The Father*

In a small village lived a man

Who no longer had a wife.

The only son that he had was now

The pride and joy of his life.`

 

While the man was away one day,

Some plunderers came into town.

They ransacked the homes, kidnapped the boy,

And burned the houses down.

 

When the man arrived back home,

He found among the rubble

A charred body. Assuming it was

His son's, he took the trouble

 

To have the body cremated, and then

He put the remains of the lad

Into a bag that he carried with him

Wherever he went. Poor dad!

 

After the man had rebuilt his house

With a memorial dome,

The son escaped from the plunderers

And found his way back home.

 

Hearing a knock on the door, the father

Wondered, "Who could it be?"

The son continued knocking and said,

"Father, it is me!"

 

"Go away!" the father said.

"Leave me in peace!" he cried.

"I won't open the door to an

Imposter. My son died!"

 

Frantically, the son continued

To pound upon the door.

He finally walked away in sadness.

Ah, the grief they bore!

 

The years passed by. The son would wonder

Every now and then,

"Should I return?" but sadly he

Never went back again.

 

When people are so attached to false

Ideas that they embrace,

They hide from the truth, even if

It stares them in the face.

-by Bob B (7-14-23)

*An old Buddhist parable

The Poisoned Arrow

A curious monk asked the Buddha some questions:

"Is the world finite or not?

What happens to people after we die?

Your answers to these will help me a lot."

 

The wise and compassionate Buddha, who

Always kept on the straight and narrow,

Smiled at the monk and replied, "Suppose

A man is hit by a poisoned arrow.

 

"He tells the surgeon, 'Before you remove

The arrow, I REALLY have to know

Who the person is who shot it

And if he is a beginner or pro.

 

'How old is he? Is he a noble

Warrior or merely a simple man?

From what family does he come?

Is he dark, light, or tan?

 

'Did he use a longbow, or did

He use a crossbow? One more thing:

I want to know what kind of material

The person used to make the string.

 

'Ah, the feathers! I don't think

By asking this I am being absurd,

But since arrows have feathers, tell me

Where they came from. From WHAT kind of bird?'

 

"Before anyone could answer these questions,

The man who had been hit would be dead.

He should have said to the surgeon, 'Please,

Remove the poisoned arrow!' instead.

 

"You see, resorting to useless questions

And metaphysical speculation

Will not end human suffering

Or help you experience realization.

 

"Life is short; don't waste time.

What is essential should be your focus.

You'll be more at peace if you

Eschew irrelevant hocus pocus."

-by Bob B (7-9-23)

More Important?

"There are more important things than living,"

Said Dan Patrick° back in 2020.

His words, of course, were feelingless and shocking,

But people who agree with him are plenty.

 

Although Patrick's words were focused on

COVID at the time, it is clear

That folks out there will use his argument

To justify the guns that they hold dear.

 

We can see that certain politicians

And their supporters clearly are the ones

Who've made the choice that life is less important

Than having their huge arsenal of guns.

 

An epidemic--one of violence--

Pervades this country. Watch the killings surge.

The Second Amendment, misinterpreted,

Contributes in a big way to the scourge.

 

Doubtless there are certain regulations

That would likely help protect us all,

But people who oppose our taking action

Fight such regulations with a squall.

 

Our thoughts or prayers will NOT revive the dead.

If people are afraid of making waves,

And if the situation stays the same,

We'll be putting flowers on more graves.

 

We MUST attempt to end the senseless shootings.

People must stand up and make demands.

Those who scoff at intervention have

The blood of many victims on their hands.

-by Bob B (7-6-23)

°Texas Lt. Governor

What a Universe!

This is a violent universe.

Galaxies are colliding.

A big black hole could gobble us up.

From some things there's no hiding.

 

A meteor could crash into Earth.

It wouldn't just make a din;

The impact and the after-effects

Could surely do us in.

 

A huge volcano could erupt.

What would be in store?

Much of life could become extinct.

It's happened on Earth before.

 

Ultimately, a red giant

Will be the fate of our sun,

And we will all be vaporized.

That doesn't sound like fun.

 

If the universe collapses

Upon itself, well, then

Maybe another big bang would

Happen all over again.

 

Or if it keeps expanding, we

Would take a different route.

Eventually, everything

Would just fizzle out.

 

Are there multiple universes?

Are we not alone?

Are they as violent as ours?

So much is unknown.

 

In the meantime, I'll enjoy

The sun's gorgeous display,

And watch it rise and set and hope

To see another day.

-by Bob B (7-3-23)

Living

Having survived a heart attack,

I find that I am now inclined

To always have a piercing question

That surfaces from the depths of my mind:

 

Could it--will it--happen again?

The question is a normal one

After such an experience,

Which definitely was NOT very fun.

 

When you had no warning signs,

It makes you even more uncertain.

If life's a stage, will Death decide

To stop the play and close the curtain?

 

Uncertainty is a part of life.

That's just the way it is, and so,

Instead of trying to fight it, I guess,

It's better to merely go with the flow.

 

In the meantime, what should I do?

Eat healthy foods, exercise,

Take my meds, avoid too much salt

And sugar and stress, and try to be wise.

 

Appreciating all that life

Has to offer before life ends,

I hope to share this appreciation

With family and all my friends.

 

Time waits for no one, they say.

It passes by us lickety-split.

Living is a special gift,

So make the optimal use of it.

-by Bob B (6-26-23)

The D.T. Playbook: Chapter 10 (Classified Docs)

D.T.

 

If you have some classified docs,

Whatever you do, don't ignore them.

Put them in your bathroom, for it's

The perfect place for you to store them.

 

Therefore, when your guests come to visit,

They'll be fully guaranteed

To have--while they are on the pot--

Something interesting to read.

 

And if the toilet paper dispenser

Is empty, and they are in a rut,

They can always use the docs

To…well, you know…to wipe their butt.

 

It gives me such a feeling of power

Just to know the docs are there.

If you fear that you'll run out

Of reading material, don't despair.

 

I have box after box after box.

That should keep you occupied

For many hours. Top secret?

Bah! I've got nothing to hide.

 

There's one that I've been looking for--

The one that has the nuclear codes.

If you find it, let me have it,

Or I'll have one of my episodes.

 

I maintain that presidents--

Current or former--can do what they want.

Thumbing my nose at everyone else:

That is something I like to flaunt.

 

Now that I have been indicted,

Up my sleeve I have an ace.

I'm sure that a judge that I appointed

Is going to help me win my case.

-by Bob B (6-24-23)

Not I or Not Me?

When reading this poem, I hope you can see

When we should use "Not I" or "Not me."

The context determines what should be said.

I hope I don't have you scratching your head.

 

If somebody asks, "Who's a good dancer?"

Please do not let "Not me" be your answer.

If you are NOT, then you should reply,

"I'm not," or simply respond with "Not I."

 

However, if somebody asks, "Last week,

Who(m) did Marisol kiss on the cheek?"

IF "She didn't kiss me" is how

You'd answer, "Not me" is sufficient right now.

 

"Who wants this book?" "Not I" you'd say

If you do not want the book today.

"Who(m) did Mario call a jerk?"

He DIDN'T dis YOU? "Not me" then would work.

 

Didn't you learn "Not I" as I did

When being read to as a young kid?

"Who'll help?" asks the little red hen with a cluck.

"Not I," say the dog, the cat, and the duck.

 

As you can see, it all depends

On what one means--on what one intends.

Whichever expression you use will suffice,

But one's always clearer and much more precise.

-by Bob B (6-20-23)