Ed was my mom's first cousin by marriage.
Thus, I guess to me,
First cousin once removed
By marriage he had to be.

He lived most of his life in the Land
Of Enchantment: New Mexico,
Where mesas and rugged mountains tower
And wailing desert winds blow.

I loved the phone conversations I had
With Ed and my cousin, for they
Were charming relatives who always
Had so much to say.

Separated by 800 miles,
We had to resort to the phone
To stay in touch, and when she died
And Ed was on his own,

We continued our phone conversations.
It was a sheer delight
To hear the knowledge and wisdom expounded
By someone so wise and bright.

Ed was a man of science and reason
And could get a little bit snarky
When people expressed unfounded beliefs.
Religion to him was malarkey.

We are saved by reason and NOT
By a mythological god.
Myths are fine if understood
As myths, but they are flawed.

He felt that sadly too many people
Do not use their brains.
Instead of trusting reason, they are
Bound by religious chains.

If I brought up astrology
Or Tarot ***** nilly,
Ed would laugh and say that he
Found them just as silly.

Ed would say that reason should guide
Politics as well.
Too many people share the home
Where folly and ignorance dwell.

Whether or not you agreed with him,
You could always be sure
That when you conversed, you'd be on
A fascinating tour.

Ed wanted to donate his body
To science after his death
And made arrangements to do so once
He took his final breath.

In December 2022,
He peacefully died in his sleep.
Great times and great conversations are
The memories I'll keep.

I think about what a character
He was and have to laugh.
"A man who wouldn't put up with nonsense"
Should be his epitaph.

-by Bob B (5-11-24)

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Back in the Saddle Again" by Gene Autry and Ray Whitley.)

He’s BACK in the White House again.
Where HE can play God now and then.
Feeling SMUG 'cause he's immune,
He is STILL a base buffoon.
Trump's in the White House again.

He’s BACK in the White House once more.
This time he's worse than before!
Since our nation's less secure,
Who knows HOW we will endure?
Trump's in the White House again.

It's a shame how he
Managed to go free.
Trump’s in the White House again.
And we STILL don't know
How low he'll go.
Trump's in the White House again.

It's HARD to believe that he won.
The nonsense has barely begun.
All the CHAOS he creates
Is a nightmare for the states.
Trump's in the White House again.

Vengeance is what drives the man.
HE'LL ***** whomever he can.
And with Musk there by his side,
How much more can we abide?
Trump's in the White House again.

It's a shame how he
Managed to go free.
Trump's in the White House again.
And we STILL don't know
How low he'll go.
Trump's in the White House again.

-by Bob B (2-12-25)

A hungry cat was growing thin
And hadn't eaten for quite some time.
He heard that some local birds were ailing
And thought to himself, "How sublime!

"Certainly, they need a doctor.
I think I can fit the bill.
Once the birds let down their guard,
At THAT point I'll go in for the ****."

He gathered together some spectacles,
A coat, a hat, and a doctor's bag
And dressed up for the occasion, saying
"Looking good, though I hate to brag."

And so the cat presented himself
At the birds' home and said he was there
Because he had heard that the birds were sick
And asked if they needed emergency care.

"No!" said the birds. "Never mind.
Do you think we're that naïve?
We are fine and we will do
Even better once you leave."

Dejected, the cat departed. The Moral:
Villains don't like it when others eschew them.
They may try to disguise themselves,
But people can often see right through them.

It's true that scoundrels can be quite shifty,
Especially hackers and scammers today,
Who hide behind their disguises and wait
Like predators ready to pounce on their prey.

-by Bob B (9-3-21)

°An Aesop fable retold here in verse

Our spirits hover over the rubble--
Here and there a school or dwelling,
An abandoned camp or a hospital--
Targets of constant Israeli shelling.

We see our bodies within the debris--
Along with our siblings, our fathers and mothers,
Doctors, teachers, journalists, medics,
Aid-workers and many others.

We see the doctors desperately
Treating the injured with few supplies.
Cries of anguish and pain fill the night
As rockets carry more bombs through the skies.

While Palestinians are under attack
And tens of thousands of people have died,
The world wastes its time debating
"IS it or ISN'T it genocide?"

"Ethnic cleansing"--whatever you call it--
Is ****** on a scale that is grand.
It's Netanyahu's excuse to commit
Atrocities in the "holy land."

A fantasy of the "chosen people"?
Thousands of years of tribal strife,
Blood, ******, vengeance, violence…
Lies in the scriptures come to life.

Countries supplying Netanyahu
With deadly weapons, have you no shame?
Have you lost your sense of compassion?
In what he's doing, you share the blame.

Our spirits hover; our sadness lingers.
We yearn for the madness and killing to cease.
We yearn for an amicable resolution.
Will we be able to rest in peace?

-by Bob B (4-16-25)

Anti-vaxxers have been chanting
"My…body…my…choice!"
As a response to the COVID vaccine.
That's the message they choose to voice.

For years, pro-choice supporters have used
The same slogan, proclaiming their vision:
That when it comes to women's bodies,
What women do is THEIR decision.

Texas legislators have now
Passed draconian abortion laws,
Which are so extreme that they
Put the rights of women on pause.

The laws permit citizens
To act as bounty hunters per se,
Which shows that intimidation in Texas
Apparently will be okay.

For frivolous reasons, anyone
Can take somebody else to court
Who knew someone who needed to end
A pregnancy and offered support.

No provisions for **** or ******:
A case in which there is no maybe.
If a woman is *****, then she
Must deliver the ******'s baby!

No abortions after six weeks?
Let's be frank and not forget
That many women in just six weeks
Don't even know they're pregnant yet.

Republicans in Texas have
Decided that they prefer the song:
"YOUR…body…MY…choice"--
Something they've aimed for all along.

-by Bob B (9-2-21)

Expanding your power is essential
For you to rule with an iron fist.
Remember that you and truth and honor
Simply cannot coexist.

Surround yourself with the most unethical
People you know. One result
Is you will find that that is a much
Simpler way to build your cult.

Appoint an attorney general who
Will back you up no matter what.
He'll investigate your critics;
In short, he'll help you kick their ****.

You can then intimidate
Members of Congress, for you'll find
That with the AG's help they'll be
More malleable. Bear that in mind.

Once you've got your toadies in Congress,
Gone is the separation of powers.
You'll get away with anything.
Their blind devotion will water your flowers.

As your power increases and people
Fear you more, you'll know fully
All the advantages of being
A crass, crude, obnoxious bully.

The groveling sycophants around you--
Though they appear weak and feckless--
Will always be willing to give you a pass,
Even if your behavior is reckless.

You can follow the lead of friend
Vladimir Putin, for he understands
What it's like for a leader to have
So much power in his hands.

Oh, I love democracy--
Something that I can exploit and abuse
And manipulate to give myself
Even more power if I so choose.

-by Bob B (1-18-20)

A lot of English speakers today
Have difficulty with "lie" and "lay."
When we are talking about reclining,
"Lie" is the word that we're defining.
Your English teacher might give you a frown
If you say, "I am going to lay down."
"I'm going to LIE down" is what it should be.
"Lay" requires an object, you see.
Confused, people often ask why
"Lay" has to be the past tense of "lie."
That is partly what makes us confused
And also explains why the words are misused.
"All day last Monday I LAY in my bed."
But people will slip and say "laid" instead.
Remember, the past tense of "lay" is "laid":
"I LAID my coat on the bench in the shade."
Silly example I know; I'm just trying
To make a point. And NO, I'm not lying.
Now when you are using "lying" and "laying,"
The same rules apply. Do you hear what I'm saying?
"She's LYING on top of the quilt right now."
"We're LAYING our coats on the bed." Somehow,
With just a little effort we'll get it,
And it won't confuse you if you don't let it.

-by Bob B (10-1-21)

Twenty twenty-one is now
Behind us and we're moving on.
But sadly we are starting out
This brand new year with Omicron.

Concerned individuals
Observe the facts and then implore us
To put our heads together to deal
Wtih challenges that lie before us:

Catastrophes from climate change,
Threats to our democracy,
COVID variants running rampant,
Distrust and religious hypocrisy….

Also, wherever you look these days,
You'll notice many a trend-setter--
The toxic, obstreperous type who feels
The more obnoxious you are the better.

Lies spread like wildfire.
Far too many people pursue them
And let them color their fantasies
Instead of trying to see right through them.

And so we have a giant task:
To spread the truth and let it guide us--
To put more faith into checking facts
And not let fallacies divide us.

So that's my VOW if I may have
A vow for 2022--
Mainly because relying on reason
Is surely the proper thing to do.

-by Bob B (1-1-22)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

Every day it seems that we hear on the news
That someone else has a few loose screws:
Anti-vaxxers causing disruptions on our planes.
Trying to be obnoxious, they go to great pains.
Defying mask rules, they are picking fights,
Intimidating passengers and delaying flights.
Physically and verbally abusive, they don't care
If they cause disturbance on the ground or in the air.

Foolishly trying to assert their independence,
They spit at, and yell at, and curse at flight attendants,
Who must bear the burden of all the lunacy.
It also is a serious threat to you and me.
Recently, we've heard that a certain nutcase
Punched a flight attendant right in the face,
Knocking out two teeth! Another commandeered
The plane's PA system. Boy, was that weird!

Some unruly passengers have so turned up the heat
That they have had to be duct taped to their seat.
To spread misinformation about our vaccines,
Some of them resort to using any means.
Screeching and preaching, expressing their defiance
Of epidemiologists who rely on science,
Some of these crazies seem to be intent
On being as obnoxious as the former president.

It's so sad to see that we have come to this.
It makes a person wonder what has gone amiss.
Why do some people choose to reject
Behavior toward others that involves more respect?
Fools! They show a lack of common sense.
Fools are the ones who come to their defense.
Fools! I can't think of any other word--
Fools!--to describe behavior so absurd.

THEY'RE FOOLS!

-by Bob B (10-18-21)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

Years ago we threw off the shackles
Of tyranny and built a nation
(Though sadly the previous occupants
Suffered loss and deprivation).

We refused to pledge allegiance
To any king; those days were past.
We created a democratic
System that we thought would last.

But that has changed. The king is back.
Has history ever seen such a thing:
When the fool--or the court jester--
Slipped into the role of king?

It's Mad King Donald who has become
The absolute ruler of this land.
His lackeys lavish him with praise
And blindly obey his every command.

The king has become darker, crueler,
And more unstable than ever before.
His rude, sadistic, impulsive actions
Give us the people so much to deplore.

Weaponizing information,
Lying to us about our borders,
Repeating Kremlin propaganda,
Disobeying judicial orders,

Banishing people to other countries,
Not caring about our health,
Causing economic chaos,
Caring only about his wealth,

Completely distorting reality,
And having no empathy, he's the result
Of what happens when millions of people
Join a personality cult.

He thinks he has complete power
And no one can tell him what to do.
Bring up truth or reason with him,
And you'll be told "To hell with you!"

The tyranny in America
Could end if people gave their all.
Folks all over the world are watching
And waiting for Mad King Donald to fall.

-by Bob B (4-23-25)

Lie, deny, delay. These are
Three methods that Trump employs
To con his way through life. And, yes,
He's good at making lots of noise.

What comes easy for him, of course,
Without a doubt is all the lying.
He is also very adept
At method number two: denying.

Delaying is a bit of a challenge.
To accomplish that, his team resorts
To throwing spaghetti at the wall
To see what sticks in cases in courts.

How ironic: he claims to be
The candidate of law and order
But makes up lies about what is
Occurring on our southern border.

Law and order? What a joke!
The first thing that he'll do, says he,
If he's back in the White House to serve
One more term in office will be

To pardon the thugs who've been convicted
Of crimes involving their connection
With the January 6
Shocking Capitol insurrection.

What a cruel, insensitive,
Vicious, heartless slap in the face
To law enforcement officers
Who were attacked while guarding the place!

If Trump agrees that democracy
And Law and Order are major concerns,
Why then are the ones who protect
Democracy the ones he spurns?

Will Donald Trump once again
Lie and deny his way to the top?
Or will his cold, uncaring campaign
Turn out to be a giant flop?

-by Bob B (4-8-24)

Tell me: What is your worst nightmare
If you’re a parent? I bet I know.
It's something that parents didn't have to
Worry about years ago.

You send your child to school and say,
"See you this afternoon," and then
A mass shooting occurs, and you NEVER
See your child alive again.

THAT's a parent's worst nightmare,
Which happens here in the United States
More often than anywhere else,
For the gun lobby dominates.

If your children are safe and sound,
Count your blessings, and while you do,
Weep for ALL the parents out there
Who haven't been as lucky as you.

In all the world, it's only here
That gun extremists are in control.
How many more of our kids will die
Before the fanatics achieve their goal?

So what will you do to stop the madness?
Sit on your hands and let it continue?
Or will you ACT to finally end
This nightmare? Do you have it within you?

We shouldn't have to live like this.
People are being murdered while we
Let the killings continue by
Responding with our apathy.

-by Bob B (12-4-21)

“I’m not going to wear a mask,”
The man says with a look of defiance,
As he stands in the midst of a crowd,
Defying common sense and science.

"I don't like the government,"
The man without a mask proceeds.
It only comes in handy for him
When it happens to suit his needs.

"The government is not," he adds,
"Going to tell me what to do."
Only his unreliable
Sources tell him what is true.

"The CDC can't be trusted,"
He says with a look of disdain,
Letting too many conspiracy theories
Seep into his paranoid brain.

"No business or place of work
Can make me wear a mask," he declares.
When it comes to the safety of all,
His words show how little he cares.

"Freedom is what it's all about,"
He shouts, but he just doesn't see
That it has nothing to do with freedom;
It’s merely utter stupidity.

-by Bob B (5-21-20)

Oh, poor drone! Do you think
That life has dealt you a nasty blow
While you do what nature demands,
And while about your business you go?

The female bees--the worker bees--
Gather nectar and pollen. Not you.
You make no honey and have no stinger.
There's not a lot for you to do.

The workers feed you and keep you around
To help them heat or cool the hive.
But, ultimately, they have an excellent
Reason for keeping you alive:

You truly play a major role,
For you are there to mate with the queen.
But after you mate, you die, poor fellow.
Why must Nature be so mean?

The queen will mate with more than one,
But MOST drones never have the chance.
That fact that you must die after mating:
Is that something that's known in advance?

As winter approaches and food grows scarce,
The workers will say, “Farewell, drone!"
They will kick you out of the hive,
And you will perish on your own.

Ah, we humans also have
Our reasons for being, but by and by,
No matter what our role is on Earth,
Eventually, we ALL have to die.

-by Bob B (9-2-24)

All would be quite different today
If we hadn't interfered
In Iranian politics
In the 1950s. What is weird--

Or maybe isn't when you consider
How the world functions--is how
What we did way back then
Is coming back to haunt us now.

Helping to orchestrate a coup,
Our CIA helped a man--
Mohammad Reza, the Shah--return
To be the leader of modern Iran.

The Shah moved the country forward,
But there was also a huge increase
Of harsh acts to stifle dissent
By the Shah's secret police.

The 70s brought a revolution.
The people rose up, and then voilà:
Iran became an Islamic Republic
And said good riddance to the Shah.

What we have now is a mess:
Iran wants to define its role
In the Middle East, while we have
A leader with no impulse control.

Ignoring possible repercussions
And thinking he knows so much more
Than all the experts, he could likely
Involve us in a senseless war.

A recipe for disaster? Yes.
The president MUST be stopped in his tracks.
A sense of diplomacy and brains
Are two important things he lacks.

-by Bob B (1-11-20)

For "peace-keeping reasons," says Putin,
Russian forces surround Ukraine.
To people who are able to see
Through Putin's lies the reasons are plain.

Attacking Ukraine's territorial
Integrity is what he's doing.
And once again the autocrat
Has freedom-loving Ukrainians stewing.

Russian tactics echo what
Happened back in 2014
When Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea,
Creating another ugly scene.

On Fox News, Putin's spokesperson,
Tucker Carlson, is praising the Russians
As he manipulates the political
Landscape in his TV discussions.

When dictators perform a nasty
Feat, Carlson celebrates it.
Critics say he doesn't merely
Report the news, he CREATES it.

It's sad to see Republicans
Praising autocratic regimes.
What a way to undermine
Democracy, or so it seems!

-by Bob B (2-22-22)

The Trump v. Harris TV showdown
Had long been anticipated,
And Trump's usual windstorm of lies
Continued to blow unabated.

I saw a text by a friend who wrote,
"That was amazing. Wasn't Trump great?"
I had to ask, "Were she and I
Both watching the same debate?"

Trump repeated again and again
His strange and false information
Regarding our economy,
Roe v. Wade, and immigration.

He couldn't speak on policies
Or even describe his healthcare plan.
Refusing to look at Harris, he looked
More like a weak, pitiful man.

When talking about a world leader
Who sang his praises, what did he do?
He referred to Viktor Orbán--
A demagogue, through and through!

Harris spoke of child tax credits,
Job creation, business assistance,
Energy plans, women's choice,
Moving forward, and coexistence.

True, a couple of times she did
Sidestep her questions; that I admit.
For Trump, that is par for the course.
And when he's pressed, he throws a fit.

How could any voter be
Undecided when it's so clear
Who is fit to lead us forward
Toward a hopeful, new frontier?

-by Bob B (9-11-24)

The Ten Commandments on public buildings?
How does that not violate
Our Founding Fathers yearning for
The separation of church and state?

Still it's occurring across the country
In numerous states by folks who demand
That Christianity, of course,
Be blatantly given the upper hand.

Condemn such in-your-face proposals.
Religious freedom it is not.
It's ignoring the Constitution
Through a crafty religious plot.

And charging American taxpayers
To fund our country's religious schools?
It violates the First Amendment,
Thus breaking established rules.

The Ten Commandments? Then why not post
Muslim and Buddhist precepts that dwell
Within the hearts of many folks,
And lines from the Bhagavad-Gita as well?

And speaking of the Ten Commandments,
By the way--yes, the sum of them--
We have watched with no surprise
As Trump has broken every one of them.°

-by Bob B (4-4-25)

°Even killing? Consider how many people have died because of his disastrous policies and responses to public health crises.

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Auld Lang Syne.")

It's been a year from hell--one that
We might choose to forget.
Our routine and our very lives
Have been under constant threat.

Let’s raise a glass and give a toast,
For we have reached the end
Of 2020. Will good things
Await us 'round the bend?

A deadly virus spread and still
It takes a heavy toll.
Let's hope the vaccines wipe it out;
That will be the New Year's goal.

Let’s raise a glass and give a toast,
For we have reached the end
Of 2020. Will good things
Await us 'round the bend?

The votes were cast; the people spoke.
Now let's shout out three cheers,
For gone will be the one who gave
Us four nightmarish years.

Let’s raise a glass and give a toast,
For we have reached the end
Of 2020. Will good things
Await us 'round the bend?

-by Bob B (12-31-20)

So President Biden pardoned Hunter.
Of course, he was attacked--
Especially by the Right that had
To scream and overreact.

"Corrupt!" they called him. They said he had
Abused his power. Oh, no!
Have they forgotten what Trump had done
Just a few years ago?

Consider the REAL crooks that Trump
Pardoned and also set free.
No president has ever been
As corrupt as he.

Some of those he's pardoned are being
Given positions as well
In government, and yet Trump now
Screams to *******.

Trump has also said he will pardon
Insurrectionists, who
To him were merely patriots.
A warped point of view.

But Biden is favoring family,
Some people will say.
Trump did that before and still
Continues to do it today.

He says that Biden has weaponized
The DOJ. Oh, my!
Trump must learn to take the log
Out of his own eye.

His pick for future AG has
A hit list to carry out.
With Trump in his ear, who knows what
Nonsense will come about.

If you're upset with Biden now,
Get over it, and hurry.
After Trump's in office again,
You'll have a bigger worry.

-by Bob B (12-3-24)

Trump is looking for countries willing
To take more migrants off our hands
And house them in their hell-like prisons
Far away in distant lands.

To send them there without due process
Violates our current laws.
But autocrats, of course, do not
Concern themselves with probable cause.

Due process takes too long,
Says Trump and fellow troglodytes
Who run the country conveniently
Overlooking human rights.

***-kisser Marco Rubio°
Says that we are sending the most
Despicable human beings to prisons.
Once they end up there, they're toast.

If we're sending the most despicable
People away, then it would seem
That we should start with Donald Trump
And his deplorable admin team.

-by Bob B (5-8-25)

° U.S. Secretary of State

As Trump becomes more demented,
We know what would happen should he
Win a second term: the person
Running the country would be the VP.

JD Vance, who's held an elected
Office for only a very short time,
Would do his best to fully dismantle
The government with his partner in crime.

Vance, along with others, would have
Our institutions "pulled to pieces."
The more we hear him talk, the more
His ugly extremism increases.

Purge the federal government
Of secular leaders, he has said,
And fill all the positions with
Christian nationalists instead.

Tech leaders such as Musk
Should be planning our future as well,
He feels. And powerful leaders must also
Be ruthless. To hell with the freedom bell!

Freedom and democracy
Are incompatible, he claims.
Enforcing HIS idea of
Morality is one of his aims.

What the majority of people
Feel is not important to Vance.
Strong leaders impose their will--
An antidemocratic stance!

Vance supports abortion bans.
For him, of course, it goes without saying.
It wouldn't surprise me if he said that God
Talked to him when he was praying.

This is just a smattering
Of all the damage that Vance could do.
If he pulled it off, it would
Be a devastating coup.

-by Bob B (10-16-24)

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)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

During the final days of his term,
Trump did his best
To overturn election results
Like a man possessed.

Like a man possessed he tried
Everything he could
To point out massive voter fraud--
That folks were up to no good.

Folks were up to no good in choosing
Someone else over him,
He thought, for in his mind he'd figured
That Biden's chances were slim.

That Biden's chances were slim: the thought
Propelled him along,
So if Biden won the election,
Something had to be wrong.

Since SOMETHING had to be wrong, he called
The then acting AG,
And told him to say there'd been corruption,
"And leave the rest to me."

"And leave the rest to me." Uh huh.
Of course, we see a connection:
Ten days later we all witnessed
The Capitol insurrection.

-by Bob B (7-31-21)

The quiet of the early morning
Before the break of dawn…
Glistening nighttime dew captures
Moonlight on the lawn.

The soundless darkness obfuscates…
Tranquility prevails…
Not a chirp is heard, for there
Are no nightingales.

Shadows on the moonlit sidewalk
Cast by the towering palm
Punctuate the serenity
Of the morning calm.

Although the silent inner voices
And noiseless thoughts don't cease,
The stillness fills one's being with
A soothing inner peace.

Taking full advantage of
The still dark morning hours,
Hungry snails quietly
Feast on garden flowers.

Shhh! If you listen intently
Before the snails depart,
You will hear the soft and rhythmic
Beating of your heart.

-by Bob B (11-4-19)

Get your vaccination.
Set your fears aside.
Do not count on others
To give you a free ride.

We're in this together.
Everyone take heart.
All can benefit
If we do our part.

Don't buy into tactics
That people out there use
To push a false agenda
And spread untruthful news.

Protect yourself and others,
And we will likely see
The vaccine help us reach
Herd immunity.

But STILL be on your guard--
Vaccinated or not.
Variants could pop up
For which we have no shot.

It behooves us all
To put this virus behind us.
Conspiracy theories only
Hurt, confuse, and blind us.

So get your vaccination
If you haven't yet.
Don't let your inaction
Be something you regret.

-by Bob B (6-20-21)

Much can be learned from reading the scriptures
From many religions--not just one.
Searching for deeper truths and insights
Into human nature is fun.

Learning the path to knowing the self
And meditating on what you read
Give you an opportunity
To better yourself--whatever your creed.

Striving to be more understanding
Serves as a task that's far from small.
It helps us appreciate other religions
And people with no religion at all.

The symbolism that fills the stories,
The parables and figures of speech,
And words of wisdom help you to gain
Greater awareness--so within reach.

Seeking whatever helps us to be
Loving, compassionate, and kind
Is powerful and transformative;
However, do keep one thing in mind:

If using the scriptures to further hatred,
Intolerance, or bigotry, you
Have to remember that "the devil
Can cite scripture for HIS purpose,"° too.

-by Bob B (8-22-21)

°from William Shakespeare

A virulent virus spreads; everything's on pause.
Governments scramble to survive.
When leadership falters, life is more uncertain.
We see that with number Forty-five.

The president attempts to act presidential
But leaves us with a giant question mark.
At a time when honesty is needed more than ever,
We are often left out in the dark.

When leaders spout that certain things are more important
Than living, we should run the other way.
They have sold themselves to cruel heartlessness.
They're the predators and we, the prey.

We can do our best to live out our lives.
Let's not subject ourselves to blame,
Even though at times we can't help but feel
That we are merely pawns in a game.

Some governors tell us to get back to work
Before safety measures are in place.
To them we are nothing but numbers, figures--
Statistics in an deadly database.

Some irresponsible newscasters say,
"This is not so bad as it seems."
Downplaying the danger to satisfy their whims,
They hurt us all by spreading dangerous memes.

Playing with our lives, many leaders try
To judge our worth based on market price.
If we want to win, some of us must lose,
They say to us while handing us the dice.

We can do our best to live out our lives.
Let's not subject ourselves to blame,
Even though at times we can't help but feel
That we are merely pawns in a game.

-by Bob B (4-30-20)

The days feel wintry; nights are cold.
We're trying to spread some holiday cheer.
But once again it's a COVID Christmas--
A little bit like the one last year.

We've made some progress in fighting the virus.
I got my vaccine and should feel protected.
Too bad there is so much resistance
To something that stops us from being infected.

Many people sing songs about joy,
Peace on earth, and goodwill toward all,
While at the same time they've disregarded
The rising COVID numbers this fall.

To help us stay safe and also enjoy
More holiday seasons, we cannot let
Ourselves be guided by lies that spread
On both the TV and the internet.

To put an end to this dreadful pandemic,
Cooperation must be greater.
What is now an inconvenience
Will be a giant help to us later.

'Tis the season for celebrating.
Whatever that means, we will see
That if we take precautions, we'll make
Next year's holidays COVID free.

-by Bob B (12-15-21)

The 4th of July is here, and though
We haven't reached our goal,
We have still made headway getting
COVID under control.

A year ago, times were scary,
But I'll go out on a limb
To say that 2021
Is looking a lot less grim.

However, the Delta variant's spreading;
We must be on our guard.
Wherever we are vulnerable
It leaves its calling card.

And so enjoy your barbecue,
Potato salad and pie.
Party wisely, and have a safe
And happy 4th of July.

-by Bob B (7-4-21)

(This poem could be sung to the melody of "Michelle" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.)

D.T., you'll see:
Though you fool your minions with your lies,
You don't fool me.
D.T., je sais…
Je sais qui vous êtes vraiment…se sais…
Je sais vraiment.
Say, what the hell were you thinking?
When you took all those docs?
You think that simple locks
Will protect top secret docs from getting out of your hands?

D.T., I'll say
You aren't fit to run this country, no,
I say no way.
There are folks out there who want you
To be their shining star.
They don't see who you are.
Or if they do, they might see through your guise, and they dare
Not to care.

You HAVE to know that you aren't guilt free.
But does that faze you? No.
You just put on your show.
To get your way you have to play the martyr each day.

D.T., you'll see.
Fess up to your wrongs and be a man.
Yes, be a man.
I say accountability's a word that you have to learn,
Dear D.T.

D.T., you'll see:
Though you fool your minions with your lies,
You don't fool me.

-by Bob B (8-14-22)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

As cases of COVID-19 keep rising,
Denial is not the best solution.
Pretending the virus is not a threat
Won't bring about its diminution.

Talking about inflated numbers,
Calling it names like the "kung flu,"
Saying that it will disappear
On its own? Truly, the wrong thing to do.

When people don't heed the guidance of experts
And choose instead to rationalize
Careless behavior, they are allowing
Foolishness to wear a disguise.

Beating this virus requires that we
Work together and do our part
To implement the best and wisest
Practices--to do what's smart.

Maintain social distancing,
Avoid crowds in closed-in places,
And wear a mask when out in public.
We've GOT to stop the rise in cases.

If covering your nose and mouth
To you is a disagreeable task,
Instead of whining about your freedoms,
Just shut up and put on your mask!

-by Bob B (6-29-20)

Why for months has Hello Poetry
Been so out of whack?
Is the problem really such
A hard nut to crack?

I can’t see a lot of poems
That I would love to see,
And many people cannot read
The ones written by me.

There’s a contact address, but is it
Just there for show?
Since I never get a response,
How am I to know?

The site needs a technician who knows
What he or she is doing.
If it continues to function this way,
Frustrations will keep brewing.

It was a wonderful site, but now
I keep wondering whether
It’s going to be able once again
To get its act together.

-by Bob B (4-11-20)

We aren't out of the woods
Regarding the COVID pandemic.
One thing isn't helping:
The anti-vaccine polemic.

Despite our efforts to get
The virus under control,
Dis- and misinformation
Are taking a heavy toll.

If all had worked together
From the very start
To stop the virus from spreading,
Well, THAT would've been smart.

"MY body my choice,"
Some people will say,
As if that's going to make
The virus go away.

By not taking precautions,
The non-vaccinee
Can spread mutated strains
Of the virus to you and me.

Where COVID is spreading fast,
And the number of cases is sizable,
According to the experts,
The wearing of masks is advisable.

Some people think
That wearing a mask is futile.
Don't they realize
That COVID can be brutal?

No, wearing a mask
Isn't fun, but still,
It does offer protection
From something that can ****.

It isn't rocket science.
Listen to the pros.
Get your vaccination,
And cover your mouth and nose.

-by Bob B (7-29-21)

The House has released an official report
On Matthew Gaetz, former member.
The special, unwanted Christmas gift
Was given to him this December.

Accused of having obstructed Congress
And violated House rules,
Gaetz apparently thinks that he
Can do no wrong and we are fools.

If you ask some members of Congress
To share the impression that they have had
Of Gaetz since they have gotten to know him,
They would say that he's a cad.

They learned that he paid thousands of dollars
For drug use and also for ***.
Can he deny the evidence?
I wonder if he paid with checks.

That isn't all, of course, for Gaetz's
Shocking list of infractions gets finer:
On top of everything else, he's been
Accused of having *** with a minor.

And this is the guy that Trump had wanted
To be AG! Not surprising,
For Trump would very likely think,
"Oh, he's merely womanizing."

Gaetz admits that he's sent "funds"
To women he has dated. I see.
Whatever he calls it, it sounds as though
He was paying for *** to me.

-by Bob B (12-26-24)

Putin's year-long war continues
To batter Ukraine--to ****, 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)

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

In this growing autocracy
That too many people are getting behind,
Folks are getting in trouble for merely
Saying the truth and speaking their mind.

ABC journalist Terry Moran
Was fired from the network for having said
That Stephen Miller's° a "world-class hater."
He hit the nail right on the head!

That's what Stephen Miller is--
A "world-class hater" through and through.
His neo-**** rhetoric
Is really bizarre, for he is a Jew.

James Comey°° is also in trouble
For what he'd written in the sand:
86 47.
He was merely taking a stand.

Because of what Mr. Comey had written,
Trump called on the FBI
To carry out an investigation,
For Comey he'd LOVE to crucify.

86 47.
I'll say it now; I'll say it again:
86 47,
About Donald Trump, the vilest of men.

If Miller and Trump would like to keep
Attacks on them from percolating
Through news sources everywhere,
Maybe they should both stop hating.

-by Bob B (6-11-25)

°Aide to Donald Trump
°°Former FBI director

DT:
Friends and students, hear my plan
To combat left-wing indoctrination:
I will sign an order demanding
Patriotic education.

Ah, such music to my ears!
I would say it sounds hypnotic:
Ignoring the facts to focus on myths…
That's what I call "patriotic."

There is no white privilege.
I say Whites are the real oppressed.
I want history books to say
That we have always been the best.

The 1619 Project is out.
If faculties don't follow my rules,
They will hear from me, for I'll
Cut off funding to their schools.

Racial inequality
Has no place in history books.
To me it's toxic propaganda.
Can't you see how bad it looks?

The schools have been cheating our kids.
I think current curricula stink.
Teaching blind allegiance is better
Than teaching children how to think.

I want students everywhere
To hear what I call the REAL truth.
And you'll have the privilege of being
Part of the Trump/****** Youth.

-by Bob B (9-18-20)

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens and Eleanor Farjeon.)

Vaccines are working. Evidence proves that.
Let's not be shirking what must be done.
COVID is killing; look all around us.
If folks are willing, we will have won.

If we forsake such efforts to save us,
Our hearts will ache much lest hope survives.
Stalling is fateful; it need not happen.
We should be grateful when we save lives.

Life is uncertain. That's true; however,
Don't close the curtain till the show ends.
Mindful endeavors keep us together;
Thoughtlessness severs family and friends.

Experts can guide us on this long journey,
Walk alongside us, and give us hope--
Hope that tomorrow will bring an end to
Much of our sorrow. That helps us cope.

Vaccines are working. Evidence proves that.
Let's not be shirking what must be done.
COVID is killing; look all around us.
If folks are willing, we will have won.

-by Bob B (10-5-21)

Cry, beloved country,
For what we fear will come.
A bleak, uncertain future
Leaves us feeling numb.

Weep about the darkness
That's crept into our day
As fear and hate extinguish
The torch that guides our way.

Mourn the loss of judgment
At dark times such as this.
For far too many people,
Ignorance is bliss.

Grieve the loss of hope
That many of us had known.
Despair has now replaced it,
And hearts have turned to stone.

Lament the death of knowledge
That always has been needed
To help ensure that lessons
Of history are heeded.

Bewail the sad misfortune
That empathy's now gone,
While those who deeply suffer
Are treated with a yawn.

Cry, beloved country.
Was ALL of this our fate?
Can we turn the tide,
Or might it be too late?

-by Bob B (11-7-24)

They love to distract us out of anger and spite--
Those members of Congress on the far right.
Sometimes one wonders: Have they no shame?
For they keep on playing the Republican game.

The House keeps on passing bill after bill.
Then Moscow Mitch goes in for the ****.
Nothing gets passed, and the Senate's to blame.
For they keep on playing the Republican game.

They keep on saying how much they care
About their kids' future and how they will fare.
If they're so caring, then why do they claim:
No global warming? A Republican game.

They give huge tax breaks to those at the top
And don't care that others suffer nonstop
With high costs of drugs and health care that's lame.
That must be part of the Republican game.

They say they value justice and rules.
Yet they don't mind if they're played for fools
By giving support to a leader whose name
Will haunt us forever. The Republican game.

That they trust in Party over people is clear.
It's NOT hard to see beneath their veneer.
Do you ever wonder when they became
So fully enmeshed in the Republican game?

Republicans out there, your GOP
Members of Congress ***** you and me.
They're more controlled by their lobbyists' aim:
To profit by playing the Republican game.

-by Bob B (11-8-19)

Does the world bribe you to betray yourself--
To try to make you fit inside a mold?
Does it try to tempt you with complacency--
To dominate you with its stranglehold?

Do you feel the pressure when it says to you
That what you see is really not the truth?
Has it often emphasized conformity
And stifled your ambitions since your youth?

Does it wear you down with its seductiveness,
Even though you see through all its charms?
Do its threats to curb originality
Manifest themselves as false alarms?

Have you found the courage to resist the ploys
And everything society might do
To make you who you aren't when you'd much prefer
To be and show the world the real you?

-by Bob B (3-2-22)

(This poem is based on Poe’s poem “The Bells.”)

I. (Initial rain)

It’s the luscious sound of rain—
Gentle rain.
How it seems to soothe my nerves and calm my weary brain!
How it patters, patters, patters
In the early morning hours!
And we're certain that it matters
That with every drop that splatters
It will feed the hungry flowers
As it falls, falls, falls,
Dripping down the roofs and walls.
Oh, the wonder of the music made so gloriously plain
From the rain, rain, rain, rain,
Rain, rain, rain--
From the gentle pitter-patter of the rain.

II. (Subsequent days of rain)

It's the dreadful sound of rain--
Heavy rain.
How the constant pummeling is driving me insane!
How it beats and beats and beats
On all our windows and our walls!
And the windows now are leaking
And some inside walls are streaking
As the dismal water falls.
And it pelts, pelts, pelts
As my optimism melts,
And my hopes for storms to quickly pass are miserably in vain.
It's the rain, rain, rain, rain,
Rain, rain, rain--
The depressing and distressing sound of rain.

-by Bob B (2-5-24)

The battle continues as COVID-19
Insidiously continues to spread.
People are doing their part to combat it--
Still not knowing what lies ahead.

The luckier folks have milder cases.
Self-quarantined, they hope they can win
The battle against the dangerous virus--
Trying to smile as their patience wears thin.

In hospital rooms around the country
People are struggling to stay alive.
The virus stealthily crosses all boundaries,
Seeking out places where it can thrive.

Health care workers everywhere
Are putting their lives in danger to give
Excellent treatment to those in their care.
Their goal: helping their patients to live.

Loved ones live in anguish and fear.
Unable to enter hospital rooms
To comfort the ones they love, they must
Avoid a place where danger looms.

Doctors and nurses, along with other
Trained medical personnel,
Perform their medical duties and serve
As "family" to the dying as well.

A laptop or phone might be the only
Contact some have with the world outside.
For many, their bodies succumb to the virus,
For they are unable to turn the tide.

Hold them in your heart--the ones
Who are isolated and on their own.
Embrace them all with loving thoughts--
The ones who sadly must die alone.

-by Bob B (4-9-20)

Sometimes it seems that gone are the days
When people valued the wise--
When education wasn't suspect
And something to demonize;

When knowledge, awareness, and understanding
Provided a safety net
And were not frowned upon and thought
To be a dangerous threat;

When facts and the truth were highly regarded
And clarity desired;
When people trusted reason and critical
Thinking was admired.

When people didn't think that foolish
Hearsay was worth believing;
When having an open mind was considered
A goal worth achieving;

When misinformation didn't spread
Like wildfires raging;
When honesty was highly praised,
And virtue was engaging.

But, alas, perhaps I was
Hopelessly deceived
To think that's what the majority
Of people truly believed.

Is there a possibility that
All the things I've listed,
Widespread and across the board,
Never really existed?

-by Bob B (7-8-21)

Poor Trump is trying hard
To cover up his deep dejection.
He's attempting to overturn
The results of the presidential election.

Strange, bizarre conspiracy theories
Perpetuated by the Trumps
Are being spread like wildfire
And talk of massive ballot dumps.

Trump sounds like a mad King George
Or a crazed King Lear, losing his mind.
Any semblance of rational thought
In him is getting harder to find.

Frivolous lawsuits of voter fraud
From Giuliani's bag of tricks
Show that they're throwing whatever they can
At the wall in hopes that something sticks.

Sadly, they are undermining
Democracy with such crazy schemes.
They look even more pathetic
By going to such outrageous extremes.

Americans have voted and now
Await with hope a bright new dawn.
The jig is up. The game is over.
Mr. Trump, it's time to move on.

-by Bob B (12-1-20)

Do people tell you that you have
An RBF by any chance,
And when you're in their company,
You find that many look askance?

Having such a face might not
In the long run be so bad.
People just aren't sure if you
Are happy, bored, upset, or mad.

In fact, with an RBF,
Your ****** skin needs much less care
Because with fewer smiles or frowns,
Your face shows fewer signs of wear.

Our happy, smiling, laughing, frowning,
Or scowling faces can, I guess,
Have an expressive look right now
But soon become a wrinkled mess.

You've surely heard of Bette Davis,
The actress of the stage and screen.
When it comes to RBFs,
People say she was the queen.

Some don't like the expression at all.
When they hear it, ooh, they lose it.
That's why I, of course, must say
That I would never, ever use it.

-by Bob B (9-8-22)

°Resting ***** face

(For some reason, I found this poem in my DRAFTS. I guess I hadn't "published" it for public eyes, and it sat, along with 25 or so of my other poems, in my DRAFTS folder until today. Sorry about the delay.)

According to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm,
When Grandma wasn't feeling so good,
Mom packed up some wine and cake
And sent it with Little Red Riding Hood

To Grandma's house, deep in the forest.
Along the path Little Hood met
The hungry Wolf who ultimately
Taught her a lesson she'd never forget.

Having devoured Grandma, and now
Waiting to eat the grandchild as well,
The Wolf couldn't stop thinking about
Gobbling up the little belle.

We all know that Little Hood
Ended up in the Wolf's big belly,
Along with Grandma. It must have been
A place overly cramped and smelly.

A hunter came by and saved the day
By putting an end to the dangerous ****.
Grandma enjoyed her cake and *****;
The Wolf became the hunter's rug.

My favorite moral is as follows:
When Grandma is sick and lying supine,
To help raise her spirits, take her
A little cake and a bottle of wine.

-by Bob B (5-5-20)

This poem's the twelve hundredth poem
That I have "published" on my blog.
For me, my poetry collection
Is almost like a travelogue--

A mental travelogue depicting
My thoughts traveling to and fro.
I'm never certain where they'll take me
Next. I just go with the flow.

Today might be a little visit
To a place called "Hypocrisy-land."
There you'll find politicians
Who have gotten out of hand.

Tomorrow might take me to a place
Where I spend a lot of time--
A place where animals can talk
And anecdotes are put to rhyme.

To outer space my mind might travel;
Or out to explore nature's wonders.
Perhaps I'll take a nostalgic trip
Or write about people's triumphs or blunders.

Places, events, and history,
Unknown figures, people of fame,
Likable folks, and miscreants, too:
Any topic becomes fair game.

Eschewing ambiguity
Or language rich in metaphor,
I find that a simple, conversational,
Straightforward style suits me more.

To many poets, poems that rhyme
Are--according to them--passé.
Although it has its limitations,
Rhyming for me is here to stay.

I know that poetry is not
Everybody's cup of tea,
But somehow I can hear it speak
In everything I do or see.

-by Bob B (12-17-21)

COVID-19 is still around us;
Don't think the virus has disappeared.
In fact, what is happening now
Is just what many people had feared.

Numbers are rising in many states.
Many people have lowered their guard.
While some of us are being careful,
The careless ones are making it hard.

Consistent messaging has been
Lacking from our leadership.
And what kind of guidance are
We now getting? Practically zip!

Because the wearing of masks is required
In certain places, people complain
At city council meetings. It makes
You wonder: Can't they use their brain?

As we reopen, we have to consider
A whole new way of thinking. What's more,
We can't--for now, at least--behave
Exactly as we behaved before.

We should watch how other countries
Got the virus under control.
Something here is not working.
Negligence is taking its toll.

As much as we'd like to wish it away,
Facing reality is a must.
It would be especially nice
If we had a president we could trust.

-by Bob B (6-15-20)