Murder in Mississippi

The date was June 21

In 1964.

Three men° had no idea

What would be lying in store

 

When they drove through the South

In efforts to promote

Equality by helping

Register Blacks to vote.

 

They were in Mississippi,

A place that was known for attacks

On basic human rights--

For disenfranchising Blacks.

 

Arrested and jailed for speeding,

They should have been alarmed.

The locals were working against them.

Of course, the three were unarmed.

 

After they left the jailhouse,

They were abducted and killed

And buried in an earthen dam--

Their goals as yet unfulfilled.

 

Two months later the men's

Bodies were found at the site.

Compassionate people were shocked

As details came to light.

 

The KKK, the sheriff,

And police were involved in the crime.

All but one of the killers

Served very little time.

 

After years of struggle

And much to our dismay,

We can see voter suppression

Still occurring today.

 

Why when we seek fair treatment

Are we up against a wall?

Will we ever secure

Equal justice for all?

-by Bob B (6-22-21)

°James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner

Got Your Vaccination?

Get your vaccination.

Set your fears aside.

Do not count on others

To give you a free ride.

 

We're in this together.

Everyone take heart.

All can benefit

If we do our part.

 

Don't buy into tactics

That people out there use

To push a false agenda

And spread untruthful news.

 

Protect yourself and others,

And we will likely see

The vaccine help us reach

Herd immunity.

 

But STILL be on your guard--

Vaccinated or not.

Variants could pop up

For which we have no shot.

 

It behooves us all

To put this virus behind us.

Conspiracy theories only

Hurt, confuse, and blind us.

 

So get your vaccination

If you haven't yet.

Don't let your inaction

Be something you regret.

-by Bob B (6-20-21)

Beware La Llorona

She was so beautiful, oh, so beautiful.

People said that for miles around.

Her radiant face: the pride of the pueblo;

Her melodious voice: the most pleasant sound.

 

Blessed with a husband and two lovely sons,

She never imagined her joy would end,

Until the day she found her marido

Making passionate love with her friend.

 

Jealousy hungers for vengeance, and vengeance

Opens its arms to grief and despair.

The wife was driven mad by her anger--

The pain being more than the woman could bear. 

 

Taking her beautiful boys to the river

That gently serpentined down to the coast,

She drowned them both to hurt her husband.

Their death would make him suffer the most.

 

“What have I done?” she cried when she came

To her senses. “Padre, condemn me to hell!”

She waded farther out in the water,

And then she drowned herself as well.

 

Unable to rest, her spirit haunts

The towns, the valleys, the hills, and the plains.

Remorse and guilt can eat at the soul;

A hollow heart is all that remains.

 

They call her La Llorona; her cries

Can make a person die of fright.

Though seeking her children, she’ll settle for any

And snatch them away in the dark of the night.

 

Beware, beware, beware La Llorona.

Pity her plight, but fear her intent.

Beware the consequences of anger

And vengeance that leave us with much to lament.

-by Bob B (6-3-21)

Plain and Simple

Tell it to me plainly, simply,

Without incongruities.

I have NO more patience for

Vagueness and ambiguities.

 

Whatever you have to say, say it

Clearly, matter-of-factly.

"An unaffected, straightforward style?"

You ask. Yes, exactly.

 

Of course, flowery language has

A special time and place.

But please leave all pretensions behind

And just cut to the chase.

 

I want the message in such a way

That makes it easy to grasp.

But convoluted rigmarole

Makes me want to gasp!

 

If you wear your heart on your sleeve,

That is quite all right.

However, for puzzling plays on words

I have no appetite.

 

When I was much much younger, I found

A challenge to be amusing.

Nowadays, I have no time

For what’s unclear or confusing.

 

Complexity might be your thing.

If so, that is fine.

It might be your ultimate goal.

It’s definitely not mine.

 

Simplicity: that is key.

I don’t mess around

With splashy words or thoughts that make

My writing sound profound.

 

I want my ride to be comfy and smooth,

Without potholes and dips.

Bombastic words and overblown language

Make for bumpy trips.

 

Direct, precise, and to the point--

Without a lot of fluff.

That appeals to me right now.

With that, I’ve said enough.

-by Bob B (6-1-21)