Memorial Day 2023

2023--Memorial Day.

Remembering those who lost their lives

Defending this country, we should continue

To hope that democracy survives.

 

Many died protecting our land

From countries under fascist rule--

Whose authoritarian

Rulers were abusive and cruel.

 

Rights were restricted and scapegoats received

Treatment brutal and inhumane.

And humankind suffered another

Bitter, sad, and indelible stain.

 

Vigilance is required here,

For there are people who prefer

To overlook the lessons from

The past. The horrors could reoccur.

 

In nations that seek out people to blame

For all the ills that beset the land

And blatantly flout the rule of law,

Democracy loses the upper hand.

 

Countries are in a great deal of trouble

When voting's restricted and people aren't fazed,

When institutions come under attack,

And when violent thugs are praised.

 

Those who died defending this country

In the air, on land, or on the waves,

When seeing how some are abusing our rights,

Have to be rolling in their graves.

-by Bob B (5-29-23)

Stand by Ukraine (2)

(This poem could be sung to the song "Stand by Your Man" by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill.)

 

It can be hard to be a country

When a bully lives next door to you.

He will cause strife

And try to make life

A nightmare. Know what you must do.

 

You'll have to count on other nations

For supplies to help defend your land.

Don't you grow weary

When things look dreary.

Someday you'll get the upper hand.

 

Stand by Ukraine.

Don't let the world forsake it

When Putin tries to break it.

Give it the help that it needs.

 

Stand by Ukraine.

Show it how much you love it.

Don't let its struggles be in vain.

Stand by Ukraine.

 

Stand by Ukraine.

Show it how much you love it.

Don't let its struggles be in vain.

Stand by Ukraine

 

-by Bob B (5-23-23)

Good-bye, Tucker, Good-bye!

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

 

Good-bye, Tucker,° good-bye!

How did things go awry?

I CAN'T say we will miss you.

For years we hoped that your producers would dismiss you.

How so could you not know

How low you tried to go?

Did you not see

How it would be

If you kept on lying through your teeth on TV?

And so, Tucker, nice try!

Good-bye, Tucker, good-bye!

 

Good-bye, Tucker, good-bye!

No, we're NOT going to cry.

We are glad that you're going away,

And we won't say to come again some other day.

Tell us, Tucker, why you

Did what you tried to do.

When they all rant,

Hypocrites can't

Care about the ones out there whom they disenchant.

I'll say with a dry eye,

"Good-bye, Tucker, good-bye!"

-by Bob B (4-25-23)

°Tucker Carlson: political talk show host fired from Fox News

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Lay your wreath, light your candles,

And think on all that’s good and say

“Never again!” as we reflect

On Holocaust Remembrance Day.

 

How can humans be so cruel?

A question we must ponder as we

Think of the millions who lost their lives

Because of gross inhumanity.

 

Sadly there are people who

Deny the truth of the Holocaust.

With cold and calloused hearts they refuse

To acknowledge the many lives that were lost.

 

If we ignore the enormity

Of all the crimes committed, then

How will we ever be sure that such

Atrocities won't happen again?

 

May all who perished rest in peace.

We must keep human hatred at bay.

In fact, every day should be

A Holocaust Remembrance Day.

-by Bob B (4-17-23)

Heart Attack!

You think you're healthy and in good shape.

Cholesterol is low.

Blood pressure is not a problem.

You've got some get-up-and-go.

 

You go on a daily four-mile walk.

You eat as well as you can.

Fruits and vegetables are both

Part of your daily plan.

 

Yes, you like your sweets; you feel

Life must have some perks.

You try to balance the good with the bad

And always hope that it works.

 

Avoiding stressful debt, you live

Comfortably in the black.

And then without any warning, what happens?

You have a heart attack!

 

Life we know is full of surprises.

Expect the unexpected.

It's strange how a problem with one's heart

Could long go undetected.

 

The help from paramedics and doctors

And nurses--I can say--

Has given me a new lease on life,

For I am alive today.

 

A stent in a major artery lets

The blood flow near the heart.

I hope that no more blockages

Will show up in my chart.

 

Although our bodies are strong and resilient,

It is also said

That despite our resiliency,

We hang by the thinnest thread.

 

I hope my ticker keeps on ticking,

Displacing some of my fears;

And may the beats continue to sound

For many, many years.

-by Bob B (4-2-23)

Indictment

When Teflon Don was under attack,

He would shrug his shoulders and scoff.

But finally it appears as though

His Teflon coating is wearing off.

 

Many people want to see justice.

For some an explosive was ignited.

They can't stand the thought that their

Former president was indicted.

 

They call it a witch hunt, a dangerous

Abuse of power, a communist plot,

A vengeful attack by angry libs--

All of which it's truly not.

 

Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen,

Had to serve a prison term.

If current charges are related,

Is that why Trump is starting to squirm?

 

If he is innocent, so be it.

Let's repeat day after day

The mantra "No one's above the law."

If he is guilty, then he should pay.

-by Bob B (4-1-23)

Who Created Whom?

Did God create human beings,

Or was it the other way around?

The question resembles a Zen koan--

Such as the one-handed clapping sound.

 

To some, merely asking the question

Is a virtual powder keg.

It's like the question: What came first--

Was it the chicken, or was it the egg?

 

Some things are beyond knowing:

We can only speculate

As to how and why we got here.

It's still fun to contemplate.

 

The writers of all religious scriptures

Have a bias they choose to share.

They hope that their ideas will make

Curious, hungry believers aware.

 

The story behind human existence

To some is a matter of great pith.

Others have a difficult time

Accepting a simple creation myth.

 

Some folks are not satisfied

And want to gaze beyond the façade--

Beyond the human formulations

That try to define the concept of God.

 

People adhere to what makes sense

To them, and some of them will chide me,

For I prefer to allow science,

Reason, and common sense to guide me.

 

Being able to think and question

Are benefits of humankind.

So who created whom? The query

Will always challenge the questioning mind.

-by Bob B (3-20-23)

Supporting Ukraine

Putin's year-long war continues

To batter Ukraine--to kill, to destroy.

The autocrat's reasons for being there

Are definitely a political ploy.

 

Killing civilians while also attacking

Ukraine's infrastructure as well,

The Russians are bent on total destruction.

Where this will go is hard to foretell.

 

And Russian sympathizers here

Join in with Putin's sing-a-long.

Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis,

Claims that Putin's done nothing wrong!

 

Who can tell where DeSantis gets

His false information and mistaken views?

Probably from too many incorrect

Podcasts and also from watching Fox News.

 

While Russia ramps up its fierce attacks,

Ukraine will fight to the bitter end.

Here's a reminder for those who've forgotten:

Putin, folks, is NOT our friend.

 

We pledged our support for Ukraine, and so

For the sake of freedom, we MUST follow through.

Condoning Putin's atrocities

Would certainly be the wrong thing to do.

-by Bob B (2-21-23)

Truth and Illusion

George and Martha°--what a couple!--

Blurring the lines between truth and illusion,

Undoubtedly aided, of course, by the booze

Which loosens their tongues as they drink in profusion.

 

Attacking, needling, going for the jugular--

Oh, the vicious games they play,

Going at each other, and also pulling

Other people into the fray.

 

Must truth and illusion be so hard

To distinguish between and cause despair?

Do we rely on illusion when

Facing the truth is so hard to bear?

 

How destructive that can be!

It's obvious that things will go bad,

And we can relate to Martha's words:

"George and Martha: sad, sad, sad."

 

The truth is there if we dare to seek it.

It isn't something we ought to eschew.

Are you afraid of Virginia Woolf?

If so, then you should know what to do.

-by Bob B (2-20-23)

°From Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?