The River of Lies and Deceit

The River of Lies and Deceit keeps flowing.

It's obviously a matter of course.

Desperation and guile feed it,

And Donald Trump is the river's source.

 

Almost everything that comes

Out of that man's mouth is a lie.

Have the psychoanalysts tried

To figure out the reason why?

 

Poor potty training perhaps

When he was a kid, wetting his pants?

Does that explain his nasty behavior?

Does that explain his childish rants?

 

Call someone a socialist

And that will spell the person's doom,

He thinks. Donald Prevaricator

Ought to be his nom de plume.

 

He lies about his opponent's record;

He lies when he talks about immigration;

He lies about election polls;

He lies about the state of the nation;

 

He lies when he speaks of border issues;

He lies about his foreign connections;

He lies about the economy;

He lies about fraud in our elections.

 

Would it be better to count the times

He tells the truth instead of lying?

Hmm. Let's see. It's going to take

A while to do it…. We're still trying.

 

How he gets away with it

Is really hard to understand.

Meanwhile, the River of Lies

And Deceit continues to flood the land.

-by Bob B (8-31-24)

Stop the Bans!

Book banning is humankind's

Sad display of puny minds.

Narrowmindedness, indeed,

Spreads as does a nasty weed.

 

It's another way to control

What others can do, and on the whole,

Banning books is clearly a tool

Of harsh, dictatorial rule.

 

If you don't want your kids to peruse

A certain book, then you can choose

To tell your kids, "It's not for you."

But DON’T tell others what THEY can't do.

 

Some books headed for the bin

Have gay characters therein.

Making believe that gays aren't here

Will not make them disappear.

 

It's so absurd when people say

That books can turn their children gay.

Books can merely make it known

That gay youth are not alone

 

And that we are not all the same;

Therefore, no one should feel shame.

Families can be different from

One another. Rule of thumb:

 

Open minds, open hearts:

That's where loving acceptance starts.

Providing people with love and support

Is an idea we all should court.

 

And if a kid remarks, "Ye gads!

Why does Freddy have two dads?"

A book can show the reason why

And simply try to clarify.

 

If Hope, perchance, has TWO moms, we

Should not say "I disagree

With their lifestyle." No, we should

Say "LOVE is love, and LOVE is good."

 

Here's a thing to contemplate:

Books don't make us gay or straight.

Instead, they help us understand

Ourselves and thus should not be banned.

-by Bob B (8-25-24)

The Con Man and the Crackpot

The con man and the crazy crackpot

Have now become aligned

With each other, and both of them

Are threats to humankind.

 

RFK Jr. has

Aligned with DJT.

Trump thinks that will help him win

Another term, you see.

 

Strange conspiracy theory monger,

Kennedy is known

For having eccentric ideas that

Make wise people groan:

 

That climate change is nothing but

A pretext with the goals

Of forcing on society

Autocratic controls;

 

That antidepressants have led to a rise

In school shootings; what's more,

That vaccines are worse than the virus itself!

Are you keeping score?

 

And listen to this: Now Kennedy

Wants you to remember

That chemicals in the water supply

Can turn our kids transgender!

 

Could Trump and his campaign team

Get any more bizarre?

Not only foolish but dangerous

Is what they truly are.

-by Bob B (8-24-24)

Kamala

(This poem can be sung to the melody of George M. Cohen's song "Harrigan.")

 

Who is the one who will lead us to victory?

Kamala--that's she!

Who is consistent and not contradictory?

Kamala--that's she!

For she has the courage and fight in her

To insure that she'll be the one we prefer.

Who is the star who'll make Trump give his au revoir?

Kamala--that's she!

K - A - M - A - L - A: That's how you spell Kamala.

She's PROUD of what her record has to show us.

WE know that she will truly try to know us.

K - A - M - A - L - A: She is bound to be

One with grit who should sit at the desk in the Oval Office.

Kamala--that's she!

 

-by Bob B (8-22-24)

Song refresher:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmPBl-XbM-8&list=RDwmPBl-XbM-8&start_radio=1

Now THAT'S How You Do It!

The DNC commenced last night,

And wow, what a shot in the arm!

Mr. Trump had better watch out!

He must feel a sense of alarm.

 

How refreshing it is to feel

Optimistic once again!

Enlightening, it was like

Experiencing a moment of Zen!

 

Dignity, decency,

Love, integrity, and truth

Were key words mentioned last night.

Let's hope they inspire our youth.

 

Women's right to make their choices

Regarding their bodies was a theme.

And how to control corporate greed

Should be more than just a dream.

 

Celebrating our common purpose

And selfless leadership as well

Made the atmosphere electric

And cast a thrilling, uplifting spell.

 

Giving praise to diversity

And honoring the working class

Were key, last night, along with the hope

Of shattering the ceiling of glass.

When Hillary spoke--oh, my goodness!--

No doubt about it: she was on fire.

Hearing such a powerful speech

Is something of which I never tire.

 

President Biden was recognized.

Graciously, he passed the baton

To Harris, who will lead us forth.

It's no longer Joe versus Don.

 

We can see a brand new light.

The bright future will contrast

With Trump's barely illuminated

Journey back to a dismal past.

 

Freedom and democracy

Are entering a new dimension.

What a motivation for voters!

What a way to start a convention!

-by Bob B (8-20-24)

Won't That Turn Our Red States Blue?

(This poem could be sung to the melody of Crystal Gayle's song "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?")

 

It's a daily déjà vu:

Hearing MAGA people spew

Trump's weird point of view.

And won't that turn our red states blue?

 

He thinks he can carry on

With his lies that make us yawn.

Well, that's nothing new.

I hope that turns our red states blue.

 

All that he says is odd and unkind.

It really seems that he's losing his mind.

It's just as though he's become a cliché.

Donald J Trump is becoming passé

 

Keep it up, Trump, and you will fail.

Maybe you will then bewail

The part you played when you

Helped TURN some of our red states,

Turn some of our red states,

Turn some of our red states blue.

-by Bob B (8-17-24)

The Race to the Finish Line

The race is on. Watch the runners.

They will soon be rounding the bend.

Oh, the excitement! Oh, the thrills!

We're all wondering how it will end.

 

Runner number ONE is full

Of life, enthusiasm and grace.

Runner Number TWO, much older,

Has trouble keeping up with the pace.

 

Runner ONE advances with goals;

She will move the country ahead.

Runner TWO--a he, by the way--

Would move the country backwards, instead.

 

HER focus is not on herself;

What's BEST for the country is her aim.

HIS focus is how he can boost

His OWN ego and garner fame.

 

HER beliefs are true and sincere.

HIS, however, seem so shoddy.

In fact, the phony doesn't even

Have a religious bone in his body.

 

She is optimistic about

A future that's bright and full of hope.

He is full of negative rants

And looks and sounds like a misanthrope.

 

SHE believes in letting the voters

Fairly decide if she will win.

From past experience he knows

That ONLY through cheating he'll save his skin.

 

Will Runner TWO stay on his feet,

Or will he trip over more of his lies?

Can Runner ONE keep her momentum

As her supporters' spirits rise?

 

And on they run. Their fans are cheering.

My goodness! It would be so fine

If Runner Number ONE could be

The first to cross the finish line!

-by Bob B (8-10-24)

The Ballad of JD Vance

This is the tale of a figure--

One you have noticed by chance--

Who's from the state of Ohio;

He calls himself JD Vance.

 

He once said Trump was like Hitler,

But suddenly Trump's now his champ.

Somehow or other the two

Ended up in the same camp.

 

He's an election denier

And WON'T rest until he defeats

Those who have different opinions.

He CALLS them (oh, horror!) elites!

 

The country, he says, is controlled by

Childless cat ladies whose aim

Is to make all of us feel

As wretched as they do. Oh, shame!

 

Hetero parents with children--

Another idea that he floats--

Ought to receive something special,

Which is to get extra votes.

 

Apparently, Vance thinks our leaders

Can lead only when they have known

What it is like to produce

One or more kids of their own.

 

(Chorus)

Tell us, please, Mr. Vance,

If you are truly for real.

How many crazy ideas

Do you still plan to reveal?

 

Vance is opposed to abortion,

Even for incest or rape.

He thinks that he's pro-life Zorro,

Displaying his sword and his cape.

 

He says divorce is too easy,

And WE have had more than enough.

But what about violent spouses?

Violent? He would say, Tough.

 

The firing of all civil servants

Who don’t support MAGA goals

Is HIGH on his shifty to-do list

Once he is at the controls.

 

President Biden is killing

MAGA voters, says he,

With fentanyl! Oh, my goodness!

Only a fool would agree.

 

Marriage equality also

Is a big no-no for him.

And slavery's just like abortion!

Vance as VP? Oh, how grim!

 

(Chorus)

Tell us, please, Mr. Vance,

If you are truly for real.

How many crazy ideas

Do you still plan to reveal?

You and Trump must be looking

For an election to steal.

-by Bob B (7-31-24)