As the Bug We're Dreading Keeps Spread...Spread...Spreading Around...

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along," by Harry Woods)

 

Oh, as the bug we're dreading keeps

Spread…spread…spreading around…around,

We should keep on trying to

Stop supplying a breeding ground.

Just get…just get…

Just get your shot.

A big…a big…

Big risk it's not.

Here's some…here's some…

Some food for thought:

You'll…be…better protected.

 

Now it's Omicron;

When will it be gone?

No one knows.

New mutations will

Cause frustrations, and

So it goes.

Let’s do our best to stay

Healthy, and so I say,

Be safe and sound,

As the bug we're dreading keeps

Spread…spread…spreading around.

-by Bob B (1-26-22)

Conspiracy Fest

The recent anti-vaccine mandate

Rally in Washington, D.C.

Was without a doubt a real

Conspiracy theory potpourri.

 

Participants' wild speeches and comments

Were off the mark and hard to digest.

People have called the gathering

A regular "conspiracy fest."

 

Vaccine misinformation was rampant.

First of all, the message gets lost

When life-saving measures are

Insanely compared with the Holocaust.

 

Blaming the press? Blaming doctors?

Advocating Nuremberg trials?

Evidence of current vaccine

Effectiveness was met with denials.

 

They don't realize the danger

When vaccine misinformation spreads.

Actually, more people react

Adversely to over-the-counter meds.

 

Opposing vaccine mandates, however,

Isn't the primary issue at all.

The problem is the dissemination

Of anti-mandate folderol.

 

It's fair to disagree with mandates

As long as reasons are legit.

But when they're based on baseless lies,

Then the arguments aren't worth spit.

 

Frankly, the public's safety and health

Are something we shouldn't undermine.

When the next booster comes out,

This guy plans to be first in line.

-by Bob B (1-25-22)

Energies

Certain energies fill our lives

And work to make us whole.

But they can also work against us

When they're out of control.

 

Aries energies are dynamic,

Ambitious, though sometimes obsessive.

If they get out of whack, we can be

Impatient and aggressive.

 

Taurus energies make us feel

Practical, stable, and grounded.

But when they make us stubborn and rigid,

Our problems are then compounded.

 

Gemini energies have an effect

On self-expression and learning.

But if they make us manipulative,

That can be concerning.

 

Cancer energies give us a kind,

Nurturing, loving feeling.

But oversensitivity

Can be unappealing.

 

Leo energies help us shine

And lead, but I must mention

That we can be a bit too much

If we crave too much attention.

 

Virgo energies lead us to serve

Others and be analytical.

But sometimes they make us too uptight,

Stern and overcritical.

 

Libra energies lead us toward

Balance and mediation.

But doubt and passive-aggressiveness

Can be a complication.

 

Scorpio energies grant us with

Emotional depth and power.

But if we become TOO intense,

Interactions will sour.

 

Sagittarius energies make us

Travel, seek, and explore.

But if those desires are stifled at all,

Life can be a bore.

 

Capricorn energies drive us to meet

Our goals, which makes us cheerful.

But if we lose self-trust, we can be

Insecure and fearful.

 

Aquarius energies give us gumption

To fight for many a cause.

But we can be distant and cold if our

Efforts are put on pause.

 

Pisces energies tend to make us

Sensitive and creative,

Unless we become a victim or martyr,

Which can be suffocative.

 

"Know thyself," they say. That means

To let your inner strength guide you.

Focus on positive energies that

Swirl around inside you.

-by Bob B (1-22-22)

A Sad Legacy

The long war in Afghanistan…

Now, when all is said and done,

What started out as a war with a cause,

Turned out being a losing one.

 

The longest war in U.S. history…

Did we ever have clear goals?

Explanations for why we stayed there

For twenty years are full of holes.

 

At first, going after al-Qaeda

And Bin Laden was our claim.

Eventually, it turned out that

Nation-building became our aim.

 

Propping up the Karzai regime…

To some that was a colossal flop.

We organized from top to bottom

Instead of going from bottom to top.

 

A government, unstable, corrupt,

In a country full of feuding tribes…

Democracy to the Afghans became

A system mainly built on bribes.

 

We thought we had made headway there,

But then we encountered a stumbling block:

Our focus shifted when we were misled

To get involved in a war in Iraq.

 

We tried to fight the opium trade--

Another problem we tried to master.

Unfortunately, it turned out that

Our efforts were a complete disaster.

 

Others with whom we negotiated,

Sometimes took us for a ride,

Leaving us without an inkling

As to who was on whose side.

 

Warlords who we know had committed

Atrocities, became our friends.

Scenarios where that plays out

Usually have disastrous ends.

 

A dark pit of endless money

That led the way to grift and greed…

We were bent on building projects

That the Afghans didn't need.

 

When we bombed a wedding party

And a hospital, let it be noted

That those in command hid our blunders.

The truth was often sugar-coated.

 

"We are NOT nation-building,"

And "Victory is in sight," we heard.

One thing we should know by now

Is we can't hang on their every word.

 

We lament the lives that were lost

And all who were wounded during the war.

We also lament the loss of trust

In our leaders. THAT will be hard to restore.

-by Bob B (1-21-22)

Poetry Trolls

Trolls abound on the Internet,

Creeping out of the dark, like moles.

The ones who lurk on poetry sites

Are better known as poetry trolls.

 

Poetry trolls attack other poets

With their combative analyses.

Their belligerent behavior

Borders on what might be a disease.

The often feel compelled to respond,

As though they have to give their two cents.

The pat they give themselves on the back

Must be a form of recompense.

 

Offering nonconstructive comments

Is one of their central attributes.

They think they're being insightful, but

Instead, they come off sounding like brutes.

 

Nasty, vicious, they seem to thrive

On looking for folks to demean or attack.

It's almost as though these people are trying

To compensate for something they lack.

 

Are their lives so miserable,

Or are they so deeply insecure

That showing restraint in commenting

Is more than these poor souls can endure?

 

In dealing with these crazy people,

Frankly, you simply cannot go wrong

If you ignore their comments and dump them

Into the trash can where they belong.

-by Bob B (1-19-22)

Stand Up for Democracy

Stand up for democracy--

For true democracy, I mean,

And NOT for what is being spread

By the far-right propaganda machine.

 

Stand up for the rights of voters--

For rights that make democracy strong.

Ignore the cries of voter fraud

From folks who try to string you along.

 

Stand up for integrity

And truth, and do not give the nod

To efforts of many folks on the Right

Who are committing election fraud.

 

Stand up for the rule of law.

Accountability is key.

No one should be carrying a card

That reads Get Out of Jail Free.

 

Stand up for a compassionate nation--

One that can learn from past mistakes.

When it approaches danger it knows

How to swerve and apply the brakes.

 

Stand up for responsible

Behavior. May everybody strive

To work conscientiously

With others to make democracy thrive.

-by Bob B (1-18-22)