Darn Hawks!

I lost a furry friend today:

A squirrel that often came to visit.

Can't the hawks go somewhere else?

That's not too much to ask, is it?

The squirrel would often sit in our tree

And wait for me to take it a treat:

Some grapes, some nuts, some whole wheat bread--

Whatever the little beggar would eat.

Quite content, he'd chomp away,

Always vigilant and alert.

He didn't want to be another

Animal's dinner or dessert.

Sometimes my little visitor,

Hoping that I'd give him more,

Would jauntily prance up to my house

And stand on the steps outside my door.

Today the hawks were in the trees,

On the roofs and in the sky.

One flew off a while ago,

Carrying the little guy.

Couldn't the hawks just eat rats?

I guess that breaks some natural rule.

Nature--so grand and majestic at times--

Can also appear to be so cruel.

Instead of killing squirrels, why can't

Hawks--like vultures--feast on carrion?

Or better yet: why don't they try

A diet strictly vegetarian?

-by Bob B (8-30-18)

Orwellian Nightmare

THEY will have the final word.

Believe what the PARTY says is true.

Even Facecrime gives you away,

For BIG BROTHER is watching you.

Honesty? Bah, such nonsense!

Loyalty is what must sell.

State-spread rumors incite the mob

In your bleak, dystopian hell.

Reject evidence of eyes and ears.

That's what THEY say. Watch how hate

Turns the unquestioning supporter

Against the enemies of the state.

The Goodthinkful, unaware

How language affects their thoughts and behavior,

Show how ignorance is strength

And lavish praise upon their savior.

Manipulating public opinion,

THEY know well-spread lies will last,

For that's how THEY'LL control the future,

And that's how THEY control the past.

Doublethink is what THEY call it:

The clever art of reality control.

Ignorance is strength, THEY tell you.

Controlled insanity is THEIR goal.

The more powerful THEY become,

The less THEY prove to be your friend.

It's NOT about what's good for the people.

Power is NOT a means but an end.

War is declared on language and memory.

Inconvenient facts are rejected.

Science is reviled, and THEY

Discredit people once respected.

Doublespeak narrows the range of thought.

By caving in you might survive.

Two and two make four, but sometimes

THEY'LL say that two and two make five.

Opinions are not tolerated.

Protective stupidity: that's THEIR plan.

You think THEY can't control your thoughts,

But, oh, THEY can. THEY really can.

Do you look at your screen, or does

Your screen look at you? Or Both?

Do you know how much THEY know

Or if THEY know you've kept your oath?

Who's the next to be vaporized?

Who's the next to become an unperson?

As long as THEY control your "thinking,"

Everything can only worsen.

If only to awaken from the nightmare

Where truth becomes a likelihood

And we retain humanity!

Wouldn't that be "doubleplusgood"?

-by Bob B (8-30-18)

The Legacy of John McCain

Lower the flag to half-staff.

Sing out loudly. Repeat the refrain:

Let us honor the legacy

And life of Senator John McCain.

McCain was the son and grandson of navy

Admirals. In his wild past he

Garnered a nickname from fellow students

Due to his cockiness: McNasty.

Later McCain's cockiness

Transformed into pluck, resolve, and verve.

Following in his father's footsteps,

He, too, decided to serve.

McCain proved that he could succeed

Despite not being at the top of his class.

Though he was fifth from the bottom at the

Academy, he would still pass.

Off to Southeast Asia he went.

On one mission while trying to destroy

A power plant, his plane was shot down

Over the skies of central Hanoi.

Captured, brutally beaten, and tortured,

McCain spent over 2,000 days

At the "Hanoi Hilton"--not what he

Would call in life his happiest phase.

Released in 1973

And broken in body but not in spirit,

He'd serve his country in other ways.

Life gets you down only if you fear it.

Elected to the House in '82

And then to the Senate in '86,

McCain wanted to make a difference

By throwing himself into politics.

In his first run for president,

A smear campaign did him in.

He tried again in 2008,

But again he wasn't meant to win.

A "maverick" they called McCain.

He didn't seek glory, fame, or applause.

Fighting for causes larger than himself

Was truly fighting for a real cause.

Many a politician on both

The right and left would admit to be a fan

Of John McCain. One didn't have to

Agree with him to respect the man.

Not afraid to admit his mistakes,

And though often called a hawk,

McCain came around to admit his error

In having supported the war in Iraq.

He'd also call out the president

If the leader abused his power

Or acted in ways that he considered

Unseemly. McCain would never cower.

McCain was also quick to forgive.

Note his efforts: for peace to thrive,

He pressed to restore relations with

Vietnam in '95.

"We need to learn the lessons of history,"

McCain declared. He also detested

Hearing the media called the enemy.

When he heard that, he protested.

Although he called himself an "imperfect

Public servant," McCain had style.

Not afraid to compromise,

He reached out to colleagues across the aisle.

The "joyful warrior" and "lion of the Senate"

Lived with dignity and honor, and not

Like some people in power to whom

Such qualities are an afterthought.

John McCain's battles in life

And challenges would never cease

Until he succumbed to a brain tumor.

May he now rest in peace!

Lower the flag to half-staff.

Sing out loudly. Repeat the refrain:

Let us honor the legacy

And life of Senator John McCain.

-by Bob B (8-28-18)

"If I Ever Get Impeached"*

(Can be sung to "If I Only Had a Brain" from THE WIZARD OF OZ)

"I swear that you'll regret it.

Don't take it as a threat; it

Just shows how far I've reached.

Wall Street will fumble

And stocks will take a tumble

If I ever get impeached.

"My supporters will be livid,

My language much more vivid.

You know how much I've preached.

Without my expert thinking

The country will be sinking

If I ever get impeached.

"Oh, why don't you see that I

Can fix this country now.

I'm the only one with answers as to how.

Excuse me while I take a bow.

"Compared to me he's scrawny--

My buddy Giuliani--

And, oh, how he has screeched.

But he will stand right by me
While others vilify me

If I ever get impeached.

"Why do my critics shout

When talk leaks out about

All the protocol I've breached?

You'll all have to worry

When I unleash my fury

If I ever get impeached."

-by Bob B (8-27-18)

*Inspired by parodist John Di Domenico, also known as Randy Rainbow. I wanted to write the poem/song from the president's point of view. Thanks, RR, for the idea of using the topic of impeachment with the song from THE WIZARD OF OZ.

The Mob Boss

A mob boss for president…

Yikes! That's what we've got--

One who profits from crime

Without a second thought;

Who keeps his family close by;

Who's close to each paisano;

Who looks less like a Lincoln,

And more like Tony Soprano;

Who praises convicted felons,

And pardons them as well;

Who cares less about country

And more about his cartel.

Loyalty is his mantra.

His underlings owe him all.

He sounds like a mobster when

His back's against the wall.

He'll rip you a new one if

You ever decide to flip

And prove that you're a rat,

Or try to give him the slip.

"Flipping should be illegal,"

He brazenly repeats.

Without it he knows there'd be

More crooks on the streets.

A power-hungry bully:

It's his goal to be one.

Listen to his rhetoric:

"I know a rat when I see one."

His fixer threatens reporters

And does the boss's bidding.
But when he seeks revenge,
The boss isn't kidding!

Driven by ambition,

Egomania and greed,

He lets mob ethics guide him

To always take the lead.

He's the kind of guy

You read about in books.

Watch how he surrounds

Himself with other crooks.

Those who cooperate

With law enforcement will find

That he retaliates

If ever he's maligned.

Top decision maker,

He gets such a thrill

Promoting or demoting

Anyone at will.

Having a no-good mob boss

As leader strikes a nerve

Because it's hard to accept

That that's what we deserve.

-by Bob B (8-25-18)

How Many Pickles...?

How many pickles can Mr. Pecker

Put the prickly president in?

All of his predicaments

Already make a person's head spin.

Trump's a master at putting himself

In his own pickles, without much assistance.

His course for putting himself in a jam

Follows the path of least resistance.

David Pecker, CEO

Of the NATIONAL ENQUIRER,

For a long time has been a chief

Donald Trump admirer.

(Trump, by the way, is of the opinion--

And, no, this is not a gag--

That David Pecker's paper is

Truly a highly respectable rag.)

Anyway, Pecker is now

Tied to the Michael Cohen case.

It's his turn to pass the baton

In this criminal relay race.

They say that Pecker has a secure

Safe--or vault--that once contained

Hush money stories of Trump.

Can their whereabouts be explained?

Won't it be curious to hear the songs

That Mr. Pecker is going to sing?

There's still so much to be uncovered

Revolving around the cover-up king.

By the way, if you want

To alter your name, you can arrange it.

If Pecker were your family name,

Don't you think you'd want to change it?

-by Bob B (8-24-18)

Scammers, Beware!

Telephone scams are driving me crazy--

Both on my landline and on my cell!

I'm on the verge of telling every

Pesky caller to go to hell!

The IRS is after me.

Oh, the message sounds so dire.

The person says I'd better respond

Or I will be in big trouble. Liar!

Or a recording tells me that my

Router has been hacked, and so

If I don't call them right away,

They'll shut my router down. Oh, no!

A caller claims he's from HP

And says that they know for sure

That my computer has a virus.

I want to say he's full of manure.

Another swears he's calling from

The FBI, demanding money

Because I'm being investigated.

I must pay, or else! Funny!

Because you've managed to make our lives

So miserable, scammers, I swear:

There has to be a special place

In hell for you. You'd better beware!

-by Bob B (8-23-18)

A Bad Day

Yesterday was a rotten one

For Donald Trump. What a shame!

In desperation Trump has jumped

Out of the frying pan into the flame.

His friend and former campaign manager,

Paul Manafort, was convicted

On eight felony counts, although

More convictions had been predicted.

Then his lawyer, Michael Cohen,

Pleaded guilty on eight counts

And implicated the president

In a felony, as the tension mounts.

Trump is an unindicted co-

Conspirator in a federal crime,

According to Cohen--something that many

Have suspected all the time.

Also, an early supporter in Congress,

Hunter Duncan, was indicted

For the misuse of campaign funds.

Do all who touch Trump become blighted?

Meanwhile, Omarosa says

She has many more tapes to play.

It almost seems as though the president's

Teflon coating is wearing away.

As Trump's Republican defenders

In Congress flat out refuse to condemn

Trump's actions, people wonder

"What does Putin have on THEM?"

"I always hire the best people,"

Donald Trump would frequently boast.

Stay away from Donald Trump

Or you, too, are going to be toast.

-by Bob B (8-22-18)

The Murder of Emmett Till

Listen intently now, if you will,

To the sorrowful story of Emmett Till--

A black fourteen-year-old lad

Who hadn't done what they said he had

In August of 1955.

It's possible he could still be alive

If only he…if only…well,

Listen to what I have to tell.

Caught in one of those circumstances

Of having made sexual advances,

Till, whose actions were taken for granted--

Note: his accuser later recanted--

Was brutally tortured, lynched, and shot.

His body was left in the river to rot

Not very far from Glendora, Miss.

How shocking to hear stories like this!

Two white men, in a great hurry,

Were later acquitted by an all-white jury.

Such incidents are a wound indeed

On the soul of America. Watch it bleed!

In 2007 a sign was erected

At the site of the murder, but someone objected,

And suddenly the sign disappeared,

Just as many people had feared.

A second sign replaced number one,

But thugs seeking perverse fun

Destroyed the sign with bullets, and so

Sign number two had to go.

Officials did what they had to do,

And sign number three replaced number two.

Within a few weeks, it, too, was marred

With bullet holes leaving it scarred.

The bullet-riddled sign demonstrates

There's work left to do in all fifty states.

Prejudice and hatred are blinding;

The road to justice is long and winding.

-by Bob B (8-21-18)

Despotic Measures

Watch out, or you will find that you're

On President Trump's Enemies List,

For democratic values and Donald

Trump cannot coexist.

Former CIA Director

John Brennan, now has learned

That when it comes to silencing critics,

Trump will leave no stone unturned.

After hearing Brennan's critical

Words, the angry Trump was stewing.

Bam! He revoked Brennan's security

Clearance despite no wrongdoing.

The crazed, vindictive leader called

John Brennan's behavior "erratic."

Muzzling the freedom of speech, Trump's

Becoming more autocratic.

The office of the presidency

Has never, ever been sullied so.

This vicious attack on our First Amendment

Rights is a terrible blow.

Trump accused Brennan of making

"Baseless charges." Real translation:

Brennan didn't hail Trump

With sycophantic adoration.

On Trump's list are others who

Might lose clearances as well.

Here his lack of integrity

And pettiness have no parallel.

Another motive for Trump's action

Is more diabolical yet:

He wants to strip the power away

From all people who might be a threat

Because of their connection to

The Russia probe. That makes sense.

As more dots are being connected,

The situation is growing tense.

While servile Republicans in Congress

Defend their despotic president,

Let Brennan's powerful words

Resound: "I will not relent."

-by Bob B (8-16-18)

Sixty-nine

Wow! I've made it to sixty-nine.

I'm feeling sort of lucky

To have my health and everything else.

Everything's just ducky!

Sixty-nine years behind me…

My spring has long ago sprung.

When I was a kid, it sounded so old;

Now it's sounding young.

Although I'm not a daredevil,

Life's been full of adventures.

I have a crown or two, but I'm

Still not wearing dentures.

Maintaining a curiosity

Has been energizing.

Does that have something to do with being

A Leo with Virgo rising?

Certainly there are things

I CAN'T or WILL NOT do.

But every day I challenge myself

To learn something new.

I'm still a sexagenarian.

In one year I'll see

My name with the septuagenarians

If that's meant to be.

-by Bob B (8-15-18)

Play the Tapes, Omarosa!

Play the tapes, Omarosa!

It's sad to think they're necessary,

But times like these require that we

Think out of the ordinary.

When White House stories change daily,

And the president cannot be trusted

To say the truth, how does one ever

Cope with a leader so maladjusted?

Play the tapes! Let us hear--

From the horse's mouth, so to speak--

How the Trump administration

Reveals the damage that it can wreak.

"Vengeance is mine!" saith Donald Trump.

With his usual tit for tat,

He'll pursue his critics with

The fervor of an autocrat.

Calling you a "lowlife," a "dog,"

He demonstrates his verbal finesse

By finding pejorative words and expressions

That for him are hard to suppress.

Whether YOUR words, Omarosa,

Have more credibility than his,

Anybody who sees through Trump

Knows who the real lowlife is.

-by Bob B (8-14-18)

Swamp Monsters

Oleaginous swamp monsters

Inhabit the swamp where they

Carry out nefarious deeds,

Victimizing their prey.

Pertinacious in how they manage

To obfuscate their acts,

They disregard well-meaning

Attempts to get at facts.

Fleecing America, laundering money,

Wily defrauding banks,

And practicing insider trading:

Some ways they fill their tanks.

How their greed pushes them

To plot and plan and scheme!

How they pledge allegiance to

The Swamp Monster Supreme!

They do their best to cover their tracks.

Not only do they smother

Investigations, but they also

Steal from one another!

Who can get away with more?

Who can feel no shame?

Who can withstand more shocking scandals?

It almost becomes a game.

Many people will fall for the lies.

They can rest assured

That falsehoods will be one thing to which

They'll have become inured.

As long as the murky swamp remains,

The swamp monsters will thrive.

If we fail to take on the monsters,

How will we ever survive?

-by Bob B (8-9-18)

Holy War

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Continues to open wide the door

To bigotry and narrow-minded

Repression in his holy war.

Current plans: a task force,

One that is religious, in fact,

Within the US government--

A holy crusade to be exact.

Sessions feels that Christians are victims

In the separation of church and state.

Protecting their so-called religious liberty

Will give them the right to discriminate.

In countries where both religion

And government go hand in hand,

Injustice reigns, thoughts are controlled,

Rights are suppressed, books are banned.

We are seeing church and state

Dangerously intertwined,

Which goes against the kind of country

Our founding fathers had in mind.

What's happened to America--

The land of the free and the home of the brave?

Thomas Jefferson has to be

Turning over in his grave.

-by Bob B (8-2-18)