The telephone is constantly ringing;
I’m on the verge of insanity.
It’s all I can do when answering calls
Not to break out in profanity.

It doesn’t help to block a number,
For callers will use another.
How many do they have access to?
Twenty? Forty? Brother!

The scammers are the worst, of course--
Each a conniving crook!
But telephone solicitors?
Also bad in my book!

If they would only take NO for an answer,
It wouldn’t be so bad.
But when they importune me for money,
That’s when I get mad.

Sometimes solicitors overstep
The bounds of familiarity;
If they do, I’ll flatly refuse
To donate to their charity.

I hate to be rude, but it’s hard not to
Say something mean.
As I said, I'm at the point
Of saying something obscene!

It MUST be self-defeating for them,
For I know I'm not alone
When I say they’re forcing me
To never answer my phone.

The “Do Not Call List”? What a joke!
Robocalls? A pain.
All of us in phone-call hell
Have the right to complain.

This phone-call madness will have its place
In the annals of demonology,
For we know one thing: it is one
Of the curses of modern technology.

-by Bob B (9-13-18)

The president invited supporters
To visit him in the White House this week.
Such a display of hypocrisy!
A prayer ****, so to speak.

With impeachment procedures occurring,
He's trying to bolster part of his base
By meeting with religious fanatics
To pander to them face to face.

Referring to so-called religious freedom,
He wants to remind them how much he's done
To help the country and doesn't see how
He's ******* it up for everyone.

"Religious freedom" really means
A free rein to discriminate,
A way to deny equal rights,
Another way to perpetuate hate.

Watch them lay their hands on Trump
And pray. They don't care in the least
How it looks to the rest of the world.
Don't they know they're blessing the beast?

-by Bob B (11-1-19)

Look upon the ocean horizon
And tell me what perchance you see.
"I see a ship that's bringing enslaved
People to toil in the land of the free."

This happened over and over again.
Tell me: did black lives matter then?

I see families weeping together.
Ask them why? What did they say?
"They said their loved one was lynched by a mob
Who call themselves the KKK."

This happened over and over again.
Tell me: did black lives matter then?

Why are those people spitting on
Those kids seeking better schooling?
"They don't like the idea of
The country's integration ruling."

This happened over and over again.
Tell me: did black lives matter then?

Why are police using whips,
Tear gas, and clubs on marchers? Take note!
"Ah, they are demonstrators
Marching for the right to vote."

This happened over and over again.
Tell me: did black lives matter then?

Many people seem upset.
What might be the explanation?
"Disproportionate figures of
Brutality and incarceration."

This happens over and over again.
When so, do black lives matter then?

Some people say “All lives matter,”
But all lives haven't for hundreds of years.
Stop rivers of hate and injustice
That empty into an ocean of tears?

-by Bob B (6-9-20)

Did you see Hitchcock's classic
****** when it was first released?
Back in 1960 it was--
Before our thirst for blood increased.

Hitchcock teased us with the camera
And was a master at building suspense,
Which for many who saw the movie
Turned out to be too intense.

The unforgettable scene in the shower
Made many viewers too afraid
To shower when staying at home alone
For years after the film had been made.

The intensity of that frightening scene
By modern standards is simple or thin.
They say there's only one split second
That shows the knife touching skin.

In movies now heads go flying,
Bodies explode, throats are slit,
Blood gushes, sprinkles, and splatters--
The butchery never seems to quit.

Eyes pop out, insides ooze,
Bodies are sometimes split in half
Or burnt to a crisp before our eyes.
After a shriek, the viewers laugh.

Are we more sophisticated
Or just immune to blood and gore?
Scenes that scared us way back when
Do not scare us anymore.

It's refreshing when directors use
Restraint and wisely resist temptations
To show it all and leave so little
To the viewers' imaginations.

- by Bob B

While American and Israeli officials
Clink their champagne glasses and schmooze
At an embassy in Jerusalem,
One thing is barely making the news:

Over one hundred twelve° Palestinians
Have been killed at the Gaza Strip
Since March 30 by Israeli soldiers
Demonstrating their marksmanship.

Over 13,000° have been
Injured, having wounds that consist
Of large, gaping holes in the victims--
Bullet holes the size of a fist.

The bullets shot from high-velocity
Weapons on hitting their target explode
Expanding and mushrooming inside the body.
Israeli cruelty à la mode?

People from all walks of life gathered
To demonstrate and express their frustration
For living conditions in their Gaza prison--
An abominable situation.

Conditions, in fact, are among
The worst that the world has seen.
May 14 was the bloodiest day
Since the strife in twenty fourteen.

Israelis call it "self-defense";
It's really shoot-to-injure or ****.
Are snipers keeping track of how many
Palestinian coffins they'll fill?

One uncle never imagined
That he would need a body bag.
He carried home his 8-month old niece
Wrapped in a Palestinian flag.

The people want a place that's home.
But while negotiations stall--
And marginalized by circumstances--
They live inside or outside a wall.

-by Bob B (5-19-18)

°Based on a report by journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous

For what occurred on March 7,
There was truly no excuse.
Although the day started out calmly,
Before long all hell broke loose.

The year: 1965.
Selma, Alabama: the place.
Six hundred marchers for freedom
And state troopers stood face to face.

The goal of the marchers was a demand
For equal rights in the voting booth,
For the tight grip of Jim Crow laws
In America was an ugly truth.

The plan: a peaceful march from Selma
To the Alabama capital, where
They would take their grievances
To the governor. What's fair is fair.

Reaching the Edmund Pettus Bridge--
Named, by the way, after a man
Who'd been a Confederate general
And member of the Ku Klux ****--

The marchers stopped. The state troopers
Told them all to turn around.
However, the marchers, one of whom
Was John Lewis°, stood their ground.

Soon the state troopers advanced,
Wearing gas masks and waving their sticks.
They threw some whips and tubing wrapped
In barbed wire into the mix.

Men, women, and children were beaten.
Blood was flowing; marchers were screaming.
Some of white spectators were
Holding Confederate flags and beaming.

That evening, while millions were watching
"Judgment at Nuremberg" on TV,
The movie was interrupted by scenes
Of the brutal assault for all to see.

The day is known as ****** Sunday--
A day that we should never forget.
And yet today the voting rights
Of people of color are still under threat.

When we restrict the right to vote,
Democracy's up against the wall.
No one is free until ALL are free.
Equal rights means justice for all.

-by Bob B (3-6-21)

°American politician, statesman, and civil rights activist who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 until his death in 2020

Halloween is approaching, and so
You'd better watch out for spooks.
Watch out for zombies and vampires and witches.
Most of all watch out for kooks.

Ghosts are out there hoping to scare you
And trying to put on the squeeze
For you to think that the COVID vaccine
Is worse than the disease.

They haunt the halls of Congress and make
Appearances anywhere,
Looking for innocent victims to
Intimidate or scare.

They don't mind Halloween masks
That might look gruesome or gory.
But wearing masks to save human lives?
That is a different story!

Once a zombie bites you, you
Join the walking dead,
Which shows how easy it is for mistrust
And ignorance to spread.

Vampires want to feast on the blood
Of truth that runs through your veins,
After that, your appetite
For blood is all that remains.

Witches know how to concoct a potion
To make you want to distrust
Our institutions, many of which
They want to see bite the dust.

Kooks are scary, for sometimes they
Are harder to recognize,
But once they open their mouths to speak,
You can hear their lies.

Though Halloween is a scary time,
Frankly, we have to fear
All of these kooks and zombies and such
Every day of the year.

-by Bob B (10-9-21)

Republicans have a boogeyman.
Actually, more than one.
They are extremely creative and won’t
Let themselves be outdone.

Take critical race theory—
One of their current bugaboos.
They say it’s going to bring about
Our downfall. Hear them on Fox News.

Expressing White racial grievance
And complaining about C.R.T.
Shift the focus away from systemic
Racism here in this “land of the free.”

Marxism and socialism—
Also right-wing boogeymen
That pose insidious threats to our freedom?
Yawn! No, not this again!

Of course, you have the deep state conspiracy—
Another one of their baseless fears—
Which, they like to point out, has been
Happening during the past five years.

Then there’s always Antifa! Right-wing
Pundits will not let you forget,
Although far-right domestic terrorists
Are the ones posing a REAL threat.

What about the Devil incarnate:
George Soros, whom they bash
Excessively on right-wing shows
Where they spread their balderdash?

Ah, and don't forget the Dems.
Trumplicans love to fulminate
Against the Democrats and call them
Dangerous enemies of the state.

They say these boogeymen are going to
Destroy us and NOT just tarnish our name.
Do they REALLY believe this nonsense?
Are they for real? Or is it a game?

-by Bob B (7-18-21)

The president appointed a man
To help support his nefarious plan--
Something that's so common in these times.
The man became the president's pal
And pushed a bogus rationale
To try to cover up his boss's crimes.

The president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

An office that should really be
An independent agency
Is one that we call the D-O-J.
But since the president's henchman's there,
The agency's the worse for wear
And grows less independent every day.

Thanks to our leader's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

To bolster a right-wing conspiracy theory,
Barr has started a new inquiry
To investigate the Russia investigation.
Of course, he knows he'll get Fox News
To help support his spurious views
For it’s a peddler of misinformation.

To help the president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

To try to prove that the Mueller probe
Was a crime, he roams the globe
To find someone to help him prove his case.
He merely shows that he's got gall
And NO integrity at all.
How can he look us in the face?

The president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

What a stunt--a big distraction,
A sly and furtive counteraction--
As they try to manufacture dirt.
Distractions from impeachment chatter
Is for them an easy matter.
To them it doesn't matter whom they hurt.

Watch the president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

-by Bob B (10-25-19)

AG Barr's attempt to spin
Conspiracy theories is wearing thin.
He wants to prove the Russia probe's a sham.
Investigations come up short.
They can't debunk the Mueller Report.
But Barr doesn't give a tinker's ****.

That's the president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

The AG cannot rest, you see,
Until the lackey shows that he
Has a subject he can't fail to broach.
Even though his plan has holes
And serves his partisan political goals,
He insists that Trump's above reproach.

The president has a shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

It's sad he's such a sorry cuss.
The AG should be working for us;
The president's personal lawyer he is NOT.
But Trump thinks Barr will save his hide.
So what if neither one has pride.
Barr will be his shining Lancelot.

That's the president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

Many of us remain nonplussed
At how the AG has no trust
For DOJ employees who work hard.
Instead, he thinks a "deep state" scheme--
A myth he's peddling to the extreme--
Is real and so he has to be on guard.

That's the president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

Rejecting Congressional oversight,
Barr has taken on the fight
To cover up the president's transgressions.
Barr puts AG Sessions to shame.
Though both have played the president's game,
Barr is ten times worse than AG Sessions.

That's the president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

-by Bob B (12-6-19)

________
(Original poem: Part I)

BOOTLICKER BARR

The president appointed a man
To help support his nefarious plan--
Something that's so common in these times.
The man became the president's pal
And pushed a bogus rationale
To try to cover up his boss's crimes.

The president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

An office that should really be
An independent agency
Is one that we call the D-O-J.
But since the president's henchman's there,
The agency's the worse for wear
And grows less independent every day.

Thanks to our leader's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

To bolster a right-wing conspiracy theory,
Barr has started a new inquiry
To investigate the Russia investigation.
Of course, he knows he'll get Fox News
To help support his spurious views
For it’s a peddler of misinformation.

To help the president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

To try to prove that the Mueller probe
Was a crime, he roams the globe
To find someone to help him prove his case.
He merely shows that he's got gall
And NO integrity at all.
How can he look us in the face?

The president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

What a stunt--a big distraction,
A sly and furtive counteraction--
As they try to manufacture dirt.
Distractions from impeachment chatter
Is for them an easy matter.
To them it doesn't matter whom they hurt.

Watch the president's shining star:
The man known as Bootlicker Barr.

-by Bob B (10-25-19)

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.)

D.T. from the White House balcony:

"To all my fans here, I want to say
That I need all your help and support
If I'm going to survive this outrageous ordeal.
It isn't easy.
Enemies want me to fail--yes, that's true.
Only my loyal supporters
Have known what they all have to do.

"For me to keep my power, I had to play.
There were things that I had to distort
To protect all I had and to make me seem real.
I had a mission.
I had to show you that I would come through--
That my people are number one--
While I"--sniff--"am just number two.

"Bow down to me, o my people.
You know I don't want to leave you.
The bonds we have here
Are hard to sever.
If you will let me,
I'll rule forever.

"Regarding experts, I have my own.
I listen to those who will spout
All the words and ideas to which I subscribe.
If they defy me.
I will see they're brought down, yes, for suffer they will.
Especially all of my friends
Who fear me on Capitol Hill.

"Bow down to me, o my people.
You know I don't want to leave you.
The bonds we have here
Are hard to sever.
If you will let me,
I'll rule forever.

"Since you're standing here,
There is something I am sure that you can all see:
All the talk out there about my super spreaders
In no way worries me."

-by Bob B (10-10-20)

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas
Has a gripe with Big Bird now.
Big Bird mentioned his vaccination,
And Ted Cruz had a cow.

That is government propaganda,
Cruz declared, as if on cue.
But vaccinations have been a theme
With Big Bird since 1972.

Big Bird feels that public health
And safety are an important aim.
It's sad but also not a surprise
That Cruz doesn't feel the same.

Perhaps Big Bird should talk about
The issue of massive voter fraud
Or giving tax breaks to the rich--
A couple of topics that Cruz would laud.

Or maybe Cruz would much prefer
That Big Bird go in a different direction
And tout the January 6
U.S. Capitol insurrection.

Ted Cruz is totally
Obsessed with things that he abhors.
Instead of working to help the people,
He's too caught up in his culture wars.

-by Bob B (11-9-21)

°Big Bird is a larger-than-human puppet on the children's TV program "Sesame Street."

There on TV, in plain view,
Right before our very eyes--
Although what the president said
Was shocking, it was not a surprise.

Pulling no punches, he admitted
That he would not keep a distance
From foreign meddling in our elections--
That he would accept Russian assistance.

He did it before, he'll do it again.
Whose interests is he protecting
When he accepts outside help--
Something he should be rejecting?

Instead of protecting democracy,
He is basically doubling back
By letting our whole election system
Be undermined by an outside attack.

After observing the president's actions
During the past few years, I guess
The fact that we're not shocked shows that
We wouldn't expect anything less.

Some people call it treasonous.
Trump calls it another name:
"Oppo research." Winning to him
Justifies it. It's just a game.

Is there a breaking point for congressional
Republicans? Hard to tell.
Why don't we just give the Russians our ballots
And let them vote for us as well?

-by Bob B (6-13-19)

Russia-gate is loudly exploding
As more information emerges.
Now that General Flynn has resigned,
I wonder: Will there be more purges?

During the election campaign
General Flynn had made a big squawk
That Clinton was a security threat.
Wasn't HE one to talk?

Many questions come to mind--
Ones that will plague us again and again.
More people want to know
Who knew what, how much, and when?

Trump says he's very concerned
About information leaks,
Despite his lackadaisical
Behavior for the past few weeks.

Does HE conduct official business
On a NONsecured mobile phone?
Does discussing national security
In a public venue set the right tone?

To be in a bubble of denial
Might provide some comfort at first.
But keep in mind that at some point,
That comfy bubble is going to burst.

- by Bob B (2-14-17)

Once there was a president,
Cold and heartless, who set about
Finding ways to make his country
Great by keeping migrants out.

"We'll place soldiers along our southern
Border," said the nation's boss.
"That way we can easily stop
Migrants from making their way across.

"And if the migrants become unruly,
The soldiers can shoot them, one by one."
Advisers turned to the president
And said, "No, sir, that can't be done."

"Then let the soldiers shoot the migrants
Low, low, in the ankles or thighs.
We will see the unwelcome
Migrants start to drop like flies."

Advisers looked at their boss and said,
"Sir, that's also out of the question."
The president, getting angry now,
Said, "Then here's another suggestion:

"We will build a moat along
Our border wall and fill that moat
With alligators and venomous snakes."
That idea made him gloat.

"And then we'll add spikes to the wall--
Spikes that can penetrate human flesh.
Find me the cost for all of this,
Or else we'll have to start afresh."

Suddenly, he said, "I know:
We'll just change asylum laws
And separate the families.
That should give the migrants pause."

Hard, hard the administration
Worked together to find a plan,
Using words like "riff-raff," "invaders,"
"Dangerous threats," and "caravan."

The whole world watched in horror,
Lamenting how democracy fails
When an unfit elected leader
Goes completely off the rails.

-by Bob B (10-4-19)

Some people are bullies;
They push others around.
On what we would call their true nature
We really don't have to expound.

Growing up we knew bullies.
Remember them way back in school?
Avoid them or you'd pay for it
Was the general rule.

Adults, too, can be bullies.
We have seen them in action.
Intimidating others
Gives them great satisfaction.

Some politicians are bullies;
Their tactics are quite nefarious.
They love to put on an act
And pretend to appear gregarious,

Yet their lack of concern
For the people's well-being shows.
"You mean they couldn't care less?"
You've hit it right on the nose.

Certain groups can be bullies
And resort to torture and killing.
Their lack of human compassion
Strikes us as frightfully chilling.

Some countries are bullies,
Horribly abusing their power
And expecting other nations
To bow down, grovel, or cower.

They want to call all the shots--
Diplomacy's not on the table--
And often take advantage
Of a country that's weak or unstable.

That WE would be stuck with bullies
Was bound to come to pass.
WE humans will always
Find some who are pains in the ***.

- by Bob B

As life in Israel flourishes
For Israelis, it's not so fine--
As many conditions deteriorate--
For the poor people of Palestine.

Chances of a two-state solution
Dwindle, which is not a good sign
As settlement expansions increase,
Affecting the people of Palestine.

For Palestinians imprisoned in Gaza,
The infrastructure is in a decline.
Will Gaza be uninhabitable for
The poor people of Palestine?

Defining what is their land, Israeli
Lawmakers draw a hard line:
This land belongs to the Jews, they say,
Forgetting the people of Palestine.

Cuts in economic aid
And hospital care will undermine
The health and quality of life
Of the poor people of Palestine?

Will an Israeli apartheid regime
Be the ultimate design,
Or will there be hope for the poor
Struggling people of Palestine?

-by Bob B (10-22-18)

(A poem to be sung to the melody of Frank Sinatra's "My Way")

Despite all that you hear,
I'm doing great; I'm number one now.
My made-up "truths" endear
Me to my base; we're having fun now.
My ranting and my raving show that mine's not the small fry way.
You'll win…you'll win much more by doing things my way.

I wish the FBI
Would stop investigating.
They know too much. That's why
It is all so aggravating.
I never liked a wuss who would take the humble pie way.
No, I am much more ruthless doing things my way.

I've told some lies, once in a while…
Well, every day, but that's my style.
My Congress ***** have got my back. At the right time we'll attack.
I plot and scheme for my regime by doing things my way.

Putin's my friend, oh,
And Kim Jong Un and I are buddies.
Merkel and Trudeau?
My goodness, they're such fuddy-duddies.
All I have to do is just display my evil eye way,
And I'll get what I want 'cause it is my way.

I am the law; that's plain to see.
And very few are smart like me.
I will say what comes to mind, and I don't care if it's unkind.
A little greed helps you succeed when doing things my way.

Yes, do things my way.

-by Bob B (6-26-18)

I'm totally baffled how anyone
Can be so heartless and inhumane
To make dehumanizing migrants
The focus of his election campaign.

But Donald Trump is doing that now.
With a complete lack of restraint
He spews his venom. He doesn't care
How many minds he's able to taint.

Insinuating that migrants come
From mental institutions and jails
And prisons and even "insane asylums,"
He's an obnoxious teller of tales.

Tying them to a cannibalistic
Killer named Hannibal Lecter? For shame!
And Trump's supporters who think it's funny
To vilify migrants share the blame.

According to Trump, the languages
That many migrants bring to this nation
Sound as though they come from Mars.
More attempts at stigmatization.

Trump also claims that migrants
Poison the blood of our country. Scary:
****** felt the very same way!
People everywhere ought to be wary.

-by Bob B (3-5-24)

Can you keep a secret?
Or do you also find
That maybe Franklin had it right?
If so, then never mind.
 
Can you keep on smiling
When you’re feeling pain?
Do you fall apart when things
Go against the grain?
 
Can you say, “I’m sorry”?
Has it happened yet
That you’ve said—and please be honest—
Things that you regret?
 
Can you show your thanks
And resist the inclination
To take so much for granted and not
Feel appreciation?
 
Can you look within
And watch your busy thoughts,
Letting the calm embrace you while
You connect the dots?
 
Can you walk for miles
In someone else’s shoes?
If you’ve done it, was it truly
Felt or just a ruse?
 
Can you grasp the wisdom
That the messages impart—
Stirrings of the true self’s longings
Buried in your heart?

- by Bob B

The story below is just for fun--
Fiddle-de-dee and folderol.
But it has FIFTEEN spelling mistakes;
See if you can find them all.

           * * * * *

The steakholders got together
And poured over the company's books.
A certain member of the group
Was giving the others ***** looks.

You see, he'd been steeling from them
And had not been at all discrete.
After a few distractions, he said,
"My deer sirs, let's go eat.

"I don't mean to be callus, you see,
And there are concerns to bring to bare,
And though we must all tow the line,
With a bit of savoir faire,

"I have to say that this hole matter,
Is becoming quite a boar.
It greats on my nerves, to put it bluntly.
My head is throbbing; my heart is soar.

"All of us are wasting our time
Going over the books this way.
My soul desire would be that we
Could do this on some other day.

"You are all so smart, so clever,
So wise and astute, and SO judicious!"
The others, however, were on to him;
His words made them more suspicious.

One of the things that gave him away--
Something that ended up being so telling--
Was, along with his indiscretion,
The careless criminal's horrible spelling!

They remained there stationery.
One had already called the police,
Who soon arrived and took the embezzler
To jail, so now the cheating will cease.

The moral of the story is
One that's obvious, short, and sweet:
Don't give empty complements,
Watch your spelling, and DO NOT CHEAT!

-by Bob B (10-2-24)

(The poem can be sung to the melody of Gilbert and Sullivan's song "A Policeman's Lot Is Not a Happy One.")

When a president's completely off his rocker
--Off his rocker--
And has no sense of how to right his wrongs,
--Right his wrongs--
The fact that people like him is a shocker,
--Is a shocker--
For they should know he's not where he belongs
--He belongs.
A leader should be honest and insightful
--'Nest insightful--
And not behave as though he is a kid.
--Is a kid--
But when he is delusional and spiteful--
--'Nal and spiteful--
We know that he's completely flipped his lid--
--Flipped his lid.

When a president behaves worse than a kid,
--Than a kid--
We know that he's completely flipped his lid
--Flipped his lid.

When a leader feels that global warming's silly--
--Warming's silly--
And even wants to nuke a hurricane,
--Hurricane--
And everything he does is *****-nilly,
--*****-nilly--
One questions what's going on inside his brain
--'Nside his brain.
When everything he says is senseless chatter--
--Senseless chatter--
And his super ego's vanquished by his id--
--By his id--
People wonder what the hell's the matter,
--Hell's the matter--
For certainly the man has flipped his lid
--Flipped his lid.

When a president behaves worse than a kid
--Than a kid--
We know that he's completely flipped his lid
--Flipped his lid.

-by Bob B (8-27-19)

Irony of ironies.
Tell me: have you taken a peek
At Donald Trump's proclamation--
The one for Character Counts Week?

It refers to integrity
And personal responsibility.
It emphasizes honor and virtue,
Moral character, love, and civility--

All wonderful qualities.
But something here just doesn't fit:
The proclamation clearly drives home
The fact that he's a hypocrite.

He speaks of compassion and understanding
And acts as though he's standing beside us.
However, instead of uniting us,
His vitriol and lies divide us.

His hatefulness has caused so much
Suffering, both here and abroad.
It doesn't take a lot of effort
To recognize that he's a fraud.

The words of the proclamation are fine
And point out worthy aspirations--
That grateful hearts will serve as a "beacon
Of hope for future generations."

But how can anybody trust him?
He can woo us with flowery speeches,
But we can see that HERE Donald Trump
Doesn't practice what he preaches.

-by Bob B (10-19-20)

When Charlotte Corday came to Paris,
She had only one thing on her mind:
To rid the world of Jean Paul Marat--
The veritable scourge of humankind.

Leaning toward the moderate Girondins,
Corday despised the Jacobin stance
Of killing opposers to the Revolution
And terrorizing the people of France.

Marat incited the Jacobin furor
With his deeply radical point of view.
Corday also blamed him for causing
The September Massacres of '92.

After journeying to Paris from Caen,
She found a shop, purchased a knife,
Wrote an address to the "friends of peace,"
And then set out to take Marat's life.

Imagine Marat in his bathtub writing--
It seems an awkward position to be in
When seeing guests, but Marat suffered
From horrible sores all over his skin.

Corday spoke of a possible uprising
And provided names at Marat's request.
Then she took out a six-inch blade
And plunged it into the "monster's" chest.

After Corday was tried and sentenced,
She stirred up some attention when
She asked to have her portrait painted.
(They milked the media way back then!)

Marat's body was marched through the streets
While Charlotte Corday lost her head.
HE became the martyr, which caused
More innocent blood to be shed.

She said she killed ONE to save a THOUSAND.
Co-conspirators? They never found any.
She took matters into her own hands;
But her plan backfired--as do many.

To act or not to act is the question;
There always will be decisions to make.
Remember, consequences will follow
Whatever course of action we take.

- by Bob B

Policies have repercussions.
Take family separation--
A policy that's practiced by
The Donald Trump administration.

We separated families
Here in the good ol' USA
As a form of punishment
For refuge seekers wanting to stay.

After two and a half years,
Eleven hundred kids remain
Separated from their parents!
Such a practice is insane!

While the government's explanations
Have been untruthful, vague, and distorted,
Five hundred forty-five
Of the kids' parents have been deported.

Lawyers have been seeking the parents.
Imagine the effort the search would entail.
Up to now the monumental
Task has been to no avail.

Separation is bad enough.
But with inadequate record-keeping?
We've sown the seeds of heartlessness;
Look at what we now are reaping.

The policy has been a disaster.
Who could not describe it thus?
Such an ugly picture it paints;
And what does such cruelty say about us?

One could look for an ounce of compassion
Within Trump's heart, but it's no use.
What we've seen is basically
Government-sanctioned child abuse.

-by Bob B (10-21-20)

While many people all over the world
Are busily running to and fro
Engaging in cheerful holiday
Festivities, one thing we know:
Children are starving and dying in Yemen.

While Saudi Arabia nonchalantly
Covers up its heinous act
Of butchering a journalist,
We cannot ignore the fact
That children are starving and dying in Yemen.

While Congress fails to intercede
And chooses instead to bicker and quarrel
Over whether America should
Keep supporting a war that's immoral,
Children are starving and dying in Yemen.

While the oppressive Houthi rebels
Backed by Iran dig in their heels
And Saudi Arabia bombs the cities,
Intensifying a clash of ideals,
Children are starving and dying in Yemen.

When ports are blocked and money is scarce,
And fishermen's boats can't leave the shore,
And food and medical equipment
Are cut off in a three-year war,
Children are starving and dying in Yemen.

A 12-year-old girl weighs 28 pounds;
An 8-year-old boy weighs about 30.
Chances are slim that they will survive.
Who dares to say that war isn't *****?
Children are starving and dying in Yemen.

The people caught in the middle are certain
What the fiendish fighting portends:
A huge, unimaginable
Catastrophe unless the war ends,
For children are starving and dying in Yemen.

-by Bob B (12-14-18)

It doesn't matter whether we
Are Christians--no, not one bit--
To celebrate the spirit of Christmas.
Believers need not have a fit.

The joy of love and giving and spending
Time with family and friends,
Of wishing happiness and peace,
Of letting go and making amends

All can permeate the day--
Not just the day, the season in toto.
Let the happiness be seen
In every charming holiday photo.

Show the spirit of love and compassion
To everyone of every creed.
Let us all find ways to give
Comfort and aid to those in need.

Let's not close our eyes to all
The suffering that's all around us
And not let people with hateful agendas
Harden our hearts or distract or confound us.

The holiday is a time to reflect
On love, acceptance, and understanding.
And may our efforts to stop all wars
Around the world be ever expanding.

That's the Christmas spirit that we
Can spread to all with heartfelt cheer,
And NOT just during the holidays,
But every day throughout the year.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, or happy whatever to all!

-by Bob B (12-25-23)

It's Christmastime in Trumplandia.
The halls are decked with boughs of folly,
Ol' Frosty the Snowman is melting,
And sleigh bells are sounding melancholy.

The president has an abundance of hassles:
Ongoing investigations,
Failed attempts at accomplishments,
Embarrassments, and accusations.

He believes his supporting staff
Will help him work out all the kinks
And claims he's the favorite president!
Something is rotten in DC, methinks.

Wondering why he can't wield
More power, he disdains
Anyone who makes an attempt
To open his eyes or pull on his reins.

He'll pick a fight with anyone
Who doesn't give him flattery or praise.
Many devoted staff and supporters
Apparently share the leader's malaise.

Not trusting true experts,
He looks elsewhere for his muse:
At Alex Jones, Hannity,
Or the vicious harpy who haunts Fox News.

He says he hires the best people--
Not!--and knows what's best for the nation.
He's backing a candidate for the Senate
Who's been accused of child molestation.

His organization is raking in dough,
While Trump insists he's breaking no laws.
Why not follow the foreign money?
And what about the emoluments clause?

His favorite world leaders are
Autocrats who aren't so pleasant.
Their mutual ****-kissing will have to
Be their mutual Christmas present.

Santa Trump and his elves in Congress
Are working together in order to dole
Tax breaks out to the wealthiest, while
The rest of us will end up with coal.

Chestnuts won't be roasting on
An open fire this year. No way!
Our winter wonderland's become
A messy winter holiday.

-by Bob B (11-28-17)

Most of us know the tale of Cinderella,
But do you know the original German story?
It’s different from the version that I grew up with.
It’s called “Aschenputtel,” and it’s gory.
 
Cinderella’s stepmom and two stepsisters
Are nasty, ornery, bossy, ******, and mean.
They’re very good at belittling Cinderella;
And the sisters vie for the role of future queen.
 
Cinderella wants to attend a ball,
But her stepmom gives her some difficult tasks, and so
When some birds help the girl complete them,
The woman STILL refuses to let her go.
 
Here no fairy godmother comes to help.
Cinderella goes to the grave of her mother
Where she'd planted a branch that grew to a tree,
Which miraculously gives her a gown like no other.
 
When Cinderella goes to the King’s fancy ball,
She makes a tremendous impression on the prince.
Of course, no one’s able to recognize her,
And the competition makes the stepsisters wince.
 
For two nights in a row the same thing happens.
Cinderella must be in excellent shape,
For each night the prince attempts to pursue her,
Yet each night she makes a clean escape.
 
On the THIRD night he has a bright idea:
“Aha!” he says. “Someone, bring me some tar.
If I spread goop all over the steps of the palace,
That gorgeous sneak won’t manage to get very far.”
 
(Here you have to suspend even more belief.)
As Cinderella hurries to flee from her beaux,
She leaves behind one slipper in the tar.
(WHY more slippers aren’t stuck there, I do not know.)
 
On finding the slipper, the prince yells, “Piece of cake!
Now I’ll find the owner of this dainty shoe.”
When he arrives at the home of the nasty stepsisters,
The poor guy bites off more than he can chew.
 
The first sister chops off her obtrusive big toe
So that her foot can fit inside the slipper.
You see, the slipper’s not made of the kind of material
That stretches, and, of course, it has no zipper.
 
The prince starts to leave with his bride-to-be
But notices that her slipper is filled with blood.
“I don’t think that this is my future wife,”
He says and nips that nightmare in the bud.
 
In order to make her foot fit in the slipper,
The second stepsister cuts off part of her heel.
Imagine how much blood gushes forth from that.
Shaking his head, the prince says, “This is unreal.”
 
Finally, Cinderella takes her turn.
And what do you know? The slipper’s a perfect fit!
The prince—eager to exit that crazy scene—
Takes Cinderella and leaves lickety split.
 
(I hope the prince kept his wits about him.
You’d think he would, for he’s a thoughtful fella.
Certainly, he washed out all the blood
Before giving the slipper to Cinderella!)
 
Early on I told you about some birds
That helped Cinderella when she was down and out
By completing her tasks and delivering her gown and slippers.
They knew what the stepsisters were all about.
 
Well, the stepsisters come on the day of the wedding,
To mooch off Cinderella—as you can surmise.
As they amble along with the wedding couple,
The birds fly down and peck out both of their eyes.
 
Such is the fate of the mean and bossy stepsisters,
Who were deceitful and cruel, as you recall.
Call it karma, their just deserts, or comeuppance,
But let it be a lesson for us all.

- by Bob B

With its trusty algorithm,
Facebook prioritizes for you
Posts and ads so that you see
What it THINKS you want to view.

Bold and sassy, the company
Doesn't even apologize
When certain Facebook users receive
Political ads that are filled with lies.

By the way, are you a purist,
Whom the trend might disturb
To see "like" used as a noun
And the word "friend" used as a verb?

The world today revolves around
"Clicks" and "Likes" on the Internet.
People become bizarrely obsessed
With how many "Clicks" or "Likes" they get.

Email to many is cumbersome,
But if there's something you want me to see,
The BEST way to ensure that I see it
Would be to email or text it to me.

-by Bob (1-17-20)

Recently, in the "New York Times,"
An op-ed essay has hit the press,
Thus causing the president
To send out vicious tweets in distress.

Claiming to be a senior White House
Official, the writer wants to let
The people know that even though
Trump is unhinged, not to fret.

Because Trump is ill-informed,
Impulsive, and given to constant lying,
He can't be trusted to handle the job,
Which to many is terrifying.

He's impetuous, adversarial,
Reckless, petty, and quick to revile.
Any good has happened DESPITE
And not BECAUSE of his leadership style.

The writer insists that our knowing
One special thing will lessen the gloom:
Even though Trump is a mess,
Luckily, there are "adults in the room."

Thwarting the president's misguided
Impulses is the task
Of these "adults," each of whom
Has to hide behind a mask.

To publish the piece anonymously
Some people feel is wrong.
But, hey, it only confirms something
That we have known all along.

-by Bob B (9-6-18)

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)

The recent anti-vaccine mandate
Rally in Washington, D.C.
Was without a doubt a real
Conspiracy theory potpourri.

Participants' wild speeches and comments
Were off the mark and hard to digest.
People have called the gathering
A regular "conspiracy fest."

Vaccine misinformation was rampant.
First of all, the message gets lost
When life-saving measures are
Insanely compared with the Holocaust.

Blaming the press? Blaming doctors?
Advocating Nuremberg trials?
Evidence of current vaccine
Effectiveness was met with denials.

They don't realize the danger
When vaccine misinformation spreads.
Actually, more people react
Adversely to over-the-counter meds.

Opposing vaccine mandates, however,
Isn't the primary issue at all.
The problem is the dissemination
Of anti-mandate folderol.

It's fair to disagree with mandates
As long as reasons are legit.
But when they're based on baseless lies,
Then the arguments aren't worth spit.

Frankly, the public's safety and health
Are something we shouldn't undermine.
When the next booster comes out,
This guy plans to be first in line.

-by Bob B (1-25-22)

Continue to weep, America.
Our days of glory appear to have passed.
In the eyes of other countries our once-
Respected status is dwindling fast.

Certainly, we were never perfect;
However, despite our many flaws,
At least our former presidents
Cared about us and honored our laws.

What has happened, America?
What has gone so horribly wrong?
Was our democratic system
Meant to disintegrate all along?

How can democracy be so weak
For a conman to rapidly turn it around
As he destroys our institutions?
Was our foundation so unsound?

Look around, America.
"Land of the free" has become a joke.
Our beautiful and "spacious skies"
Are now filled with ashes and smoke.

"Sweet land of liberty"? No, no more.
Come to seek asylum and you
Will end up being thrown in a cage
Or turned away with a callous "Adieu!"

Look through the lies, America,
That flow down from the one at the top--
From him who demands daily attention
To spread his dangerous agitprop,

Which is backed by his cohorts in Congress.
Shame on all of them. Shame! Shame!
They've sacrificed their integrity
To support the One-Whom-We-Mustn't-Name.

Perhaps there's hope, America.
Even though the line has been crossed,
Maybe there is a chance that we
Can still regain all that we've lost.

-by Bob B (9-26-20)

(This poem can be sung to the tune of "If I Only Had a Brain" from THE WIZARD OF OZ.)

We can wash our hands completely
And socialize discreetly.
We have the wherewithal.
We should spare no expenses
To keep up our defenses
If the virus pays a call.

We can scrub down every finger--
So nothing bad can linger--
With rubbing alcohol.
Though our hands start to chafe now,
We feel that we are safe now
If the virus pays a call.

We can keep a social distance
To strengthen our resistance.
The task is far from small.
I hope you do not slug me
Just 'cause I won't let you hug me
'N case the virus pays a call.

It's not a sci-fi plot;
The problem's very real.
The virus can survive on many surfaces.
So tell me how that makes you feel.

Yikes!

We ought to be investing
In lots and lots of testing,
But someone dropped the ball.
We need negotiators
To find more ventilators
If the virus pays a call.

I can't wait till this is past us.
We CAN'T let it outlast us;
Let's make the numbers fall.
Be cautious and be wary
And do all that's necessary
If the virus pays a call.

-by Bob B (3-29-20)

(This poem can be sung to the melody of "Strangers in the Night," by Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, and Eddie Snyder)

COVID'S in the air.
It's so distressing.
Though we know it's there,
It keeps us guessing.
Keep avoiding crowds.
That's what is best to do.

Don't let down your guard.
Just keep on trying.
It is not that hard.
(And it beats dying.)
We must do our part;
The country counts on you.

We know droplets fall
When we talk and yell--
Especially aerosol--
When we laugh as well.
We have learned so much.
Safety is--as many say--
A scarf or simple mask away.

And since it's in the air
When we are talking,
And maybe lingers there
When we are walking,
We must all beware,
For COVID's in the air.

Safety is--as many say--
A scarf or simple mask away.

Since it's in the air
When we are talking,
And maybe lingers there
When we are walking,
We must all beware,
For COVID's in the air.

-by Bob B (7-12-20)

Putin signed a bill into law--
Another bill that will surely curtail
Freedom of speech, for violators
Could very likely end up in jail.

This is the most recent attempt
To stifle the freedom of thought and expression.
For years, such autocratic
Control has been Putin's obsession.

They say that it's an effort to make
Fake news disappear,
Although "fake news" is anything that
The government doesn't want to hear.

This is what it basically means:
Russia will not tolerate
Criticism of Vladimir Putin
Or "disrespect" of the Russian state.

Of course, that's just attacks on Russia.
Everything else remains the same.
Russian attempts to tamper with
Elections here will be fair game.

So American democracy
And institutions remain under threat
While Russian troll farms and Russian bots
Keep on flooding the Internet.

Will Trump speak out, or will he stay silent?
We hear how often he defends
Autocrats, and to hear him speak,
Putin and he are the best of friends.

-by Bob B (3-20-19)

What a crazy world we live in!
It gets crazier day by day.
Imagine killing your kids because
They had serpent DNA!

Yep! A California man,
Killed his children--one by one--
Down in Baja California
With his trusty spear fishing gun.

His infant son and toddler daughter
Didn't even stand a chance
With a paranoid father who was
Caught up in a QAnon trance.

Matthew Coleman feared that his kids
Had inherited from his wife
Serpent DNA--for him,
A good reason for taking a life.

The 40-year-old from Santa Barbara
Thought his kids would grow up to be
Monsters in his perverse and bizarre
Alternate reality.

The bodies of the children were found
Near Rosarito Beach. So sad.
It was the only course of action
To save the world, said the dad.

There are people out there for whom
Conspiracy theories have great appeal.
The fact that so many people believe
The utter nonsense is surreal.

Beliefs can be constructive unless
They help to bolster inhumanity.
The more that QAnon spreads its lies,
The more we're seeing lapses in sanity.

-by Bob B (8-12-21)

This is a tale of a hustler
And also regrettably how
TV created "a monster"
That we are stuck with right now.

The show was called "The Apprentice,"
And it was largely to blame
For turning a person called Trump
Into a household name.

They claimed that he was inventive
And super successful as well.
The truth, however, came out
And shot that assumption to hell.

We have to ask if it's really
And truly a mark of success
If one goes bankrupt six times.
Of COURSE NOT would be my guess.

Marketers for the series
Did irreversible harm
With the false image they made
Of Trump: no shot in the arm!

He is just an illusion--
One in which to exult--
And all that he's done is become
A con artist leading a cult.

Marketer John D Miller
Deeply regrets what was done.
He says Trump's bad for the country
And ought to be one we should shun.

This tale has a dire warning:
Someone you give a green light to--
Someone who doesn't deserve it--
Maybe will come back and bite you.

-by Bob B (10-18-24)

The Trump administration continues
To sing the dour voter fraud song.
Hoping to weaken voting rights,
Many Republicans sing along.

Multiple-state registration:
One case in point, they state.
Let's see what kind of evidence
They'll be able to create.

Tiffany Trump, Jared Kushner,
Bannon and Spicer, it's vital to note,
Were registered in multiple states--
Yes, registered to vote!

White House adviser Stephen Miller
Speaks in defense of the president's claims
By raising more foundationless doubts--
By building a fire and fanning the flames.

"The president's authority
Will NOT be questioned," Miller declares.
When our leaders talk like that,
It's a sorry state of affairs.

Toning down such dictatorial
Language is going to be a must
If the current administration
Expects to be credible and wants our trust.

- by Bob B (2-16-17)

Attending school board and city council
Meetings to voice your opinion is fine.
But when people intimidate
And threaten officials, they've crossed the line.

What we are seeing happening here
Shows a blatant disregard
Of civil behavior by people attending
Meetings from which they should be barred.

Objecting to mandates that save people's lives,
The bullies even ridicule,
Attack, abuse, and scream at parents
Who are walking their kids to school.

Let's make one thing perfectly clear:
They're not merely expressing opinions.
The bullying and attacks are being
Carried out by the far right's minions.

And then at hearings on Capitol Hill,
A young upstart who's from Missouri
And sides with insurrectionists,
Josh Hawley, vents his fury:

"You mean that parents cannot express
Opinions at meetings?" he asks with shock,
Pandering to the far right mobs
As he struts around like the **** of the walk.

To try to explain how people like that
Are voted in, I will pass.
It's just amazing how a U.S.
Senator could be such an ***.

-by Bob B (10-11-21)

Picture a traveler, journeying westward,
Having traversed mile after mile
A long road up hills and through valleys
But keeping his focus all the while.

All of a sudden, he encounters
An obstacle and doesn't know whether
He can continue. In front of him,
Two rivers are rushing together:

Extending north a river of water
Such as he had never seen prior
To that day; extending south
A spitting, spattering river of fire.

Dividing the rivers, there is a path--
A narrow one, five inches wide--
The only way for him to get
From one bank to the other side.

"Brigands and wild beasts are behind me,"
Gasps the traveler and lets out a cry.
"If I go back or stay here I perish.
But if I cross the rivers I'll die!"

He looks at the fiery, unending river
Extending south; then he looks north
At the raging, equally endless water
And says boldly, "I choose to go forth."

At times, waves of water surge
Over the path before him. And then
At other times, fiery flames
Scorch the path again and again.

He thinks he hears a voice behind him,
Urging him to keep going on.
Since he hears no other voices,
He wonders where the brigands have gone.

Coming from deep inside him perhaps
Or from the western bank a voice
Gives him greater confidence--
Gives him a reason to rejoice:

"Continue forward, traveler,
Sincere is your heart; single, your mind.
Grounded in right-mindedness,
You can leave your fears behind."

Then from the eastern bank he hears:
"Come back, or you will meet your death."
Offering empty promises,
The brigands only waste their breath.

Determined, our traveler keeps moving forward,
Knowing that all of his fears are groundless,
For once he reaches the western bank,
He is certain his bliss will be boundless.

The person who wrote the parable--
The venerable Shan Tao--explained
The meaning of every symbol therein,
But obviously, I have refrained

From saying too much. I have chosen
A way that's much more roundabout:
If you want to make sense of the story,
It's up to you to figure it out.

(10-31-17) By Bob B

°Based on the parable by Shan Tao (613-681)

Trump is causing chaos again--
Something for which we'll ALL pay the price:
He's revving up his strong-man-ordered,
Police-state-tactic raids by ICE.°

To add to the chaos, he's calling on
The National Guard to get involved.
He thinks that all he has to do
Is send in the Guard and problem solved.

Going into places of work
And yanking people off the streets,
ICE agents want Trump to be
Proud of their autocratic feats.

When we are shouting civil rights,
Trump doesn't care if there's abuse.
He merely wants to find more ways
To flex his muscle. Any excuse!

We will have a police state where
We live in fear if we allow
ICE to continue its cruel tactics.
We have to PEACEFULLY protest now!

-by Bob B (6-8-25)

°Immigration and Customs Enforcement

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)

Is it a fair accusation
That Facebook spreads misinformation?
QAnon lies--
No big surprise--
Are truly a cause of vexation.

Freedom of speech, people say.
If they want to lie, that's okay.
That they bespatter
The truth with their chatter
Seems to grow worse day by day.

But QAnon isn't alone.
Other groups also have shown
That lying's an art,
So they play their part.
The extent of the damage? Unknown.

Yet Facebook insists it is trying
To clamp down on all of the lying.
But the COVID distortions
Are at epic proportions,
And thus many people are dying.

-by Bob B (7-19-21)

When growing up, I never had
The feeling that I was a finicky *****,
And even though it wasn't a custom
For us to parade around in the ****,

My easygoing Midwestern parents
Never felt that it would befoul
Our minds if after bathing they
Returned to their bedroom wrapped in a towel.

I learned, however, that some people were
In many respects less modest than others.
For instance, my friend's mother's behavior
Was very different from my mother's.

We'd be playing--my friend and I--
When all of a sudden his mom would prance
Into his room not wearing a thing,
Almost as though she was doing a dance.

It was…different, but not for me
A reason for laughing, fleeing, or fainting.
I was used to seeing scores
Of nudes in many a Renaissance painting.

Unfazed, my friend and I continued
To do whatever we were playing
As though we had merely witnessed his mom
Vacuuming, baking pies, or crocheting.

We humans are the only mammals
That stifle our belches, excuse our farts,
And feel that it's very necessary
To cover up our private parts--

Unless you are a nudist, of course.
That, we know, is a different matter.
So, birthday suit or covered body?
I think I will stick with the latter.

I have been to **** beaches
Both in the States and overseas.
Instead of feeling liberated,
I felt a little bit ill at ease.

I do not find ******
Offensive at all, so please take note:
If that's your thing, then be my guest
And do whatever floats your boat.

If "clothes make the man," as the saying goes,
****** levels the playing field.
But I feel more relaxed if certain
Body parts remain concealed.

-by Bob B (5-20-24)

As she danced before Herod and Herodias,
Salome waved her flowing veil,
Which fluttered and whirled through the air around her
And rippled like a silken sail.

"Ah, your daughter dances divinely,"
Said Herod to his calculating wife.
"She dances as though she's walking on air.
I've never seen so much grace in my life."

After a frenzied flurry and flash,
Salome stopped and bowed to the king.
"My dear," said Herod, "what may I give you?
Half of my kingdom? Anything!

"Tell me what your heart is set on.
I'll give you whatever you desire."
Salome looked at her mother, who
Smiled and nodded--her eyes on fire.

"Your incomparable kindness compels me
To answer simply to a king so great.
I ask for one thing only and that
Is John the Baptist's head on a plate."

Said; done. The executioner
Soon returned carrying John's head,
Which Salome gave to her bloodthirsty mother,
Who was delighted that he was dead.

What about those who keep on dancing
Salome's dance? They pivot and swirl,
Contemplating how to placate
The wishes of others while they twirl?

Do they conspire to perpetrate
Division and discord--not unity and peace?
Have love and kindness and thoughtfulness
Given way to heartless caprice?

Are they moved by seductive wiles
As if compassion does not matter?
Do they seek above all things
Vengeance on a silver platter?

- by Bob B

When fringe groups go mainstream,          
We're in a lot of trouble.
If extremism turns you on,
Sorry to burst your bubble.

A virus in the Wh…Breit House uses
Every opportunity
To threaten our democracy
By weakening our immunity.

Opposition to the virus
Is told--is ordered--to hush.
If you have been directly exposed,
Your brain will turn to mush.

Once you are infected the damage
Is usually irreparable.
(A fool and foolish ideas are
Without a doubt inseparable.)

The Bannon virus is dangerous
Because it's so insidious.
That's why healthy individuals
Find it so invidious.

Disinfecting the Breit House will
Require a lot of gumption.
People will say it's impossible,
But that's a mere presumption.

Remain healthy and well-informed.
There's no time to relax.
Woe to the country if the virus
Isn't stopped in its tracks.

- by Bob B (2-2-17)

Denial gets you nowhere.
When there's a problem, face it.
If it's a major challenge,
Open your mind and embrace it.

The trouble is a problem
Won't go away on its own.
Don't wait until
The flower is overblown.

If a situation
Affects our national security,
Can a solution wait
For some remote futurity?

Bury your head in the sand
If your mind is closed.
But if you do, remember:
Your rear will be exposed.

How to solve a problem
When our leaders drub
Twaddle into our heads?
Ah, that's the rub!

How to get to the bottom
Of what is happening around us
Is problematic when
Efforts are made to confound us.

What is clear to some,
To others is quite blurry.
Suspicions arise when something
Is covered up in a scurry.

To know or not to know?
Is that the question that taunts us?
Why didn't we stop it?
Will be the question that haunts us.

- by Bob B (3-30-17)

I lost a furry friend today:
A squirrel that often came to visit.
Can't the hawks go somewhere else?
That's not too much to ask, is it?

The squirrel would often sit in our tree
And wait for me to take it a treat:
Some grapes, some nuts, some whole wheat
Whatever the little beggar would eat.

Quite content, he'd chomp away,
Always vigilant and alert.
He didn't want to be another
Animal's dinner or dessert.

Sometimes my little visitor,
Hoping that I'd give him more,
Would jauntily prance up to my house
And stand on the steps outside my door.

Today the hawks were in the trees,
On the roofs and in the sky.
One flew off a while ago,
Carrying the little guy.

Couldn't the hawks just eat rats?
I guess that breaks some natural rule.
Nature--so grand and majestic at times--
Can also appear to be so cruel.

Instead of killing squirrels, why can't
Hawks--like vultures--feast on carrion?
Or better yet: why don't they try
A diet strictly vegetarian?

-by Bob B (8-30-18)