Politics!

Politics! What a crazy beast--

One that fiercely polarizes

Couples, friends, relatives, and nations

And often denigrates compromises.

You might interpret a situation

From a completely opposite perspective

From how I understand it, for our

Listening skills are oddly selective.

To me a right that goes without saying,

Might be a dangerous threat to you.

Likewise, a cause that's close to your heart

Is one I might not take kindly to.

Politics shouldn't be so divisive.

After all, it's plain to see

That everyone would get along

If everybody thought like me.

(6-20-17) By Bob B

Guns in the Wrong Hands

Every time a shooting occurs,

We shake our heads in disbelief.

Subsequent dialogues reach

An impasse that further deepens our grief.

Democrats insist that current

Gun laws are not strict enough--

An idea that many Republican

Lawmakers firmly rebuff.

Those same Republicans

Choose to exercise their might

In protecting what they consider

Americans' Second Amendment right.

Democrats, in disagreement,

Counter with increasing frustration

That aspects of the Second Amendment

Leave much room for interpretation.

"This is not the time," some say,

"For lengthy discussions on gun control."

And once again we find ourselves

Going down the rabbit hole.

Gun violence here is inter-

Nationally unparalleled.

A vicious circle perpetuates

A tragedy that's unexcelled.

Guns in the wrong hands we know

Will have violent repercussions.

The only way to solve the problem

Will come from having healthy discussions.

If we maintain the status quo,

Read the writing on the wall:

Death and violence will increase

If no action is taken at all.

(6-15-17) By Bob B

If Your Birth Sign Is Cancer... (6-21 to 7-22)

You are very likely to have

Remarkable intuition.

What makes you extremely nurturing

Is your caring disposition.

You react emotionally

To everything, but sometimes notions

Might be instrumental in making

You a prisoner of your emotions.

You are attached to home and hearth,

But it isn't at all bizarre

For you to make a comfy, homey

Atmosphere wherever you are.

Because you're apt to cling to the past,

Sometimes you will find it hard

To let go of things in your life.

You have to be on your guard:

If you are not careful, you'll

Find your life in complete disorder

When you're no longer the avid collector

But instead the consummate hoarder.

Even regarding relationships,

It's hard for you to let them go.

Once you've reconciled that issue,

You'll have reached a new plateau.

Your sensitivity

Reflects the circumstances around you.

Being needed and helping others

Are two things that solidly ground you.

Emotional security

Is, of course, your principal goal.

Just don't stoop to manipulating

Others in order to be in control.

A strong will and determination

Guide you to help others in need.

But if you feel too insecure,

Criticism will make you bleed.

If you feel at all threatened,

Your ambitions will remain hidden

Until you're somewhat confident

That all threats have been overridden.

You are deeply concerned about

What other people think of you.

So building your self-confidence

Is one of the best things you can do.

Only when you are comfortable

Will you open up completely,

Although your guarded nature will

Tend to make you do it discreetly.

You love feeding family and guests

Even if you aren't the best cook.

You love to add your personal flair

And hate to always go by the book.

Since you absorb so many feelings

From your surroundings, you must retreat

To a quiet place at times;

If not, your engine will overheat.

Don't let your moods get out of hand,

And work on being more direct.

Then the world will be your oyster--

More so than you'd ever expect.

(6-14-17) By Bob B

At the President's First Full Cabinet Meeting

"Now that we are gathered here,

Let us count all the ways

I have been successful in

My first 143 days.

"When we look at my wonderful record,

It's impossible not to see

That no other president

Has ever done more than me.

"So let's go around the table.

I would like to hear from you.

Tell me what you think of me--

Of course, from MY point of view."

"Thank you," said Secretary Priebus,

Opening his packet of Splenda,

"For the opportunity

And blessing to serve your agenda."

The lavishing of praise continued.

They knew what would come to pass

If they didn't pour it on

And kiss the president's giant ass.

(6-13-17) By Bob B

Forty-nine Times

A little after two A.M.

This morning forty-nine names were read--

The names of forty-nine victims who

Now are sleeping among the dead.

They lost their lives a year ago

When a gunman, ISIS-inspired,

Sneaked his weapon into a nightclub,

Held it up, and open-fired.

Those who survived the horrible shooting

At the gay club where the crime took place

Will have to relive the constant nightmare.

It's hardly something that time can erase.

Fifty-three patrons were wounded that night,

Many of whom still are reeling

From the horror, and they still require

Physical and mental healing.

Think of the families and friends of the victims.

Think of the magnitude of their loss.

How do you measure the sadness when

Extremists and innocent lives crisscross?

People from all over the world

Were appalled by the killer's barbarity

And sent kind words of sympathy

As they joined together in solidarity.

However, from under a dark veil

Of hatred and hypocrisy,

Emerged some voices of hatred from those

Hell-bent on a theocracy.

Voices of fanaticism,

No matter the source, always destroy

The goodness that is meant to be

And stifle liberty and joy.

Today in Orlando and in other cities,

Forty-nine times the church bells will sound.

May we remember the innocent victims

And let love and compassion abound.

(6-12-17) By Bob B

He Said, (S)He Said

One guy says the other guy did it;

The other guy denies it.

The world watches the back and forth

As stations televise it.

In what the one doesn't say

Much can be inferred

If the listener carefully

Examines every word.

When the other opens his mouth

Different worlds collide

As outrageous accusations

Knock the truth aside.

The first one has a sterling record;

The other one's pants are on fire.

Would you believe the first one OR

The pathological liar?

(6-10-17) By Bob B

"Oh, Lift the Cloud"

"Investigations

Get in the way.

How sad! They turn

My bright sky gray.

Some things are better

Not to know.

That's what I learned

Long, long ago.

(CHORUS)

"Oh, lift the cloud

That's over my head.

Come on, let's put

This baby to bed.

My loyal lackeys

All make me proud.

So will you, too,

If you lift this cloud.

"Oh, I can fire

Whoever I choose.

Then you can watch

It on the news.

Or you can read

It in my tweet.

Sometimes life

Is bittersweet.

(CHORUS)

"Oh, lift the cloud

That's over my head.

Come on, let's put

This baby to bed.

My loyal lackeys

All make me proud.

So will you, too,

If you lift this cloud.

"About Putin…

Well, he's no threat.

The only thing

That I regret

Is that I couldn't

Make people see

That Putin's been

Very good to me.

(CHORUS)

"Oh, lift the cloud

That's over my head.

Come on, let's put

This baby to bed.

I hope you do

What makes me proud.

You'll be my friend

If you lift this cloud."

(6-8-17) By Bob B

When Crazy Fiction Becomes Our "Facts"

It's amazing how many people are not

Appalled by Trump's alternate reality,

Which is fed by political gibberish

That gives it a vitriolic vitality.

The man sees the world not as it is,

But only in how he can mold and shape it.

His main relationship with the earth

Is finding ways to plunder and rape it.

Scorning science and fact-based query,

He is more content to remain

In a protective shell of ignorance.

That's impossible to explain.

Alternative facts permeate

His psyche, leaving him out of touch

With truths that help the world progress.

To him such truths are only a crutch.

He's conned the people into believing

That corporations would never deceive them.

When he and his team make up stories,

Astonishingly, people believe them!

Political correctness to him

Is an obstacle in his path,

And anyone who points that out

Becomes the target of his wrath.

Paranoia underlies

His selfish motives and decisions.

Bizarre conspiracy theories color

Much of the content of his visions.

Compassion to him is strictly conditional

And given with expectations in mind.

Strict adherence to extreme notions

Has made him forget how to be kind.

His idea of greatness is really

A chimera that reiterates

A motto of separation: "We

The privileged of the United States."

(6-7-17) By Bob B

Blaming Pandora

Pandora lifted the lid from her box

And boy! ALL hell broke loose.

You want to put the "evils" back?

You can try, but it's no use.

(It wasn't a box but really a jar,

Many translators maintain.

Box, jar…call it whatever.

The story's key points remain.)

Hephaestus had followed Zeus' orders

And made Pandora from the earth.

The first of the race of women was she,

The story goes--for what it's worth.

Sickness, strife, toil, killing…

In short the ills of humankind

Escaped and now we're stuck with them.

For any evil that comes to mind--

Countless ways to destroy the earth,

Ways to kill, ways to maim,

Terrorist bombs, torture, and plunder--

Dear Pandora takes the blame.

(She shares similarities

With Eve of Biblical fame, but whether

There were connections, that would be

Another story altogether.)

If someone said, "See this box?

Don't open it, whatever you do."

Or gave the command, "Don't eat this fruit!"

Wouldn't you be curious, too?

In letting out the world's evils

Pandora was pushing the envelope.

The one thing that she left in the box

Was a little glimmer of hope.

Maybe that hope stays in the box--

Out of our touch. That's a suggestion.

Or if it were released, could it

Conquer evil? That's a good question.

Couldn't Pandora see that this

Was JUST a setup? Well, she should have.

But if SHE hadn't lifted the lid,

Somebody else certainly would have.

(6-6-17) By Bob B

It Will Pass*

A monk went to meet with his master

And wondered what the sage would say.

"Master," he said, "I'm disappointed;

Today hasn't been my day.

"My mind is very distracted; it's like

A monkey jumping from limb to limb.

My legs ache; my eyelids are heavy;

I fall asleep when the lights are dim.

"Whatever I'm doing doesn't seem right.

I seem to be floundering in a morass."

The master quietly gazed at the student

And calmly said, "It will pass."

A month later the monk returned

To meet with his master once again.

"Master," he cried excitedly,

"I think I've grasped the meaning of Zen!

"Today my meditation was perfect.

I feel so calm; I feel such peace.

My mind is clear, focused and centered--

The way it should be when all thoughts cease.

"It's just like a…I don't know…

A calm lake as smooth as glass."

The master looked at the monk and said

Matter-of-factly, "It will pass."

(6-1-17) By Bob B

*A Zen story retold in verse

Why Do Good Samaritans Sometimes Have to Die?

Two men recently died from a clash

On a Portland light-rail train.

The two men lost their precious lives

For reasons so insane.

Someone, angry, confused, and deranged,

Entered the car and began

Assaulting two women verbally.

Obviously, the man

Was more than just a pesky nuisance,

For three passengers tried

To intervene because the rantings

And ravings wouldn't subside.

The white supremacist, Islamophobic

Madman yelled in a fury

That Muslims should die. The line between

Safety and danger was blurry.

The three heroes became the target

Of the reprobate.

He stabbed all three, but two of them died:

Victims of cruel hate.

One man was a former vet

And loving father of four;

The other a recent college grad,

Gone forevermore.

Even though we know the answer

We still ask ourselves why

It is that good Samaritans

Sometimes have to die.

(5-31-17) By Bob B

Just Call It Fake News

If you don't like what you hear

And it's hard to reconcile

What your critics say about you

With your particular governing style,

Discredit your critics, call them dishonest,

Berate and revile them. It's no crime.

Say their news is fake. (We know

That some cults do it all the time.)

Just call it fake news.

Tell me, what have you got to lose?

Facts and truth are now passé;

Don't ever let them get in your way.

If your critics hit too close to home--

If they're on to your plans and schemes--

Finding a way to bash the media

Might be easier than it seems.

Get the public on your side;

Play the victim; whine and cry.

Yell, "Unfair treatment!" and you'll

Get their sympathy by and by.

Just call it fake news.

Tell me, what have you got to lose?

Facts and truth are now passé;

Don't ever let them get in your way.

If the scientific reports

Don't accord with what you think,

And the experts' findings and your

Jockeyed figures aren't in sync,

Make the public skeptical

Of scientific ideas, and then

You'll be able to sway the people

With your false "facts" again and again.

Make your own fake news.

Tell me, what have you got to lose?

Facts and truth are now passé;

Don't ever let them get in your way.

(5-30-17) By Bob B

Memorial Day, 2017

The Vietnam vet stares at the wide

Forty-two-inch TV screen.

Every so often he steals a glance

At an article in an old magazine.

He rolls his chair across the room

To look out the window. The sun is shining.

He hears a voice on the TV say,

"Every cloud has a silver lining."

Shaking his head, he wheels himself

Back across the room to see

What is going on in the world.

Elections? Storms? A shooting spree?

Memorial Day parades are occurring;

On gravestones wreaths are being laid.

On one channel hundreds of photos

Of fallen soldiers are being displayed.

Then he hears a news report:

More U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

He sits in quiet disbelief,

Listening to the news anchorman.

Looking down at his lifeless legs,

Again he can only shake his head.

His heart sinks, so he changes the channel

To watch another program instead.

The words, however, continue to haunt him

And echo through his war-weary brain:

"More troops…more troops…"

To Afghanistan? This is insane!

"How can so many commentators

Look and sound so unconcerned?"

He asks himself, over and over.

"In all these years, what have we learned?"

Depressed, he turns the TV off

And sits alone, lost in his thoughts,

His heart racing, his hands trembling,

His eyes tearing, his stomach in knots.

Only those in the battle zones

See what they'd never seen before--

Things that will surely haunt them forever--

The unspeakable horrors of war.

(5-26-17) By Bob B

As Putin Pulls the Puppet Strings

As Putin pulls the puppet strings,

The marionettes all dance.

If the strings are hard to see,

Take another glance.

The marionettes think they are

Real people now.

They think their voices are their own.

They smile and take a bow.

But towering above them there,

The puppeteer controls

The actions of his little friends

And figures out their roles.

So in control of the strings in Russia,

Putin makes it clear:

Show resistance to him and you will

Die or disappear.

Heads of state and businessmen

In countries large and small,

Romp around on Putin's stage.

How he loves them all!

Do they know their puppeteer

Would just as soon combat them?

Don't they see that Putin's laughing

Not WITH or FOR but AT them?

(5-25-17) By Bob B

The Death of Richard Collins III

Bowie State University

Student, Richard Collins III,

Commissioned as a second lieutenant,

Will not graduate. Have you heard?

On the path to serving his nation

In many more ways than one,

Collins' life was quickly ended.

Another mother lost her son.

Standing with friends, minding his business,

Collins--as witnesses will attest--

Was stabbed by a homegrown, racist terrorist--

Stabbed directly in the chest.

Who was the killer? Sean Urbanski,

A current student at UMD,

Also a member of Alt-Reich: Nation,

A truth of a painful reality.

Emboldened by white supremacists

Working in the White House, no less,

Racist groups are on the rise,

Spreading their loathsome hatefulness.

They say that Collins was brutally murdered

Because of the color of his skin.

He was murdered because of hatred,

For hatred is racism's twin.

Resist the scourge of discrimination.

Mobilize--it's never too late--

To extirpate ALL forms

Of ugly, white-supremacist hate.

(5-23-17) By Bob B

On Leg Number One

To distract public attention from

Ongoing investigations,

Trump is on an overseas trip

Cementing international relations.

First stop: Saudi Arabia,

Where President Trump stamped his seal

On a one-hundred-ten-billion-

Dollar war weapons deal--

A deal great for jobs, they say,

And a death blow to the mujahideen.

Basically, it's a huge boost

To the mighty, monstrous war machine.

War crime violations continue

As Saudi bombs frequently strike

Hospitals and markets in Yemen

Causing the number of deaths to spike--

Deaths of innocent civilians including

Children. Children! What's going on?

Jobs so that the war monger

Conductor can wave his deadly baton?

We turn our heads when the Saudis commit

Domestic abuses and NOT in small scale--

While they carry out mass executions

And put women drivers in jail.

No, this isn't the first "deal."

Such deals have happened before.

Money is often the siren luring

Humankind to weapons and war.

This to Trump is a great plus

So he can proudly play the hero.

If anyone is keeping score:

Trump one; humanity zero.

(5-21-17) By Bob B

If Your Birth Sign Is Gemini...(5-21 to 6-20)

Ideas and communication:

Both of those energize you.

Whatever stifles your self-expression

Can dangerously immobilize you.

For you there's always something new

And interesting to be explored.

Two of your biggest fears are

Both routine and being bored.

Your raison d'être could be

Your intellectual curiosity.

You could, on the other hand,

Exhibit an uncontrolled verbosity.

You devour information.

At multi-tasking you're number one.

But if you go too far, you'll be

A jack-of-all-trades but master of none.

Projects, errands, and meetings keep you

Occupied and on the go.

"Variety is the spice of life!"

Is stamped on your portfolio.

Wanting to know everything

About all others can be a plus;

But when other people want to know

All about you, don't make a fuss.

You're extremely adaptable

To changing ideas and situations.

When others can't keep up with you…

Well, that causes complications.

Slow down and keep in mind

That not everyone shares your ability

To store so much information

And thrive on natural versatility.

A constant need for a change of scene--

To which you hold strict adherence--

Keeps you moving. Just be sure

To cultivate perseverance.

Because of your mental dexterity,

It's easy for you to jump through hoops.

Because you're good at networking,

You are comfortable working with groups.

You often know what others are thinking,

And if you're more the extrovert,

At sales you are dynamite,

For you could sell a guy his own shirt.

If your focus is too much on

Mental stimulation, beware:

Others will think you're superficial--

That you are distant and do not care.

Always full of energy,

You're the social butterfly.

You still need time to yourself;

"Freedom!" is your battle cry.

Don't take on too many tasks

So that you leave them all unfinished.

Restlessness and nervousness

Can make you feel drained and diminished.

If you learn how to concentrate

On one thing at a time, you'll find

It's not that hard and helps you center

What could be a distracted mind.

Balancing the mind and feelings:

That's the biggest challenge you face.

Use your insight, wit, and charm

To make the world a better place.

(5-20-17) by Bob B

River of Lies

A river of lies flows from the White House.

Watch as the river widens each day.

Watch as it gains speed and momentum

And all credibility flows away.

The reasons for firing James Comey,

FBI Director, are scattered:

Because of Comey's treatment of Clinton's

Emails? Really, as if that mattered.

Then it was a DoJ

Suggestion that Trump was acting upon,

Adding another story to the

Great pretense phenomenon.

Next in an interview,

Trump sang another song--

That he had really wanted to fire

James Comey all along.

A man whom Trump had praised in the past

Was simply a "showboat," a "grandstander,"

Who'd lost control of the FBI.

Watch the river of lies meander.

We have heard a different story

Having to do with loyalty--

That Comey was fired because he wouldn't

Bow down before the royalty.

Just mention "Putin," "Russia," "hacking,"

"Collusion," and yes, "investigation,"

And the "You're fired!" president

Acts out of desperation.

Has Trump considered telling the truth?

He and his team should give it a try.

If they are going to make up stories,

At least they ought to stick to one lie.

(5-12-17) by Bob B

The Big Swindle

House Republicans just couldn't wait

To annihilate Obamacare.

They swindled the American people,

And now the louses are walking on air.

They've rushed through a disastrous bill

With no hearings and no score.

The message they are sending out

Is one that's difficult to ignore.

Denying essential benefits

Now would be up to the state.

Older Americans also could be

Charged a much higher rate.

The plan for people with pre-existing

Conditions? The cutthroat Republicans gored it.

According to them, you'll be covered.

If, that is, you can afford it!

Millions would lose their health insurance,

But our leaders care not a jot.

That Medicaid would be gutted,

They didn't give a second thought.

Minimum requirements

Won't be a priority.

Those with excellent coverage

Will be in the minority.

The plan is NOT a health care plan.

Listen to their sales pitch.

What it all boils down to is

A huge tax break for the rich.

After voting on a bill

That screws millions of people, they

Had a victory celebration--

A nauseating, sickening soirée.

If this is the best that they can do

To make our lives better, let the truth

Mercilessly come back to haunt them

Next time in the voting booth.

(5-5-17) By Bob B

Praising the Unpraiseworthy

You can tell a lot about

A person by the ones he admires.

Another telling factor is

The people whom he inspires.

Donald Trump, for example,

Praises Putin, a leader who

Has jailed dissenters, squashed human rights,

And done away with opponents, too.

After a questionable referendum,

Which restricts in many ways

Civil rights, the leader of Turkey,

Erdoğan, received Trump's praise.

Duterte of the Philippines--

Authoritarian and leading official--

Has had thousands of people killed

In a manner blatantly extrajudicial.

So that's his way of solving the problem

Of drugs in the Philippines is it?

And guess who wants the blood-thirsty,

Despotic leader to come for a visit?

And then there's the leader of North Korea,

Kim Jong Un. Only a rookie

Would say that the mad, unhinged and murderous

Leader was a "pretty smart cookie."

Trump's had business ties with three

Of the above countries. There's no mistaking.

But does this mean that a Trump Tower

In Pyongyang is in the making?

(5-3-17) By Bob B