What Will You Be for Halloween?

"What will you be for Halloween,
Dear little son? Let's see…
What could you be for Halloween?
What would you like to be?"

"I want to be something very scary--
Something that makes the people wary…
A villain who has a spooky face
And makes the world an uglier place…
Who represents an antihero…
Whose record shows he's batting zero…
Who causes suffering everywhere
And acts as though he doesn't care.
That's what I'll be for Halloween;
That's what I want to be."

"What will you be for Halloween,
Dear little son? Let's see…
What could you be for Halloween?
What would you like to be?"

"I'll be the meanest person of all,
Who has no sense of protocol…
Maybe the biggest liar on earth,
Whose only care is what he's worth…
Who many call a political hack
Or a selfish egomaniac…
Who drags the people's names through the mud…
A vampire who is out for blood.
That's what I'll be for Halloween;
That's what I want to be."

"What will you be for Halloween,
Dear little son? Let's see…
What could you be for Halloween?
What would you like to be?"

"I want to make people ill at ease
By kissing up to enemies…
I want to make my critics cower,
The ones who say I abuse my power…
I want my poisonous words to flow
And boost the art of quid pro quo.
I'll pretend I'm heaven sent,
And so I'll be the PRESIDENT!
That's what I'll be for Halloween;
That's what I want to be."

-by Bob B (10-31-19)

And the Crowd Booed

The crowd saw him, the president,

With his sycophants clapping their hands;

Their images filled the stadium screen

High above the spectator stands.

Suddenly, one could hear,

Amidst the cheers and jeers of the crowd,

Familiar words: "Lock him up!"

One would think that Trump would be proud.

How he loves to hear those words

At all of his political rallies! Plus,

When he wants to encourage his fans

To blast his opponents, they do it thus.

Wait! Ah, but now it's different.

Someone who always behaves by whim

Can now experience how it feels

To have the words directed at HIM.

Considering all the damage he's caused,

Let's give credit where credit is due:

Whether it's right, the man deserves

Every heckle, every boo.

Impeachment looms, but his removal

From office is not so likely, they say.

Still, Congress has the duty

To go through the process anyway.

In the meantime, while he watches

His reputation go up in flames,

Maybe the man seriously

Ought to avoid attending games.

-by Bob B (10-30-19)

Somehow You Went Wrong, Lindsey

(Try singing this poem to Dionne Warwick's version of "Alfie," by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.)

Somehow you went wrong, Lindsey.°

Don't you feel like the president's chump?

Don't you feel he's wrong, stringing you along, Lindsey?

Strange things happen when you deal with Trump.

You once said he was unfit,

And if he was so unfit, Lindsey,

Then what happened to make him the man?

There can be no doubt what this is about, Lindsey.

How did a foe become his biggest fan?

I guess it doesn't matter if you've got no pride, Lindsey.

How can you live with yourself?

Can it be that Putin has some dirt on you, too,

That you want to hide, Lindsey?

Your odd behavior baffles us, Lindsey.

Wait till you're thrown under the bus. You will be, Lindsey.

If a fool is what you want to be,

Say good-bye to dignity, Lindsey.

Lindsey…

-by Bob B (10-28-19)

°Lindsey Graham, Senator from South Carolina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YidCdaLPPR8

Twice Dying

Someone once said that we die twice—

First, when we take our very last breath.

The flame on our candle goes out as we

Transition between life and death.

But then comes our second dying,

Which is similar but not the same.

That death occurs when someone for

The very last time says our name.

So where are extinguished flames?

What happens to the morning dew?

What effect does speculating

Have upon our point of view?

Life has many questions to ponder.

I wonder if such thoughts are freeing:

Knowing that we once had been

And not remaining attached to being.

-by Bob B (10-26-19)

Bootlicker Barr

The president appointed a man

To help support his nefarious plan--

Something that's so common in these times.

The man became the president's pal

And pushed a bogus rationale

To try to cover up his boss's crimes.

The president's shining star:

The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

An office that should really be

An independent agency

Is one that we call the D-O-J.

But since the president's henchman's there,

The agency's the worse for wear

And grows less independent every day.

Thanks to our leader's shining star:

The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

To bolster a right-wing conspiracy theory,

Barr has started a new inquiry

To investigate the Russia investigation.

Of course, he knows he'll get Fox News

To help support his spurious views

For it’s a peddler of misinformation.

To help the president's shining star:

The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

To try to prove that the Mueller probe

Was a crime, he roams the globe

To find someone to help him prove his case.

He merely shows that he's got gall

And NO integrity at all.

How can he look us in the face?

The president's shining star:

The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

What a stunt--a big distraction,

A sly and furtive counteraction--

As they try to manufacture dirt.

Distractions from impeachment chatter

Is for them an easy matter.

To them it doesn't matter whom they hurt.

Watch the president's shining star:

The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

-by Bob B (10-25-19)

Absolute Power

With help from his lawyers, the man who loves

To have his name displayed on towers

Is now trying to make a case

That basically gives him unlimited powers.

His lawyers say that he should be

Shielded from all investigation

While he serves as president.

What a scary situation!

Even if he attempted to murder

Another person, no one could stop him.

When it comes to immunity,

No one else in the country can top him.

Regarding U.S. federal workers,

Here's what POTUS has even suggested:

In order to keep their jobs, their

Devotion to him ought to be tested!

He encouraged his lackeys in Congress

To storm impeachment proceedings like fools,

Where they interrupted business

And violated ethics rules.

Since he took office, the president

Has constantly chipped away

At many American institutions.

He also loves his pay for play!

In other words, the White House insists--

And this should stick in everyone's craw--

That no matter what he does,

The president's above the law.

Americans should be concerned.

This grasping for power affects us acutely.

As Orwell showed in Animal Farm,

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

How many rules will he flout?

When will all the nonsense end?

To what depths of depravity

Can the president descend?

So Kim Jong Un, Putin, and other

Dictators worldwide,

Donald Trump longs to join you.

Will you kindly step aside?

-by Bob B (10-24-19)

900

Hey, I've made it to 900!

That's a lot from what I've been told.

But first, let me be very clear:

I don't mean 900 years old!

Nine hundred means 900 poems--

Poems I've "published" online so far.

The topics vary from poem to poem

As I expand my repertoire.

People ask me why I do it.

It just became a way to express

My feelings about the world around me--

A personal challenge, more or less.

When people don't like my style and imply

It's THEIR way or the highway,

I say, "You write in YOUR manner;

I'LL write my poems MY way."

What will inspire me next? Who knows?

I call on my Muse for inspiration,

To help me articulate my thoughts

Without seeking approbation.

I like music--songs and ballads--

And often write poems that can be sung.

And though I know a few languages,

I always write in my mother tongue.

Politics I find intriguing;

Thus, I often feel compelled

To let my poems comment on life

And not to let my voice be quelled.

Of course, that gets me in trouble sometimes,

Especially when I arouse

People's ire by commenting on

Or criticizing their sacred cows.

I’d like to say that writing's a breeze,

But, no, that would not be true.

So here you have it: poem 900.

I dedicate this one to you.

-by Bob B (10-22-19)

SOS

For almost three years the State Department

Has been trying to pin a crime

On Hilary Clinton regarding her emails.

Imagine all the effort and time!

What have they found? Zilch. Nada.

A nothing burger on a big scale.

Zero. Naught. Nothing. Zip.

The email scandal: a fairy tale.

A new report has come out showing

That the whole bizarre fixation

On emails was baseless. There was NO

Mishandling of classified information.

But how the scandal dominated

The news! The media took the bait.

During the Trump election campaign,

The attacks carried a lot of weight.

Hilary and the email scandal…

Back then it was front-page news.

Trump would mention the topic at rallies,

And oh, the angry shouts and boos!

But news outlets now don't seem

So eager to share the recent conclusions.

By keeping people in the dark

They only perpetuate illusions.

Trump is now attempting again

To dupe us all with major distractions,

Projecting corruption on his opponents.

But many see through his words and actions.

Let's go after the REAL corruption,

The REAL scandals, the REAL misdeeds

Within the Trump administration.

Expose the deceit! Follow the leads!

-by Bob B (10-22-19)

The D.T. Playbook: Chapter 7 (Abandoning Your Allies)

Chapter Seven of the D.T. Playbook:

Do not worry if you besmirch

Your country's honor by suddenly leaving

Trusted allies--the Kurds--in the lurch.

Although they worked together with you

To fight a common enemy, ISIS,

Your abandonment will leave them

To face an even greater crisis.

Provide them with weapons while they assist you.

Then merely say, "Thank you. Good-bye!"

Leaving them to fend for themselves,

To flee their homeland, to suffer, to die.

Do not worry if thousands of Kurds

Had lost their lives to help fight your foe.

Turn your head, pretending you can't

Hear the people's cries of woe.

Placate a Turkish autocrat

With ethnic cleansing as one of his goals.

Do not fret if experts tell you

That your thoughtless plan has holes.

Do not let your people know

Your REAL motives, for you have the knack

Of taking full advantage of others

Before stabbing them in the back.

Do not fear if enemy captives

Escape from their prison cells and flee,

Putting more people there and here

In danger as ISIS soldiers run free.

Tell everyone how smart you are;

Pat yourself on the back, and then

Do not care that the rest of your allies

Will never be able to trust you again.

-by Bob B (10-21-19)

Living on Borrowed Time

As I age I wonder

What else lies in store

For me before I have to

Reach that other shore.

Although life has moments

Blissful and sublime,

It seems as though we all

Live on borrowed time.

We live on borrowed time….

I find each day's a pleasure--

One that I should treasure--

And so I do.

We live on borrowed time….

We deal with life's surprises;

Life means compromises.

That's so true.

We live on borrowed time….

Let's NOT just count the hours;

Let's stop and smell the flowers

Along the path.

We live on borrowed time….

If we cannot feel,

Then we have to deal

With the aftermath.

The future lies ahead,

Full of uncertainty.

Say good-bye to dread.

Loving is the key.

We live on borrowed time….

When my health is good,

I'll do what I should

To make it last.

We live on borrowed time….

I must face my trials

With hopefulness and smiles

Until they've passed.

We live on borrowed time….

Despite my best endeavor,

Nothing lasts forever,

And that's okay.

We live on borrowed time….

In the meantime, I

Will definitely try

To make the best of every day.

-by Bob B ((10-19-19)

A True Patriot?

To call the president a true

Patriot is a cause for concern.

Just to hear him called that ought

To make a person's stomach turn.

A patriot? Someone who sidles up

To murderous tyrants around the globe?

Whose policies sound as though

They're coming from a xenophobe?

A patriot? Someone who takes advice

From dictatorial leaders who

Suppress their people and stomp on their

Democratic points of view?

A patriot? Someone who simply ignores

Advice from honorable experts here

And lets only sycophants

And adulators have his ear?

A patriot? Someone who uses his office

For self-enrichment and personal gain,

And when the critics question him,

He responds with bitter disdain?

A patriot? Someone who thumbs his nose

At laws and with no circumspection

Asks for foreign involvement to help

Him win a presidential election?

A patriot? Someone who willfully

Obstructs justice and who defies

Subpoenas and asks his team to do

The same while they back up his lies?

A patriot? Someone who panders to

Religious groups to advocate

Laws that violate principles of

The separation of church and state?

A patriot? Someone who scorns our allies

And has a peculiar motivation

To placate adversaries and thus

Damage our nation's reputation?

A leader who stresses self before country

And rules a country with devious ways

Doesn't deserve to be called a patriot

And doesn't deserve the people's praise.

-by Bob B (10-18-19)

To Cover Up a Cover-up

To cover up a cover-up

Is an endless stream

Of one cover-up after another--

Scheme after scheme.

Here we're talking secret servers,

Money, a smear campaign,

Foreign involvement, people flying

To and from Ukraine.

On a particular day we think

The mystery has been solved.

And then--surprise!--we find out that

More people are involved.

The growing cast of characters

Is astounding, but

Watch them try to push back as

Across the stage they strut.

Telling the truth is easier

Than nurturing a lie.

Obviously, mendacity

Is hard to rectify.

The president--or king of disorder--

Solves the problem thus:

Distract the public by throwing our allies--

The Kurds--under the bus.

Ah, now that just further shows

The man cannot be trusted.

It's dangerous having a leader who's

Completely maladjusted.

While they lie to hide the truth

And be roundabout,

They shouldn't act too surprised

When the truth comes out.

-by Bob B (10-17-19)

One's Nature*

Next to a gentle, gurgling brook,

A monk was sitting when by and by

Something in the crystal clear

Water happened to catch his eye.

A scorpion was clutching a blade of grass.

To rescue the creature, the monk reached down

To lift the scorpion out of the water.

Otherwise, the creature would drown.

As his hand drew close, the scorpion

Stung him on his little finger.

Withdrawing his hand, he said to himself,

"The little creature will die if I linger."

He reached down one more time

And grabbed the little scorpion, when

The tiny animal, feeling threatened,

Stung him on the finger again.

He placed the scorpion upon the ground.

Grasping his hand, he tried to restrain

The urge to cry out and wondered what

He could do to relieve the pain.

A curious stranger standing nearby

Asked the monk, "Didn't you know

That animal would sting your hand?

You saved the creature even so."

"Yes, I did," replied the monk.

"Although there's pain, it's not so grave.

A scorpion's nature is to sting;

But MY nature is to save."

-by Bob B (10-17-19)

*A Zen anecdote (source unknown) retold here in verse

Just a Tweet Away

(This poem could be sung to the tune of "Gimme Shelter," by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.)

Every day for certain

The flowers of madness bloom.

If we don't take action,

We will meet our doom.

Chaos, people, is just a tweet away--

Is just a tweet away.

Chaos, people, is just a tweet away--

Is just a tweet away.

When a leader leads you

Down the rabbit hole,

Apathy and concession

Will break your heart and soul.

Chaos, people, is just a tweet away--

Is just a tweet away.

Chaos, people, is just a tweet away--

Is just a tweet away.

More madness

Is just a tweet away--

Is just a tweet away.

More madness

Is just a tweet away--

Is just a tweet away.

More madness

Is just a tweet away--

Is just a tweet away.

Don't let flowers of madness

Bloom along your path.

Let the voice of reason

Drown the leader's wrath.

Chaos, people, is just a tweet away--

Is just a tweet away,

Is just a tweet away,

Is just a tweet away,

Is just a tweet away.

Salvation, people, is just a vote away--

Is just a vote away,

Is just a vote away,

Is just a vote away,

Is just a vote away,

Vote away, vote away.

-by Bob B (10-15-19)

Put in His Place

For far too long the president’s tried

To pull the wool over our eyes,

Attacking all who don’t believe

His thousands of foolish, ridiculous lies.

For far too long the president

Has pandered to his susceptible base.

Having defied the Constitution,

The man needs to be put in his place.

Shooting holes in the Constitution

Has been for him an easy task.

You don’t have to be overly

Observant to see right through his mask.

At placing democratic values

In jeopardy, he’s very adept;

At leading a nation with understanding

And human compassion, he’s truly inept.

At self-expression and clarity,

The boorish man's a total disaster.

At throwing childish tantrums and fits

And at name calling he's a master.

What astounds many people

Is how his fans can be so trusting

When his asinine behavior

Gives new meaning to the word “disgusting.”

What happens when a president's

Toxic behavior poisons a land?

The people who deeply care about

Freedom and rights must take a stand.

What atrocities, what damage,

What despicable act or crime

Will define him when he leaves

His "footprints on the sands of time"?

-by Bob B (10-14-19)

Making a Difference

A monk and his disciple walked--

Bundled up to try to stay warm--

Down to the nearby beach shortly

After they'd had a monstrous storm.

Thousands of starfish had been washed up

And now were stranded along the shore.

The two were deeply moved by the sight--

Something they'd never seen before.

The monk stooped down and picked up a starfish

That had been lying on the soft sand

And walked out into the water,

Holding the helpless being in his hand.

"With so many thousands of stranded starfish

Lying here on the shore in the sun,"

Asked the disciple, "can you make

A difference by saving only one?"

The monk gently placed the starfish

Into the water while nodding his head.

"Well, I think it makes a really

BIG difference to THAT one," he said.

-by Bob B (10-7-19)

°Based on a Zen anecdote (source unknown) retold here in verse.

The Phantom of the White House

(Try singing this poem to the tune of the song "The Phantom of the Opera," by Andrew Lloyd Webber.)

From New York State he came

And conned his way

Right past the White House gate

And chose to stay.

To be unethical

He is inclined.

The phantom of the White House is a threat

To humankind.

He does not care about

What people need.

He answers more to calls

Of graft and greed.

When making deals with him,

He'll rob you blind.

The phantom of the White House is a threat

To humankind.

He speaks in code just like

A mafia boss.

To find his good points, you

Are at a loss.

His hateful rhetoric

Is unrefined.

The phantom of the White House is a threat

To humankind.

His rank hypocrisy's

A common theme.

All his deceitfulness

Is not a dream.

Speak words against him and

You'll be maligned.

The phantom of the White House is a threat

To humankind.

To purge the White House of

This noisome ghost,

The answer's to remove

Him from his post.

May people everywhere

All keep in mind:

The phantom of the White House is a threat

To humankind.

Beware the phantom of the White House….

He's there--the phantom of the White House….

Beware the phantom of the White House….

-by Bob B (10-6-19)

Bullets, Moats, and Alligators

Once there was a president,

Cold and heartless, who set about

Finding ways to make his country

Great by keeping migrants out.

"We'll place soldiers along our southern

Border," said the nation's boss.

"That way we can easily stop

Migrants from making their way across.

"And if the migrants become unruly,

The soldiers can shoot them, one by one."

Advisers turned to the president

And said, "No, sir, that can't be done."

"Then let the soldiers shoot the migrants

Low, low, in the ankles or thighs.

We will see the unwelcome

Migrants start to drop like flies."

Advisers looked at their boss and said,

"Sir, that's also out of the question."

The president, getting angry now,

Said, "Then here's another suggestion:

"We will build a moat along

Our border wall and fill that moat

With alligators and venomous snakes."

That idea made him gloat.

"And then we'll add spikes to the wall--

Spikes that can penetrate human flesh.

Find me the cost for all of this,

Or else we'll have to start afresh."

Suddenly, he said, "I know:

We'll just change asylum laws

And separate the families.

That should give the migrants pause."

Hard, hard the administration

Worked together to find a plan,

Using words like "riff-raff," "invaders,"

"Dangerous threats," and "caravan."

The whole world watched in horror,

Lamenting how democracy fails

When an unfit elected leader
Goes completely off the rails.

-by Bob B (10-4-19)

Hang Down Your Head

(Can be sung to the tune of the folk song "Hang Down Your Head, Tom Dooley.")

Hang down your head, dear Donald.

The limits have been breached.

This time you really blew it.

And you’re bound to be impeached.

You say your calls are perfect.

Help us to understand:

If they're so perfect, how have

They gotten so out of hand?

Since you've been in office,

The lying's never ceased.

What will come to light when

More transcripts are released?

You have abused your power.

You've done it all along.

Now you've been caught red-handed.

How can't you know right from wrong?

Hang down your head, dear Donald.

The limits have been breached.

This time you really blew it.

And you’re bound to be impeached.

Extorting foreign leaders

To help with your campaign

Shows that poor behavior

Is something you can't restrain.

And Rudy Giuliani

Only makes matters worse.

His inane distractions

Will end up being a curse.

You know how you'll spin it

By doing what you always do.

You'll attack your accusers,

But they'll still come for you.

Your sycophants in Congress…

Will they let you off the hook,

Even though you're a danger

And even though you're a crook?

Hang down your head, dear Donald.

The limits have been breached.

This time you really blew it.

And you’re bound to be impeached.

-by Bob B (10-3-19)

How They Abuse Their Power!

Obstruction of justice, abuse of power,

A national security threat…

How much more disgusting will

Trump and all of his cohorts get?

Accusing investigators of treason,

Trump again loves to eschew

Our democratic processes

And do what dictators love to do.

Undermining our own intelligence

Agencies, he's on a roll.

AG Barr is working to help

The president achieve his goal.

Barr has flown around the world

To do Trump's bidding, to try to show

That Russia REALLY didn't meddle

In our elections. No, no, no!

The DOJ doesn't serve

The American people. Not anymore.

Whom does it serve? Donald Trump,

A scary fact that we shouldn't ignore.

Giuliani runs off at the mouth,

Helping Trump to dig his grave.

What a hilarious scene it is

To watch the buffoon rant and rave!

The president's lawyer went to Ukraine

To pressure officials--to get some dirt

On Joe Biden--as though requesting

Foreign assistance wouldn't hurt.

Secretary of State Pompeo

Is also stonewalling queries,

Obstructing Congress in order to give

Support to Trump's conspiracy theories.

Earlier, Trump welcomed outside

Help without protesting it.

Now the Colluder in Chief is actually

Going out and requesting it!

Abusing his power and shaking down

Foreign leaders for political gain,

Trump is setting democracy back

During his shady, nefarious reign.

We will see where this all leads.

Meanwhile, Congress has a task.

Will the members prove that they have

A backbone, or is that too much ask?

-by Bob B (10-2-19)