The Gumyocho Bird

This is the tale of the gumyocho bird.

It had two heads, which would suggest

That IF two heads are better than one,

The gumyocho bird should have been blessed.

 

But it had two personalities.

Each head thought it was always right,

And so, as you can surely surmise,

The bird's two heads would constantly fight.

 

One day while one head was asleep,

The other head, an herbivore,

Feasted on luscious fruits and flowers

Until its stomach could take no more.

 

When the other head woke up,

Its body was feeling indigestion.

Food sounded good, but it was so full

That eating was certainly out of the question.

 

The head--so angry, resentful, and bitter--

Planned to get even, but not being shrewd,

When hungry again, it slyly led

The other head to some poisonous food.

 

The head then ate its fill with gusto.

You can imagine what happened next.

Since the two heads shared one body,

No one should be surprised or perplexed.

 

Before dying, the vengeful head

Realized the mistake it had made

And hoped a compassionate buddha would feel

Pity for it and come to its aid.

 

Transported to an awakened realm,

The bird tells its story for our sake,

To help us see the repercussions

That come from decisions that all of us make.

 

Listen to the gumyocho bird.

It has a relevant story to tell:

When we’re hurtful to other people,

We're hurtful to ourselves as well.

-by Bob B (11-24-24)

The Spider and Its Prey

The spider spins its silky web,

Carefully constructing its trap.

Then it sits and waits for its prey

To figuratively land in its lap.

 

Patiently, it waits and waits.

It hopes an unsuspecting fly

Will dart into its fibrous silk

Where it will then bid life good-bye.

 

The web shakes. Aha! A victim!

Very aware of the struggling shape,

The spider rushes to nab the creature,

For whom there will be no escape.

 

After injecting the fly with venom,

Then it quickly and deftly bestrides

Its helpless and now paralyzed victim.

The venom will liquify its insides.

 

The spider also wraps its capture.

Soon the sneaky spiderweb spinner

Will hungrily suck out every bit

Of liquified parts of the fly for dinner.

 

Of course, not all spiders spin webs.

Some just sit and patiently wait

For their prey to wander by.

Then they pounce and seal its fate.

 

So who's the spider? Vladimir Putin.

Its prey? Americans who pretend

That Putin is NOT our adversary,

But, instead, a trustworthy friend.

-by Bob B (11-22-24)

Mobilize!

This is NOT the time to give up.

To throw in the cards wouldn't be wise.

In order to save our democracy,

People, we've got to mobilize!

 

Medicare and social security:

Watch them fade before your eyes.

Protect the benefits we have earned.

People, we've got to mobilize!

 

People's rights are being threatened.

Discrimination is on the rise.

The wolf is knocking on the door.

People, we've got to mobilize!

 

Bodily autonomy

Of women is threatened by those who devise

Draconian laws that are killing mothers.

People, we've got to mobilize!

 

Our health will be in serious danger

By those who want to legitimize

Wild and crazy conspiracy theories.

People, we've got to mobilize!

 

Look at the suffering that's caused

By lawmakers who demonize

Our immigrant community.

People, we've got to mobilize!

 

Yes, at times there is too much

Over which to agonize,

So vote, march, write, make calls!

People, we've got to mobilize!

 

You feel the cards are stacked against you?

Remember: keep your eyes on the prize.

They will try to beat you down.

People, we've got to mobilize!

-by Bob B (11-21-24)

A Monster Story (Part 1)

The MAGA-monster reared his head

To see how far his venom would spread.

"How dare they defy me!" he loudly exclaimed.

His hatred and anger could never be tamed.

Whether he told the truth or lied,

Whatever he said could not be defied.

If you chose to disagree,

His enemy was what you would be.

Loyalty was a major concern;

Those who withheld it were those he would spurn.

 

"I will show 'em!" he loudly roared.

His face turned orange as he brandished his sword.

His sycophantic subjects drew near,

Obsequiously kowtowing in fear.

He didn't care if someone should suffer.

His other concern: to take care of his fluffer--

One of the slimiest toadies around,

Who made the country his new battleground.

The two of them, salaciously smiling,

Had looks on their faces, oddly beguiling.

 

The monster's coffers were filled to the brim.

EVERYTHING was all about HIM.

He gave the semblance of caring, but no,

His woeful act was all bluster and show.

In other lands, to get more support,

He looked for other monsters to court.

Urged on by callous and heartless trolls

Who helped him achieve his nefarious goals,

The monster displayed an ego that grew

Taller than buildings on Fifth Avenue.

 

Where are the heroes who are not afraid

To challenge the monster and come to our aid.

Where are the champions, so brave and so deft,

To fight him from both his right and his left.

The MAGA-monster wields his power

To make all the people around him cower.

A nation once full of hope and freedom

Has turned into an all-about-me-dom.

The selfish, contemptible, carrot-topped,

And cruel monster has got to be stopped.

 

(End of Part 1)

-by Bob B (11-19-24)

Thanks

Thanks to people who didn't vote

For putting us all in the mess we're in.

Thanks to those who were uninformed

For making sure that Trump would win.

 

A number of voters who took to the polls

Did us all a disservice because,

For one thing, a lot of them didn't

Even know what a tariff was.

 

For some, the word "autocrat"

Was not in their vocabulary.

A lot of those people voted for Trump.

Frankly, that is downright scary.

And even though in history classes

We have studied the past, it seems

That many people have forgotten

Or still don't know what "fascism" means.

 

There were voters who said they'd never

Vote for a woman, and so they chose

To cast their vote for Donald Trump

To be a part of the party of bros.

 

To voters who cast a protest vote,

Now are you satisfied?

Do you see what happens when

Common sense and anger collide?

 

Of course, some just like the man.

They like Trump for his tough guy stance.

Watch as he and Elon Musk

Carry out their bro-romance.

 

A lot of people were clueless about

How the Biden administration

Played a substantial role in helping

Americans across our nation.

 

And so, we are stuck with a man

Who'll do his best to cater to

Extremists and wackos everywhere.

The damage will be hard to undo.

-by Bob B (11-18-24)

Disastrous Picks

Trump's picks for his Cabinet

Are in-your-face kinds of picks.

It's obvious from what he's doing

That he is up to his old tricks.

 

He doesn't want the FBI

To be involved in the nominees' vetting,

Which Democrats and conscientious

Republicans find very upsetting.

 

For Secretary of Defense,

Pete Hegseth, a veteran who

Displays as part of his body art

A white supremacist tattoo?

 

Tulsi Gabbard as DNI°

Who couldn't pass a background check

Because she's compromised by Russia?

Trump's feelings: What the heck?

Matt Gaetz as Attorney General--

A grifter and a trouble-maker

Accused of sex-trafficking?

For Trump that's NOT a deal breaker.

Hegseth, Gabbard, and Gaetz are all

Deeply unfit for such positions.

A competent president wouldn't

Select them under any conditions.

It's almost as if in making his choices

Trump is trying to deride

All of us by asking himself,

"Who is the most unqualified?"

 

Will Republicans cave in

To pressure from Trump or show some spine

And tell him no when he attempts

To sidestep rules and cross the line?

 

-by Bob B (11-16-24)

°Director of National Intelligence

Unfortunate Decision

Americans have made a decision.

Why did they decide

To put someone into office who

Will take them for a ride?

 

They elected a man so full

Of vengeance and desperation

That his campaign was principally

Lies and misinformation.

 

He pandered to the people's worries--

Worries that he created

By turning people against the folks

That he has deprecated.

 

He won't focus on key issues;

No, those he ignores.

He would rather perpetuate

Hateful culture wars.

 

Islamo-, trans-, and homophobia

Will now be on the rise

As players in Trump's administration

Begin to mobilize

 

Racist stooges surrounding him

Will always be in his ear,

Chipping away at human rights

And constantly stoking fear.

 

The deportation of immigrants

He says is first on his list

Of things to do, for he is such

A heartless nativist.

 

Loyalty above all else

Is what he always demands.

With autocrats all over the world,

He'll be shaking hands.

 

We’ve all seen that Trump's whole world

Is strictly quid pro quo.

With Elon Musk so tight with him,

Will Musk be running the show?

 

With no more guardrails to keep Trump in line,

He'll FURTHER disunite

Americans, and that will be

Much to Putin's delight.

 

I'm glad I wasn't complicit in choosing

One of the vilest of men

To take a seat in the Oval Office

And wreck the country again.

-by Bob B (11-13-24)