.

And I have my own nuclear button

Sitting on my desk.

D.J.T.

I don't mess around with upstarts

And incompetent jerks.

MY nuclear arsenal is bigger,

And MY button works!

Plus, MY people like me.

What do you think about that?

Your people have no choice,

And you are short and fat.

K.J.U.

You live in an alternate world.

Why doesn't it click?

Most didn't vote for you,

You old lunatic.

THE REST OF US

Back and forth the children bicker

With verbal attacks and blame,

While we with mounting fear look on,

As pawns in their dangerous game.

-by Bob B (1-3-18)

"Give Me a Break!"

(Try to imagine Donald Trump on a stage in a

tuxedo with a top hat and a cane.)

(1)

"I've spent many years

On a stage of sorts.

Including all the times

I've spent in the courts.

But now I'm on the biggest

And grandest stage of all

And on a constant high,

Though not from alcohol.

Since being president

Is not an easy task,

To help me run this country,

There's ONE thing that I ask:

"Please…

Can…

You…

Give me a break?

Come on and

Give me a break.

They say to take it on the chin,

But hey! I never thought I'd win.

So give me a break.

Yes, give me a break.

For Pete's sake

Give me a break!

(2)

"People say they want

To see my tax returns.

Every time I hear that,

Oh, my stomach churns.

Buh-lieve me: no one's being

Taken for a ride.

But my financial matters

Are…um…classified.

There was no collusion

With Putin. Can't you see?

We JUST exploited his

Dislike for Hillary.

"So…

Come…

On…

Give me a break--

A beautiful break!

I will fix this world. And how!

You know I'm the cat's meow.

Just give me a break.

Yes, give me a break.

For goodness' sake

Give me a break!

(3)

"If Congress pats my back,

I'll give theirs a pat.

If Dems did, too, then I

Would hug a Democrat.

Loyalty’s important,

So if I get the urge,

I might just have to give

The FBI a purge.

I wish the prying media

Would try to be my friend

And write what pleases me.

Of course that would depend.

"If…

They…

Would…

Give me a break--

A big giant break!

I've the right to ridicule

Anyone I think a fool.

So give me a break.

Yes, give me a break.

For God's sake

Give me a break!

(4)

"So what if Flynn's a liar

And Spicer is a boob

And Bannon is a racist
And Sessions is a rube?

Ivanka and Trump Junior

Will pick up any slack.

I've got Kelly whipped,

And Sarah has my back.

I even have the white

Supremacists at my feet.

To stir up all my base,

All I do is tweet.

"ONE…

MORE…

TIME…

Give me a break--

A fabulous break.

Kim Jong Un has got to go.

Call me Mr. Dynamo!

Just give me a break--

A HUGE, gorgeous break.

Come on! Just

Give me a break!"

-by Bob B (1-2-18)