Easily Digestible

"Easily digestible."

Think about what those words impart.

That is precisely how a certain

American painter describes his art.

 

I like that description, though critics will call

His style "unsophisticated."

However, keep in mind that often

Sophistication is overrated.

 

It's just a way to refer to what

Artists might call a creative style.

Simplicity and directness do not

Make his paintings juvenile.

 

The painter's description can also apply

To poetry and music and dance.

Sometimes we can overlook

Subtle nuances at first glance.

 

At times, poems can be perplexing

Vague, ambiguous, and obscure.

That's quite all right, and for many readers

Such poems have a special allure.

 

Chefs have their styles, too,

The range of which you'll notice is wide.

Sometimes they're in complete agreement,

And sometimes the food artists' tastes will collide.

 

And even though poetry’s not

Literally comestible,

I prefer poems that are

Easily digestible.

-by Bob B (2-11-22)

DYSCALCULIA (diskalˈkyo͞olēə)

Have you ever heard of dyscalculia?

It's often the culprit in situations

When people have great difficulty

With mathematical calculations.

 

I guess it's common for some of us

To learn that math is not our domain,

But having dyscalculia implies

A certain miswiring within the brain.

 

I read in multiple languages,

But math has always been hard for me.

There was only ONE math class

I liked, and that was geometry.

 

But algebra class? No way! Forget it.

We didn't get along at all.

I took the required classes and passed,

But often it was a very close call.

 

Maybe some of us live on the spectrum

That goes all the way from mild to severe.

Fortunately, I didn't have to

Use heavy math throughout my career.

 

I've always loved to deal with words;

Languages I find exciting.

But word problems, fractions, numbers,

And calculations are uninviting.

 

Although I can handle simple math,

My trouble with major problems lingers.

But, shhh!, please don't tell anyone

That sometimes I still will count with my fingers.

-by Bob B (2-10-22)

My Heart Goes Out to the Kids

(This poem is dedicated to all the kids in the world who are deprived of the love they so desperately need.)

 

My heart goes out to the kids in the world

Who deal with unbearable grief--

Whose treatment by their loveless parents

Is cruel beyond belief.

 

My heart goes out to the kids in the world

Whose folks don't comprehend

Or care how their heartless behavior hurts

Their children in the end.

 

My heart goes out to the kids in the world

Whose lives are bleak and austere--

Who, rather than live with endless pain,

Would rather disappear.

 

My heart goes out to the kids in the world

Whose parents have no right

To even claim that role for themselves

When filled with so much spite.

 

My heart goes out to the kids in the world

Who struggle and suffer alone--

Who have to endure such misery

Through no fault of their own.

 

My heart goes out to the kids in the world

Who sadly unlike me

Have parents who didn't provide them with

Love and security.

 

My heart goes out the kids in the world

When I see what they've missed

By having parents whose hearts are stone,

And, yes, they do exist.

 

My heart goes out to the kids in the world;

I wonder what it will take

For much more loving kindness to thrive

And fewer hearts to ache.

-by Bob B (2-9-22)

Your Element

FIRE

 

What stands out as your element?

Do you shine and inspire?

Do you radiate confidence?

If so, you're probably FIRE.

 

Then you'll show initiative,

Enthusiasm, and strength.

You'll be fearless, blunt, and outgoing,

Encouraging others at length.

 

You might be impatient at times,

And maybe you like to lead.

Others might find it difficult

To keep up with your speed.

 

AIR

 

Or maybe AIR is more your thing,

In which case you will find

A rational objectivity

Brings order to your mind.

 

Curious about the world,

You'll crave for understanding.

Being allowed to express yourself

Will never be too demanding.

 

Relationships are important to you,

And so is sociability.

Loving concepts and principles, you'll

Demonstrate mental agility.

 

WATER

 

Perhaps WATER defines you more.

Reflection will be the balm

Protecting you from outer chaos

And giving you inner calm.

 

You'll tend to trust your intuition,

And empathy will guide you.

Your sensitive nature will like the comfort

That secrecy can provide you.

 

Being involved emotionally

With others is a must.

Your compassionate heart will give you

Advice on whom to trust.

 

EARTH

 

And then there's EARTH. If that's you,

Your patience will be key.

Caution makes you always want

To seek a guarantee.

 

Extremely practical in nature,

Stable and dependable,

You might sometimes go too far

And then become unbendable.

 

Attuned to much of the physical world

With heightened physical senses,

Your self-discipline and grit

Have fruitful consequences.

 

AND SO…

 

What is your dominant element,

Which you should make your friend--

FIRE, AIR, WATER, OR EARTH--

Or are you a marvelous blend?

-by Bob B (2-3-22)

Black History Month 2022

On February 1 each year,

Black History Month begins.

Major contributions of Blacks

Are praised, and everybody wins.

 

But yesterday, we heard the shocking

Reports on the nightly TV news

That fourteen--yes, fourteen!--bomb threats

Occurred at this country's HBCUs.°

 

Threatening lives and causing disruptions

At Black institutions of learning,

The culprits' hateful acts display

Behavior that is highly concerning.

 

And at the same time, many states

Are passing laws that sadly embrace

Innocuous and unrealistic

Ways that teachers can talk about race.

 

If educators are forced to cover

U.S. history insincerely,

Students won't learn the truth of our past,

And Americans will suffer dearly.

 

So why Black History Month?

What started as an important endeavor

To recognize accomplishments

Is now needed more than ever.

 

-by Bob B (2-2-22)

°Historically Black Colleges and Universities

The Craziness Continues...

AGGRESSION

 

Nations in Europe are on alert,

And once again the U.S. hustles

To deal with Putin's aggressiveness

As he defiantly flexes his muscles.

 

Amassing troops on Ukraine's border,

The desperate dictator wants to prove

That he's a force to be reckoned with.

The rest of us watch his every move.

 

And planning military drills

Not far from the Irish coast

Shows the kind of intimidation

That Putin loves to do the most.

 

But Irish fishermen said no

And stopped the drills before they started.

The Russian navy decided to find

Another location, and so they departed.

 

PARDON DANGLING

 

With extremism on the rise,

Trump continues to stir up his base

With his typical Trumpian lies

And his bumbling lack of grace.

 

Regarding those convicted of storming

The Capitol, this Florida resident

Is currently dangling pardons while he

Isn't even the U.S. president!

 

He also wants his fans to protest

Vociferously if he is indicted

For having broken the law. We see

That causing chaos makes him excited.

 

HATRED

 

Florida had some Nazi rallies

With swastikas and racist banners.

Needless to say, the participants

Were crude, obnoxious, and lacking in manners.

 

Observing the Nazis hateful behavior,

Respectable people wonder why

The thugs get pleasure yelling racist

Comments to people passing by.

 

Regarding states that harbor groups

Of hate, Florida's second in line.

Groups like that are just like a tumor

That's rapidly growing and isn't benign.

 

SAD

 

In the state of Washington

There lived a cop named Robert Lamay.

If he had had a little more sense,

He might be alive today.

 

Rather than get a vaccination

For COVID, he chose to leave the force--

Probably influenced by

The many lies on Fox News, of course.

 

Lamay came down with COVID and sadly

Lost the battle. He died last week.

Unfortunately, situations

Just like this are not unique.

-by Bob B (2-1-22)