Eight Shots in Sacramento

Eight shots hit Stephon Clark.

Once again the news hits hard.

Eight shots out of twenty or so

Brought him down in his grandma's backyard.

Helicopters circled above.

Police officers on the ground,

Suspecting Clark of a crime yelled out,

"Gun! Gun!" before he was downed.

Clark was holding NOT a gun

But a mobile phone. Officers said

The suspect charged at them before

They hastily shot the unarmed man dead.

But something is fishy: Six shots hit

The man in the back. By and large,

People do NOT normally

Rush backwards when they charge.

In retrospect, as we piece together

The flash of events that transpired,

We learned that after Clark had fallen,

Even more shots were fired.

Stephon Clark is another name

To add to an ever-growing list

Of unarmed black men killed by police

Whose actions cannot be dismissed.

Appropriate use of force is key;

But one thing is undeniable:

We simply can't allow ourselves

To justify the unjustifiable.

-by Bob B (3-31-18)

Topical Limericks - March 2018

HOPE

The White House has lost its Hope.

Will Trump be able to cope?

Did she rhapsodize

His little white lies?

Is he at the end of his rope?

-by Bob B (3-2-18)

TRADE WARS

When Trump has a bad day,

All of us have to pay.

A trade war because

Of tariffs? Where was

His babysitter? Away?

-by Bob B (3-3-18)

DOSSIER #2

We hear that a SECOND dossier

Has recently come into play.

The word "collude"

Gains certitude

More and more every day.

-by Bob B (3-6-18)

HUH?

Some evangelical preachers

Prove to be rather odd creatures.

Judicious thought

Is something that's not

One of their outstanding features.

Although Trump's values collide

With theirs, they're still satisfied

That as chief of state

He'll make us great

For he still has God on his side.

-by Bob B (3-16-18)

TRUMP CONGRATULATES PUTIN ON HIS “VICTORY”

Advice often falls on deaf ears

As Trump crosses brand-new frontiers.

Best wishes to Putin

Don't make for smart shootin'.

He ALWAYS confirms our worst fears.

The man just cannot resist

Putin, who’s first on his list.

Will no one say why

Putin's his guy?

Melania ought to be pissed.

-by Bob B (3-22-18)

DACA

Trump might seem to talk a

Great deal about DACA.

Often he’ll dare

To say Dems don’t care.

What a bunch of caca!

-by Bob B (3-24-18)

INTERVIEW WITH STORMY DANIELS

In Stormy's concise interview

Not much was revealed that was new.

Does IT seem to strike

You, too, that it's like

Experiencing déjà vu?

-by Bob B (3-26-18)

"History Has Its Eyes on Us"

Hateful campaigns polarize

The public; salacious scandals abound;

Demagogues stir up the voters;

Vicious rumors are passed around;

Threats are made if one's opponent

Wins the race; fake news spreads;

Internal strife within the parties

Has the members at loggerheads;

Security leaks flow from the top;

Vitriolic accusations

Denigrate opponents; we hear

Of more and more allegations;

Threats are levied at the free press;

The masses suspect the educated;

Verbal assaults on the judiciary

Are brazen and unsubstantiated;

Fears of election fraud are raised;

Hypocrisy knows no end;

Little attention is paid to the truth

As people don't care whom they offend;

Candidates "pump the popular passions";

Hush money's paid; stories don't jibe

As lawmakers find themselves

Susceptible to paying a bribe.

It sounds like politics and elections

In America from what we've seen

Happening in the past few years

Leading up to twenty eighteen.

But this was also America

In the year 1800.  Since such

Chaos occurred back then as well,

It shows we haven't changed that much.

-by Bob B (3-30-18)

Tired, and So They Marched

Tired of worn-out platitudes

("Guns don't kill people. No way.");

Tired, too, of empty excuses

("We can't talk about guns today.");

Tired of worthless thoughts and prayers--

("We feel for you in your pain.");

Tired of losing family and friends

As daily reports list the slain;

Tired of collusion: the stranglehold

Of the NRA on politicians

("You'll get the funds as soon as we

Coordinate our positions.");

Tired of the greedy gun industry

Whose sales of weapons leave a trail

Of blood and carnage and death and grief

As they promote a fairy tale;

Tired of ceaseless justifications

Proclaiming 2nd Amendment rights

And caustic attacks from the gun lobby

Whose acrimony has reached new heights;

Tired of spineless lawmakers

("You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.");

Tired of easy access to weapons

Normally used for fighting wars;

Tired of shootings to a degree

Unprecedented worldwide;

Tired of constant hopelessness

With news of every homicide;

Tired of always being afraid;

Tired even of being tired,

Hundreds of thousands of students marched,

Ready to act and feeling inspired.

They breathed fresh life into

Our revolutionary spirit,

Assertively sending a message

To all Americans willing to hear it.

"No more!" "Never again!

That was their message, loud and clear.

"Enough is enough!" "I call BS!"

"End this senseless violence here!"

May the movement gather momentum!

May this be a watershed

Moment in modern times to help

Protect the living and honor the dead!

The March for Our Lives! They have a dream.

But much more work remains to be done.

Efforts to bring about major changes

In commonsense gun laws have barely begun.

-by Bob B (3-25-18)

Hawk Preparing to Land

As National Security Adviser

H.R. McMaster walks out the door,

A hungry hawk circles the White House.

Watch it dive; watch it soar.

The hawk has a name: John Bolton,

Conspiracy theorist of long standing;

Reckless, far-right ideologue.

In April the hawk will be landing.

Bolton, who's openly advocated

Preemptive nuclear war with two

Countries--Iran and North Korea--

Will glide in and land on cue.

Once a leading cheerleader

Of the war in Iraq, Bolton, whose theory

Is war first, diplomacy second,

Should cause the rest of us to be leery.

Pushing military involvement

And advocating change of regime

Would only encourage the president

To set in motion a dangerous scheme.

In 2013, Bolton uttered

Words that show where his loyalties lie

As he hailed the new era of freedom

In PUTIN's Russia! What a guy!

So Bolton nested near the president--

A man whose ego couldn't be bigger,

Who doesn't follow judicious advice

And has his finger on the trigger--

Makes the whole world feel uneasy.

How scary could things get?

Prepare yourself for turbulent times

Because you ain't seen nothin' yet.

-by Bob B (3-23-18)

Victory?

Ah, Putin, you won again!

But nobody is really surprised.

How could you NOT win an election

When a system is compromised?

When major opponents are barred from running--

One jailed with false allegations,

The other dead, having been poisoned--

You can fulfill your expectations.

When you have control of the media,

It's rather easy to pull off a scam.

Anyone could be the victor

When an election is merely a sham.

A sham? Oh, dear! How could that be?

Could there have been ballot stuffing,

Intimidation, and voter coercion?

Did people know that you weren't bluffing?

A true test of popularity

Will not happen if you fear rejection

And set up a system that won't allow

The people to vote in a fair election.

-by Bob B (3-21-18)

When the Weather Gets Stormy...

(Written to the tune "On Top of Old Smokey")

When the weather gets Stormy,

What does Trump do?

He talks to his lawyer

And threatens to sue.

So he thinks that suing

Will give him relief?

That doesn't much flatter

A commander in chief.

To be a commander

Requires great skill.

Some people have it;

Some never will.

Will he keep hoping

This storm will not last--

That it won't show up in

Tomorrow's forecast?

Forecasts predict, though,

More storms on the way.

Maybe distractions

Will fill up his day:

He’ll tweet daily nonsense,

Anger more folks,

Fire more staffers,

Or start a new hoax.

The hoaxes he starts will

Stir up his base.

How does he do that

And keep a straight face?

He’ll have to face now

Another big storm.

For him Stormy weather

Is becoming the norm.

-by Bob B (3-19-18)

You Can Be Fired for Telling the Truth

Secretary of State Tillerson's

Spokesman, Steve Goldstein was canned

For having told the truth. It seems

That truth in the White House is NOT in demand.

When Tillerson learned that he had been

Removed from office through a tweet,

Goldstein merely reported the news.

Trump found that indiscreet.

Andrew McCabe, Deputy

Director of the FBI,

Was also fired by Trump (through Sessions)

As circumstances intensify.

Trump has nurtured an ongoing effort

To unashamedly cast doubt

On FBI personnel

To one by one weed them out.

You can perform exemplary service--

Working your tail off year after year--

Investigate alleged wrongdoings,
And then find yourself out on your ear.

The president and some of his cronies

Have spoken before of an FBI purge.

When purges occur, we can watch

As autocrats' true intentions emerge.

In the case of McCabe we have seen

Trumped up charges become the excuse.

That after McCabe for months
Put up with Trump's verbal abuse.

A mean desire to humiliate?

A thirst for vengeance? Need we mention

That Andrew McCabe was fired two days

Before he would receive his full pension?

If Congress refuses to act, the only

Solution will come from the voting booth,

Where voters reject someone who'd fire
Officials for seeking or telling the truth.

-by Bob B (3-17-18)

March 14, 2018: The Walkout

Seventeen minutes of silence;

Seventeen balloons released;

Seventeen roses in loving

Remembrance of those now deceased.

Tens of thousands of students in schools

Across the country expressed their grief

And solidarity together

In what has become a recurring motif.

Americans by the millions

Increasingly are finding their voices--

Speaking out, demanding change,

Reminding us that we have choices.

Do we choose to do nothing

And cower before the NRA,

Or do we say enough is enough

And get this change underway?

Speak up: no more mass shootings

Or bloody bodies covered with sheets.

Demand real solutions and keep

Assault-style weapons off our streets.

In the age of never-ending wars,

Political chaos, corporate greed,

And out-of-control gun violence,

Our youth are planting a hopeful seed.

May that seed grow and flourish!

Meanwhile, read the names below--

The names of those who lost their lives

At a school in Florida one month ago:

Alyssa Alhadeff, 14

Scott Beigel, 35

Martin Duque, 14

Nicholas Dworet, 17

Aaron Feis, 37

Jaime Guttenberg, 14

Chris Hixon, 49

Luke Hoyer, 15

Cara Loughran, 14

Gina Montalto, 14

Joaquin Oliver, 17

Alaina Petty, 14

Meadow Pollack, 18

Helena Ramsay, 17

Alex Schachter, 14

Carmen Schentrup, 16

Peter Wang, 15

-by Bob B (3-14-18)

From the Start

The White House game of musical chairs continues.

Trump has once again a change of taste.

Rex Tillerson, who has been serving as his

Secretary of State, is being replaced.

The new appointee will be Mike Pompeo--

A sycophantic yes-man through and through.

Trump will soon have the cabinet he wants,

He says--in short, his loyal retinue.

Why always this constant change of heart?

Why not pick the right ones from the start?

The personal assistant to the president

Was walked off White House grounds without his jacket.

He must have done something pretty outrageous.

Take THAT political nut and try to crack it!

Serious financial crimes appeared

To be the cause of McEntee's removal.

But he now has a job on Trump's campaign;

So much he has the president's approval!

Such a move: could you call it smart,

Knowing what we know from the start?

House Republicans investigating

The Russia connection say the case is closed

Without having conducted a thorough query.

Their true motivations have been exposed.

How sad when our legislators' desires

To seek out truth and clarity are sparse,

And favoring Party over the American people,

They turn an investigation into a farce!

Republicans on the committee did their part

To sabotage the process from the start.

-by Bob B (3-14-18)

Trouble in America: A Rap Version*

Tell me how a man--a real estate mogul,

Who brags about women he can fondle or ogle;

Who NOT through hard work but by using his fame

Rakes in the bucks from brandishing his name;

Who supplements his fortune by appearing on TV

And adds to his resumé: celebrity;

Who stiffs his employees, as many have noted;

Who riles up his base against the scapegoated;

Who breaks all the rules and who shoots from the hip,

And earned himself a zero in statesmanship;

Who criticizes others for breeches in security

But whose own practices are clothed in obscurity;

Who hides from the world his shadowy case history

And wants to keep his tax returns a total mystery--

How can this man--this New York resident--

Become a country's 45th president?

There’s trouble in America. That’s what they say.

There’s trouble in America. That’s life today.

There’s trouble in America. Something is broken.

There’s trouble in America. Let the truth be spoken.

Tell me how a man can pull in donations

Despite--give or take--nineteen accusations

Of sexual harassment--of sexual impropriety--

That normally would bring you shameful notoriety.

Women, immigrants, and others whom he blasted:

Why weren't more of them completely flabbergasted?

How could he lead a Party to victory

When his behavior is so contradictory?

White House jobs go to son-in-law and daughter;

He talks of friend Putin as though he walks on water.

How can a person con his way to the top

And "waist" so much money--excuse the malaprop--

Spending so much time at his posh golf resorts?

(Maybe he's making up for time he'll spend in courts.)

How many voters regret what they have done

Now that the blowhard is leader number one?

There’s trouble in America. That’s what they say.

There’s trouble in America. That’s life today.

There’s trouble in America. Something is broken.

There’s trouble in America. Let the truth be spoken.

Tell me how a leader can garner support

When it comes to honesty and he comes up short.

When you're pathological, how do you earn

Respect from ALL of the people that you burn?

If your administration has a racist flavor,

You cannot be doing justice a favor.

Running a country requires a lot more

Than being rich and famous and thriving on lore.

About his private life, most don't give a hoot,

But now he's in bed with NRA to boot!

As the Russia probe keeps digging deeper,

The mountain of evidence keeps getting steeper.

"Un-presidented" is what the man would write;

"Unprecedented" would be more erudite.

Scandal after scandal in the USA!

Madness is only one tweet away!

There’s trouble in America. That’s what they say.

There’s trouble in America. That’s life today.

There’s trouble in America. Something is broken.

There’s trouble in America. Let the truth be spoken.

Trouble in America…

-by Bob B (3-12-18)

*FOUR main beats per line. Once you get the rhythm going, you can rap your way through the poem.

Bannon's Badge

Steve Bannon, Trump's former buddy,

Has taken his racist talk overseas.

He's been in Europe, where his words

Are spreading like an infectious disease.

In France he addressed the National Front,

Declaring a global populist tide

And letting his xenophobic discourse

And nativist drivel be his guide.

If they're called xenophobes,

Nativists, or racists, he said,

To wear the critics' labels as though

They were a badge of honor instead.

Europeans, please do NOT

Descend to Bannon's level to embrace

His prejudice and intolerance.

Put the madman in his place.

-by Bob B (3-10-18)

The Ballad of Stormy D.*

This is a tale of a woman;

Stormy is her name.

One little fling with a fellow

Became her claim to fame.

She met a rich man in Tahoe.

He was married. So what?

It seems as though the rich golfer

Was there to do more than putt.

Stormy, the porn star, was

A wonder to behold.

He forgot about wifey

And baby a few months old.

(The little affaire de coeur

Doesn't mean that he's bad.

Some say he was bewitched;

Others would call him a cad.)

How long everything lasted,

Only the two will tell.

She claims it lasted for months

Before he said farewell.

Let's move ahead ten years.

The real estate mogul planned

To procure for himself the highest

Office in the land.

Somehow the mogul's attorney

Transferred a large amount--

One hundred thirty thousand--

Into her bank account.

'Twas money to keep her quiet--

Money to make her hush.

(When you've got money, you

Can afford to make people shush.)

The mogul became the leader;

But somehow the story leaked out.

Leader and lawyer were livid.

What had become of their clout?

A technicality

Nullified their deal--

According to Stormy's attorney--

So she had the right to squeal.

Both of the parties can now

Battle it out in court.

Let this be a lesson

Before you choose to cavort.

Just a warning, Stormy:

Don't let yourself get burnt.

Your episode was consensual;

It's said that for him others weren't.

We know, Mr. President,

You have a lot on your plate.

Is this one of your ways

Of making America great?

-by Bob B (3-9-18)

*This is a different version of the salacious scandal--this time in ballad form.

What Has Happened to America?

What has happened to America?

How did democracy get so diluted?

How could its people sit by and watch

Repeated attacks go undisputed?

The nation has had its ups and downs
Since it began--no denying.

We strove to work out the kinks in our system

With dreams and efforts that were undying.

Autocratic leaders were once

Looked at with both disdain and suspicion.

Currently, world dictators are

Receiving our leader's recognition.

White supremacists used to spread

Their vile hatred from out on the fringes.

The mainstream door--now open for them--

Has even been taken off its hinges.

Struggles for rights have gone on for years,

And yet they continue. The clock is ticking.

Though many thought he was dead and buried,

Jim Crow is alive and kicking.

At times in the past, we would protect

Our people through almost any means.

Now our children in schools are being

Massacred by AR-15s.

Knowledge and wisdom once were praised,

And facts used to be highly respected.

Critical thinking is dying while

The art of lying is being perfected.

The free press used to be valued--

A sign that our freedom was thriving.

Misinformed voices, calling it fake,

Now accuse it of being conniving.

Through the years we've heard talk

Of formulating built-in protections.

Now--completely out of control--

Dirty money determines elections.

Immigrants used to be welcome here.

They've made us strong--without a doubt.

Lately, people keep looking for

More excuses to kick them out.

No system's invincible;

Any system will face attacks.

Democracy can be vulnerable--

Especially if it has cracks.

-by Bob B (3-8-18)

The True Self*

A man, feeling distraught and empty,

Went to his teacher for sage advice.

He wanted answers immediately--

Answers clear, direct, and precise.

"Please help me!" pleaded the man.

"I feel lost. I'm in a jam.

I want to know my true self.

Can you show me who I am?"

The master didn't say a word.

He just silently looked away.

Three times the man repeated

His question, feeling utter dismay.

The master kept up the silent treatment,

Pretending not to be alert,

While the man displayed impatience

And grew indignant, annoyed, and curt.

Turning to leave, he realized

The anger in the room was his.

The master smiled and shouted out,

"Your true self? THERE it is!"

-by Bob B (3-7-18)

*A popular tale (source unknown) retold here in verse

Only Two Words*

They say a secluded monastery

High in the mountains was very strict.

How long a monk could withstand

The rigid rules was hard to predict.

Maintaining a vow of silence was part

Of the monastery protocol.

Every ten years the monks were allowed

To utter TWO WORDS. That was all.

After his first ten years, a monk

Went to his master and bowed his head.

His master asked to hear his two words.

"Bed…hard" was all that he said.

"I see," the head monk replied.

The young monk bowed, left the room,

And then returned to finish his tasks--

The grounds as silent as a tomb.

Ten years later the young monk appeared

At his master's door, eager to say

Two more words. "Food…stinks"

Was all that he could say that day.

"I see," the head monk replied.

Ten more long, silent years passed.

The no-longer young monk returned

To utter his words at long last.

This time he said, "I…quit!"

"Well," said the master with a look of disdain,

"I understand why you'd want to leave;

All you ever do is complain."

-by Bob B (3-6-18)

*A story (source unknown) often told in Zen Dharma talks, retold here in verse

Battling It Out in the Voting Booth

As word spreads across the country,

The Never Again movement expands;

And while that happens, one thing is clear:

We have a huge fight on our hands.

The NRA, which represents

Gunmakers and NOT gun owners,

Lately has become one of

Our politicians' principal donors.

When Wayne LaPierre° and Marion Hammer°°

Envision more guns on the street or at school,

The two of them--like Pavlov's dogs--

Smack their lips and start to drool.

Working hard in Florida

To avoid commonsense regulations

Of guns, gun lobbyists are

Expanding their base of operations.

Congressman Matt Gaetz,

Also lives among the ones

In some bizarre fantasy world

Where the solution is always more guns.

Pushing the NRA agenda,

They say, "Get rid of gun-free zones."

Their logo ought to be an assault

Weapon over a skull and crossbones.

Although he speaks out of both sides

Of his mouth, the president never balks

When dealing with the organization.

We know how loudly money talks.

Praise to the Never Again movement!

There will be a moment of truth

When more and more voters decide

To battle it out in the voting booth.

Meanwhile, the NRA

Will let its appalling message be spread,

While the weapons industry takes

Potshots at the graves of the dead.

-by Bob B (3-5-18)

°Vice president of the NRA

°°NRA lobbyist

The Ass and His Bosses*

A farmer had an ass on his farm
That wasn't having a very good time.

The ass hated the meager food,

Hard work, and overall grime.

It begged Zeus to deliver it

To another boss. Zeus then sent

Hermes down to talk to the farmer

To bid him to sell the malcontent.

Sold to a potter, the ass soon learned

That working for him was a bigger chore.

It found the work to be dirty and even

Harder than it had been before.

It asked Zeus to find it another

Boss, so Zeus in a sarcastic manner

Arranged for the ass to be sold again--

THIS time to the local tanner.

When the ass realized

Its new boss's trade, it cried,

"Woe is me! Why wasn't I

More content--more satisfied,

"With my first bosses, who would have buried

Me decently. And frankly that

Would have consoled me somewhat, but now

I'll end up in a TANNING VAT!"

Moral?

Learning how to appreciate

What we have is hard to master

Until we're stuck with a boss or leader

Who happens to be a total disaster.

-by Bob B (3-4-18)

*An Aesop tale retold here in verse