Christms Spirit

It doesn't matter whether we

Are Christians--no, not one bit--

To celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

Believers need not have a fit.

 

The joy of love and giving and spending

Time with family and friends,

Of wishing happiness and peace,

Of letting go and making amends

 

All can permeate the day--

Not just the day, the season in toto.

Let the happiness be seen

In every charming holiday photo.

 

Show the spirit of love and compassion

To everyone of every creed.

Let us all find ways to give

Comfort and aid to those in need.

 

Let's not close our eyes to all

The suffering that's all around us

And not let people with hateful agendas

Harden our hearts or distract or confound us.

 

The holiday is a time to reflect

On love, acceptance, and understanding.

And may our efforts to stop all wars

Around the world be ever expanding.

 

That's the Christmas spirit that we

Can spread to all with heartfelt cheer,

And NOT just during the holidays,

But every day throughout the year.

 

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, or happy whatever to all!

-by Bob B (12-25-23)

Johnson, aka Moses

Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson,

Now compares himself to Moses.

It's rather disconcerting what

His total self-aggrandizement shows us.

 

It's what he told Christian lawmakers.

Now he's waiting to cross the Red Sea.

How arrogant and delusional

Can a politician be?

 

Strangely, he said that God had spoken

To him when he was down on his knees.

He might as well have compared himself

With Paul Bunyan or Hercules.

 

It makes one wonder whether Johnson

Has been a bit too much on the sauce.

Will his ego grow so large

That he will nail himself to a cross?

 

Let him raise his rod and try

To part the waters. Wish him luck.

To tell the truth, Johnson seems

Less like a Moses and more like a schmuck.

-by Bob B (12-7-23)

Good-bye, Santos, Good-bye!

(This poem can be sung to the tune of the 1922 song "Toot…Toot…Tootsie, Good-bye.")

 

Good-bye, Santos,° good-bye!

Wipe that tear from your eye.

The fraud you have committed

And other crimes from which you clearly benefited

Have caught up with you now.

That's why Congress said, "Ciao!"

Which means "so long."

I could be wrong,

But you won't find much favor if you sing your sad song.

Just you try to deny

What you did. So good-bye!

 

Good-bye, Santos, good-bye!

You think you're quite a guy!

How could your fans give you a nod

With all your lies and money laundering and fraud.

Are you really for real?

You have lost your appeal.

What will you do

Now that you're through?

Prosecutors probably are looking for you.

Will you eat humble pie?

Hope so, Santos. Good-bye!

-by Bob B (12-1-23)

°George Santos: former U.S. representative from New York's 3rd congressional district

Thanksgiving 2023

I ran into Tom the Turkey again.

It's been a year since I saw him last.

He told me he was trying out

A recommended Thanksgiving fast.

 

"If everybody would fast today,"

He said, "wouldn't THAT be sweet?

They'd be healthier; instead,

They gorge themselves on turkey meat.

 

"The president can pardon turkeys.

That is something I'd like to discuss

With White House folks. If HE can do that,

Why can't he pardon ALL of us?

 

"It's getting harder for me each year

To find a place where I can hide.

I've tried to disguise myself, but that

Is awkward. You know I've got my pride.

 

"People are always making up stories.

Maybe I will do the same.

Spread the word: the meat from turkeys

Is bad and it will bring you shame.

 

"So it's not true. That doesn't matter.

My goal is to hoodwink and I can achieve it.

People who like conspiracy theories

Are gullible enough to believe it.

 

"In the meantime, I'm going to keep

A very low profile again today."

He waddled off, wishing me

A happy Thanksgiving anyway.

-by Bob B (11-23-23)

The Not-Really-Promised Land

Let's be real. It's fine to be

Skeptical when others say

"God has given this land to us."

The appropriate response: "No way!"

 

One group says, "This land is ours!"

Another counters: "That's not true.

We believe it was given to us!"

And then fighting breaks out anew.

 

Using the scriptures to justify

The occupation of others' lands

Provides a shaky argument

And unsubstantiated demands.

 

When we ignore the allegorical

Nature of all religion, we lose.

So much death and destruction occur

When myths influence political views.

 

In truth, there is no Promised Land;

No one is a chosen one.

There is only the voice of reason.

Listen, and let its will be done.

-by Bob B (11-14-23)

The Missing-the-Mark Encounter

Interestingly, it seems that Kentucky

Enjoys incredible satisfaction

In boasting the Ark Encounter, which is

A strange and bizarre tourist attraction.

 

Noah’s Ark--an allegory--

Is presented as history.

That folks believe the pseudoscience

Involved is a total mystery.

 

Misleading information awaits

People who choose to visit the park.

For example, replicas

Of dinosaurs are on the ark!

 

The park's creator believes that Earth

Really isn't so very old--

Only around 6,000 years.

He tries to prove it, so I am told.

 

What he's doing is misleading folks--

Brainwashing kids, or so it appears.

Dinosaurs predated human

Beings by millions and millions of years!

 

The structure itself might be amazing--

A massive work of art. Who knows?

But being something described in a popular

Tale is about as far as it goes.

 

The story of Noah is interesting;

However, depicting it as fact

Is an inaccurate practice, which

By logic and reason cannot be backed.

-by Bob B (10-30-23)

The Creeper of the House

Unfortunately, Republican

Extremists in Congress have won.

The recent clown show isn't over;

In fact, it's barely begun.

 

Mike Johnson was voted in

As Speaker! Please, no cheers.

He's the least experienced Speaker

In over one hundred years.

 

Johnson, we know, was instrumental

In building a strong connection

With those who tried to change the results

Of the 2020 election.

 

To help explain societal ills,

Here's his contribution:

Mass shootings are the result

Of teaching evolution!

 

OMG! If you think things

Are bad right now, just wait.

To him there should be no separation

Between church and state.

 

Embracing right-wing culture wars,

Johnson's ready to fight

To push his crazy, extremist agenda

Instead of doing what's right.

 

MAGA extremists have taken the country

Hostage. It's sad but true.

Come on, House Republicans!

Is that the best you can do?

-by Bob B (10-26-23)

The Grand Deception

For years Trump has wanted us

All to believe that he is the great

Businessman par excellence,

When actually, he's second-rate.

 

By lying and cheating his way to the top,

He fooled many. But let's not forget

That Trump's successful empire was

A fiction created by Mark Burnett.°

 

Trump's REAL empire is

A castle built on shifting sand.

For many years he has relied

On fraud to help promote his brand.

 

"Fraud" is such an ugly word,

But maybe for Trump it's really not.

To him it seems that all is fair--

Just as long as you don't get caught.

 

As he gaslights Americans,

It's hard to know what he really believes.

The hypocrite cannot escape

The fantasies to which he cleaves.

 

How sad it is that he has led

Americans down the rabbit hole!

How can they trust someone who couldn't

Tell the truth to save his soul?

-by Bob B (9-27-23)

°Producer of the TV series The Apprentice

The Journey: A Parable*

A group of people heard there was

A city with treasure beyond compare.

They met a wise, compassionate leader

Who said, "I will guide you there."

 

The road was a long path that led

Through wild and treacherous terrain.

After many exhausting hours,

The weary group began to complain:

 

"We are tired and still very far

From our destination, and so

We’d like to turn around and go home.

Our previous plans we'll gladly forgo."

 

The leader thought, "How sad it is

That they'll so quickly abandon the treasure!

Surely, they will regret their wish,

And that will cause them great displeasure."

 

And so he magically created

A stunning city. All were impressed.

The city was full of cozy places

Where all the travelers could rest.

 

Parks with beautiful, soothing fountains

Were in abundance, and rows of trees

Crisscrossed the lovely flower-filled gardens,

And blossoms sailed by in the gentle breeze.

 

The leader observed that the group was growing

Complacent, and after they'd rested a spell,

He made the city disappear--

The safe and lovely gardens as well.

 

"This city was only a place where you

Could rest before you reached your goal,"

He said. "I hope that now you can

Continue your journey with heart and soul.

 

"By sticking together, we will reach

The city of treasures. You won't regret it.

Weariness will stop you from

Succeeding only if you let it."

 

Provisional experiences

Can guide us and give us inspiration,

But seeking and finding deeper truths

Can ultimately be our salvation.

 

Never give up on the lifelong journey

To knowledge and wisdom, for sooner or later

The light of simple pleasures will be

Outshone by a treasure that's even greater.

-by Bob B (9-11-23)

*Based on the parable in Chapter 7 of the LOTUS SUTRA