Versifications and Life

Barack in Wonderland

2010-04-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

There's a nuke conference next week
but Netanyahu won't come and sit
completely understandable since
Obama treated him like shit!

Obama -- what a maroon!
Thinks that kow-towing to terrorists
Will save our sorry asses
from the wrath of religious misfits.

Sure hope there's a plan B
and Obama's not dumb as he acts
he needs an advisor who's not afraid
to feed him some hard facts.

Read the whole story HERE

Life's Lessons: Pragmatism

2010-03-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Haiku (non-traditional)

focus on a goal
consider reality
success will be yours

-----------------------------

Pragmatism
How easily lost
in seething ambition
and burning desire

A confluence
of goal and reality
is the water needed
to douse that fire

To The Victor . . .

2010-03-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

savor your victory
it is the sweet dessert
at the end of a long meal
digest it well
so later
when you recall the taste
you remember
the costs of that victory

trust abused
friendships misused
your reputation bruised

be thankful
you
your family
your circle of friends
will, for now,
remain untouched
by what your victory
will bring to the rest of us

Pretenders to the Throne

2010-03-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

The radical Left,
pretentious saviors of the poor
now control healthcare
so expect the IRS at your door

Got health insurance?
they don't care
you'll have it soon
you don't have a prayer

If you try avoidance
you'll soon have an audience
with a Federal judge
demanding your assistance

But no need to be stressed
help is on the way
eleven Attorneys General
just may save the day

"Our pretend government
can't do this" they say
"it's unconstitutional
NOT the American way"

those on the Left scoff:
"what is this Constitution thing
people better start to realize
it's Obama who is King!"

and so it goes
as it always has:

the extreme Left takes your soul
the extreme Right prays for your soul
but it's those who avoid extremes
who rely on the Constitution, not dreams
who will return what's yours to you
in . . .

. . . The End

Shame On Us

2010-03-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Can you feel the shame
same as I do?

Senators and Congressmen selling their votes
Lies and tricks to get things done
what's this country coming to

Apologizing for being the best
Borrowing money 'till we're overdrawn
Spending it like there's no tomorrow
where the hell's our country gone

Turning our backs on allies
Giving our rights to the terrorists
prosecuting soldiers for doing their jobs
America used to be the best

Hope is dead while the change goes on
placing shame on all our backs
we who voted these people in
we who tolerate intolerable acts

He promised to "Remake America"
it's a work in progress
that must be stopped!

10 Questions -- 10 Minutes

2010-03-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Census Forms are here again
but think before you leap
now we're governed from the Left
can we trust Congress, the Prez or Veep
with info about home, life and more
You have to wonder
what they want it for

It wasn't a problem in the past
with a government you could trust
back before we changed direction
when Government FOR THE PEOPLE was the thrust,
Now with Government for Government's sake
and the People be damned . . .
You have to wonder
what they have planned

"we cant move forward till you mail it back"
that's their latest plea
but where is "forward" from the Left
that's not hard to forsee
if that's a place you want to rush
you're throwing yourself under the bus

And you just HAVE to wonder
what's next

The Fickle Finger of Fate

2010-03-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

How easily nature
turns a dark day to light
then back again

How amazingly luck
makes the future seem bright
then dim again

How quickly fate
sets wrong things right
then wrong again

How fickle the finger of fate
as it wiggles under our nose
as it chases us through life
and catches us in final repose

Pray for the Cockroach

2010-03-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

During a certain day
at a certain hour
His Creation done now,
something went very sour

It must have been the snake and woman;
both promised to be good
but when dealing with snakes and women
things oft don't work out as they should

So anyway, He got really mad and
murmured "vengance is Mine"
then He got right to work
on His most devious design

"It must be strong and ugly
so they fear it's very approach"
Hours later: "It is finished,
I've created the cockroach"

The indestructible cockroach,
since that very dawn of time,
is the living bug equivalent
of the Capo di Capo of crime

Breaking and entering,
spreading disease all over
stealing food and scaring kids
till they hide under their cover

Then, shivering under blankets
what do they discover
they woke the bed bugs who were snoozing
under the mattress cover

When dealing with the cockroach,
this insect equivalent of a cancer
don't bother calling an exterminator
prayer may be the only answer.

Too late to pray for the Garden folks
they've already committed their deeds
Pray instead that the cockroach gets
the Divine makeover it needs

Wouldn't it be nice if He remade them
in more pleasing colors and styles?
Perhaps blue with big sad eyes
and coy little smiles?

Gypsy Child

2010-03-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

(The centuries of quests to find the Fountain of Youth were
doomed to failure; it exist only in a child's eyes)

Gypsy child
take my hand
make me young like you
lead me to that
special place
where everything is new

Use your magic
to open my eyes
to things I'm now denied
faces in clouds
swords in sticks
log horses we can ride

Let me hear
the ocean whisper
as we walk barefoot in the sand
and sit with you
to share your longing
as night claims the land

Then when the sky
is black as pitch
and we hear the cricket's cries
we'll run and jump
at the little lights
catching jars of fireflies.

Nothing I own
could begin repay
this brief return to youth
You already possess
a priceless treasure:
you have eyes that see the truth

The Solid Wall of Night

2010-03-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

Within a spare-change moment
the solid wall of night
dissolves to issue forth again
ghost-images of twilight.

Creatures of the dark now
are forced to hide away
to wait with nerveless patience
to sleep through another day.

In homes and cities and on farms
alarms and roosters crow
another day to beat is here
another row to hoe.

Creatures of the day now
are forced to raise their heads.
Most work, some play, some rule the day
some wish they'd stayed in bed.

The hours pass, for some they fly
for some they're simply done
leaving creatures of the day
to wait for another sun.

Within a spare-change moment
the solid wall of night
reforms again, restores again
the world of banished light.

The "Poe Toaster"

2010-03-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

For 60 years,
in the dark of night,
a birthday gift
was left
for a master of fright

A dark-robed figure
in a wide-brimmed hat;
appeared with
three red roses and
a half-bottle of cognac

A unique tribute,
but not inappropriate
and one that
Edgar Allen Poe
could easily appreciate

This year however
when the sun rose
over the churchyard
where Poe lies in repose
No cognac or roses
were posed to attest
the day was special
or to honor Poe's rest

Is the "Poe toaster" finished?
Will this foot-note in history,
this dedication to a master
forever remain a mystery?

Perhaps

But thanks are past due
to this unknown fan
this dark-robed figure
who never forgot
for his tribute that kept
the master alive
in a way
the written word
could not

"Forever" is Never Real

2010-02-28T08:52:00.000-08:00

After "all that time,"
weeks, months, likely more,
you sit forlorn,
crying alone
your "true love" out the door

Promises were made
"for forever" was the deal
in the end however,
the promises weren't lies
"forever" is never real

The rocky road of relationships
is another road that's paved
with well-intentioned promises
and broken hearts
that couldn't be saved

Cheer up! Life is not over!
Sadness is not for eternity.
But lessons learned
must be applied;
if not you've defined insanity*

*Insanity: Doing the same thing,
over and over, and expecting
different results each time.
(Attributed to Albert Einstein)

Why Is This Blog Here?

2010-02-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

I've been writing poetry/verse for quite some times and enjoy putting my thoughts in the stanza format -- it forces me to get to the point without "beating around the bush"; that's why I write but that doesn't answer the question: Why Is This Blog Here?

I am hoping (perhaps foolishly) that some reader will be entertained by my nonsensical rhymes or be informed or inspired by my deeper thoughts.

Narcissism?

I guess every author and poet is also a narcissist -- and that's not a bad thing! In fact everyone should have some level of narcissism -- if you don't feel good about yourself, are not proud of the result when you do your best, don't love yourself, you'll be less than a complete person and you certainly won't be happy.

Don't Need No Skoolin'

2010-02-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

i dont need no skoolin'
i no all I need to no
i no 'bout huntin' and fishin'
'bout lovin' and fightin'
and no how to catch and throw
~~
what goods Geography
i can find my way 'round
and those people cross the ocean
they want me they can find me
right here in my home town
~
history's the same waste of time
who cares 'bout that cromwell dude
and noin who won that north south brawl
or the one they call WW2
aint gonna buy me no food
~~
the only good things 'bout school rite now
are Mary Ellen White and that ending bell
well the food in the caf is pretty good
and the time in phys ed is a blast
but the rest of the place can go to . . .
well you know, that bad place
I aint suppose to swear

Questioning Non-Existence

2010-02-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

Can a non-believer be a sinner?
Go to Hell (or elsewhere) after death?
Does he even have a disembodied soul
that wanders after his last breath?
~
What need of Heaven if a life lived well
brings the joy of friends who heal all;
the love of a mate, the love of a child
what need, after that, of Heaven's thrall?
~
What sense again is a fiery Hell
awaiting those who lives were inhumane?
Is their pain and loss in life not enough
without a promised afterlife of pain?
~
Much more appealing is eternal rest
the freedom from life's rude test.
The light's go out, the volume is mute
living only in memories: the sweetest fruit.

The New Wishing Fairie

2010-02-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

Hey kids, I've a wonderful story to tell
'bout a boy named Ken who fell in a wishing well,
he fell and fell but near the bottom
the fairy of the well reached out and got 'em.

You may be surprised, as was the boy
the fairy was not small and his name was Roy.
Roy was the last boy who fell in the well
he was caught by Chuck, too long ago to tell.

When Roy fell in, Chuck got happy and free
Now Roy would be in charge of wishes and money.
Chuck's fairie wings flew him to the very top
When he was there he allowed his wings to drop.

Now Ken, the new fairie, would be in charge of the well,
he was not a very happy fairie, truth to tell
Roy's job would now be his . . . for the duration
till a new boy dropped in to change the situation

In case you're wondering:

Each wishing well story has a boy as the star;
'cause girls are too smart to lean over too far.

Sweat In My Eye

2010-02-19T22:09:00.000-08:00

Anticipating Summer

Everyone gripes
about the heat
the heat it seems
has them beat

The crying's even louder
about humidity
to me the complaints
are pure stupidity

Each drop of sweat
that runs in my eyes
just reminds me how fast
the summer flies

Too soon that cold
I so notably hate
will consume my world
and seal my fate

to days of chill
and nights of freeze
the runny nose
and the endless sneeze

I'll take that sweat
every day in my eye
and never gripe
never cry

The Winter Beast

2010-02-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

Cold!
Relentlessly
biting my flesh,
chilling my bones

At the very thought
of it's presence I tense
I gird my loins
as warriors have done
before every battle in history

Prepared for the worst
triple-layered
taught muscles
hunched shoulders
One heavily-socked step at a time
I enter it's realm

The Beast attacks;
When it's first breath
surrounds me
finds every chink in my armour
finds the most minute patch
of exposed skin
I falter

The covering
the preparation,
the hunched-back gait
all for naught
I've lost again
to the Winter beast

2010-02-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

I'm back! After approx. 2 1/2 years and several other blogs I'm back to my first love -- verse.

Hope you enjoy!

Under Iraqi Skies

2010-02-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Written immediately after Iraq's first free election.

Under a war-darkened sky

Through streets still stinking of death

They came alone, in couples, as families

to spit in the face of their tormentors

In the face of brutal threats and evil deeds

they came to sieze the day!

To hold proud, purple fingers

up to the Iraqi sky

and challenge the sun

to not shine on their freedom

A Dialogue: What is True?

2007-08-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Tell me something you know is true!

I know that the sky is blue!

The sky is only gas
if you see blue
its only through
the prism of your eye

Then the truth must be that
the sky is blue
when viewed through ones eye

You're closer now to what is true
but everyone's eyes are unique
while you're eye sees a shade of blue
my eye may see a different hue

Then what I see is not truly blue?

Oh no, it is truly blue
your own unique shade of blue
and the hue I see when I see the sky
may be different than you
but no less true

Tell me please,
I don't understand,
how can both be true?

Because truth itself is quite as unique
as the prism of your eye
What one believes to be true
is true
unless proven a lie

Now go, dear boy, and diligently apply
this lesson everywhere
You'll find "the truth" promoted
by every peasant and every king.
You'll hear "the truth" in every land
and if you're quite astute
you'll also find that very few
of these "truths" are absolute.

Angst

2007-08-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Some sit
Some pace
The atmosphere is tense
Many hearts race in fear
of complications --
unexpected outcomes

These captives of circumstance
each have a story to share
Some do share and some
feign interest but most
don't pretend to care

Time passes
with the stealth and grace
of an elephant,
Television and magazines,
provided for distraction,
prove irrelevant

Then a noise at the door
draws every eye
prickles every nerve ending
Sweaty palms grasp sodden armrests
Every ear is now bending

A young man strides
through the door,
his clipboard at the ready
he clearly has the floor:

"Who," he asks,

"has the red 2004 Ford?"

Spending an Extra Life

2007-08-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

If, by some strange circumstance,
I was rescued from eternal rest,
and given then a second chance,
here are some options I may test:

A daredevil's life from morning to night
I'll cross huge canyons on a wire
then, riding a motorbike, take flight
and jump right through a hoop of fire

The law is also an arousing thought
I'll get criminals off the street
as prosecutor that can't be bought
or better still, a cop on the beat

Or possibly something more sedate
something helpful and humane
delivering babies when they're late
or saving victims and killing pain

But no, I kid myself and you,
my life has had so little strain
I doubt if I'd opt for something new
Just "de jevu all over again"*

* Other priceless quotes from Yogi Berra
may be found HERE

The Dead

2007-08-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

And now for something completely different
and, in its own way, beautiful:
Animated Poetry by Billy Collins

Liner notes:

Posted on YouTube by JWTNY

Billy Collins is a former US Poet Laureat he reads his poem to the animation of Juan Delcan.

Dancin' Boy

2007-08-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

(Inspired by the movie Billy Elliot)

Billy Elliot is publicized as a 'coming of age' film,
and it is that; but that aspect of the movie is overshadowed
by the story of a man of indomitable spirit. A man who stood
up, against the backdrop of, and in defiance of the prejudices
bred in a sooty, pitiless, economically challenged English coal
mining town where expectations went no higher than the
top level of a mine shaft. That man, the hero of this
story, is Jackie Elliot, Billy's father. But the story, of
course, begins with and ends with the "Dancin' Boy",
Billy Elliot.

===================================
"Hey, boxin' boy!"
fate called from across the hall
"you don't want to be in that ring,
look over here and let music and dance
ring your bell -- just take a chance."

The music set him afire
made dance pop out of every pore
but fickle fate was not quite done
it had far more in store.

In his father's world of coal dust and dark
the measure of a man was hung
on the sweat on his chest
the sweat on his brow
and, of course, the soot in his lungs

No thought of ballet for the sons of these men,
those sons were football bound
until, that is, they reached the age
to reach the underground

Billy knew that he too was bound
for that soot filled underground
it was written in family tradition
as their fated but unjust perdition

If heroes are born from ashes and soot,
Jackie Elliot was clearly one
'to hell with this town's tradition'
he said 'my boy has talent, he has ambition
I'll sell my soul to see this done'

And done it was! And done it was!
at the cost of his status and pride
He sold what he could and bartered the rest
so he and Billy could take that ride

That ride to London, to the Royal Ballet
where his future as a dancer was at play
and where, it turned out, his talent helped
but words and feelings won the day

* 'Dancin' boy' is a name given to Billy Elliot
(and used only once in the script) by his
one close friend, Michael. The sobriquet was
delivered so casually and seemed so appropriate,
it stuck in my head and became my title.

(c)HarveyG 2007

The stage musical production of Billy Elliot, a long-time
smash hit on the London stage, is coming to Broadway in 2008;
auditions this month! Read about it HERE!

An Angry Lady Named May

2007-08-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

(A limerick that got out of control)

There once was a lady named May
who was jilted on her wedding day.
She became enraged
at being upstaged
and for 30 years stayed that way.

We need to applaud her narcissism,
her sheer will when facing this schism.
To embrace an emotion
with such devotion
must clearly be a form of heroism.

Now compare, if you will, my tenacity
with this heroines outrageous audacity
I stay mad for one day,
then my anger will stray,
after two I’ve reached my capacity

Is this some type of affliction?
Does it show a lack of conviction?
Or . . . is my ego’s so immense
that anger makes no sense;
and becomes a pointless contradiction?

Ah yes, that must be the fact,
it was ego that poor May lacked.
With her poor self-esteem
she vented her spleen
for three decades till she finally cracked

Poison Elmo

2007-08-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

Fisher Price and their 'daddy' Mattel
are feeling the rage of their clientèle

Big Bird and Elmo have been ripped
from thousands of small grips
just two months since they left their ships

Shame on them all
Fisher Price, Mattel
and their Chinese cartel

Read the story HERE

My Gang of 3

2007-08-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

"My Gang of 3" was written some years ago as a fond reminiscence of that wonderful time we call growing up.

The liberty bell
(with a real small "l")
finally rang to set us free
the summer waited (more patient than us)
for my gang of 3 and me

Our bikes
were our spoke-wheeled passports
to a constant to and fro
that filled our mornings, noons and nights
with what we'd lost in the snow

To lakes,
to ponds, and rivers
we'd fly early every day
fishing, wrestling, skinnydipping
then home again to play . . .

. . . baseball,
hockey, soccer
rough and tumble fun
bumps an' breaks an' scratches
kept our parents on the run

Some nights
we'd sit and whisper
bragging softly of our sins
truth or lie, it didn't matter
the one with the best sin wins

And rainy days
didn't stop us
we'd find a small dry spot
and share our dreams of growing
what we'd do and what we'd not

Nothing, alas,
lasts as long
as it seems it should to a boy
chilly nights and school supplies
soon chased our summer joy

But then
we pondered what's ahead
old friends, new teachers, new books,
and perhaps this year that beauty
would return my lustful looks

And hey,
my gang was still all here
just not as loose or free
and we'd wait each day for the liberty bell
my gang of 3 and me

(c) Harvey Grund 7/24/98

Introducing the "Clerihew"

2007-07-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

While trolling the Internet for interesting poetry-related blogs
I found a new (new to me anyway) poetic form called the Clerihew --
named after it's creator Edmund Clerihew Bentley. It's kinda' like a
four-line limerick.

You can read about him HERE and read some of his original "Clerihews"

Here are a couple of mine; both based on the strange, but understandable,
phenomenon of finding (or pretending to find) God in jail.

Poor Paris Hilton
Her world went a tilt'n
The guilty verdict may have been "hell"
But she found God in her jail cell

And from the news today, another 'jailbird':

Shoe bomber Richard Reid
Doesn't regret his deed
Now he's locked in a room without a key
Waiting for Allah to set him free

A Glass Half Full

2007-07-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

Thunder!

Rain follows; a strong
wind from the
north, driving it from it's downward
migration onto my open
window's sill and beyond.

The most important decision I will
make this day is whether to
trap the heat of the day in my small room or
allow nature to
frolic among my meager possessions.

It's a beautiful life!

A Birdsnest Balcony

2007-07-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

In a quiet wood behind a house
that was empty for a time
there grew a tree
a special tree
a tree a boy could climb

One summer day
a truck arrived
in the drive of the lonely house
behind the truck a family
a boy and his mother sans-spouse

The very next day
while exploring the wood
in a moment quite sublime
the boy came face-to-bark with the tree
the tree that he could climb

And climb he did
a bit awkward at first
but a boy will just not stop
soon he was there where he wanted to be
by a birdsnest near the top

In another day
the boy was back
with hammer, nails and saw
in two more trips he had the wood
for the castle he foresaw

In a fortnight of toil
the little king
hid his castle in the tree
A castle fit for royalty
with a birdsnest balcony

(c)HarveyG 5/7/99

The Solitary Pragmatist

2007-07-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

I sit, on most evenings,
joyfully alone
drinking the nectar of quiet
bathing in tranquility

There once was family
but those days are neither
regretted or missed
they are simply gone

It was in those days that
need was paired with pressure,
success with respect,
and failure with guilt

It was in those days that
sacrifice was the coin of the realm
"No!" was too often, out of necessity, uttered
and "want" too often replaced "need"

It was also in those days that
I often felt like a well-loved giant
smiles and laughter healed most wounds
and kindness healed all the others

Those days are certainly not
regretted nor are they missed
they are simply gone
and I am joyfully alone

My Country 'tis of Thee . . .

2007-07-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

Self-sufficiency?
No longer required.
Personal responsibility?
Stop! You're getting me wired.

There's no need to worry,
the government watches over you
they won't let you think or try
what they think you shouldn't.

Set your own lifestyle?
Not on your life!
Guy's getting married?
Better be to a wife!
Drive without seat belts?
Gonna' pay a big fine!
Smoke a little weed?
You stepped way over the line!

You'd better love the other sex
You'd better love God
Soon it'll be a crime
Just to be thought of as odd.

My country 'tis of Thee
Sweet land of Liberty
For thee I mourn

Land where our fathers died
Land of the Pilgrim's pride
From the children of those souls who died
Freedom will be torn

Extreme sentiments? YES!

Overstating the case? I TRULY HOPE SO!

Am I genuinely worried about our personal freedoms? MOST DEFINITELY!

'I feel very fortunate to be a citizen of this, the greatest country on the face of the earth -- no offense to you Canadians, English, Aussies and others, but this IS how I feel. I'm a Patriot and because of that I am, at times, one of the U.S. Government's harshest critics.

Through historical perspective I can see the way it went . . . Through my sometimes hysterical perspective I can see the way it may be going. In short, the government has inserted itself in our living rooms, in our cars, in our kitchens and in our bedrooms and they have done it so gradually, for so long it almost seems normal. It's not normal and, as everything does in a bureaucracy, its growing!'

In my opinion, at least, the government has strayed way way away from its Constitutional limits.

Am I genuinely worried about our personal freedoms? MOST DEFINITELY!

Get Off The Ground

2007-07-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

The following is, on its surface, applicable to any individual who has been 'put down' but it also applies to groups or even entire nations -- the one prerequisite however, beyond the individual level, is unity. "A nation divided against itself cannot stand" -- now where did I hear that before?*

You've been tripped and shoved
You've been put down!
Get your act together
get up off the ground

If its worth fighting for
if it's that real
a little pain and suffering
is no big deal

Don't compromise your principles
Don't give those *&#!@s an inch
Reach down inside (where your guts reside)
but don't let them see you flinch

And don't get angry
don't loose your cool
You need your wits about you
to fight and win a duel

One last thing
let this wisdom be your guide
winning the fight is not guaranteed
but you'll feel much better if you tried

* Eight years before Abraham Lincoln used the phrase "a house divided against itself cannot stand" Sam Houston said: "A Nation divided against itself cannot stand."

Obsession

2007-07-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Obsession with keyboard and tube
Obsession with cigarettes and booze
Obsession with 'action' and odds
Obsession with politics and Gods

Obsessions kill self-respect
Obsessions mask the worst neglect

Neglect of responsibilities
Neglect of the bodies basic needs
Neglect of work that must be done
Neglect of a daughter or a son

Moderation is the key

What Is the Root of All Evil?

2007-07-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

You think you know the answer
to the question posed above?
The one that was handed down to us
by those we trust and love.

Think again while you consider this
money is like a car
It'll get you where you're going
but without it you can't go far

Did that nasty money cause you grief,
get you in trouble or make you fat?
Think again it wasn't the cash
it was only YOU that did that!

The answer is: the bad things in life
can't be blamed on our 'loot'
It's our total lack of self-control
that lies at the very root.

Harry Potter and the Summer Vacation

2007-07-12T00:17:00.000-07:00

Its summer, its July,
the kids are out of school
Their days fly by in summer
Summer vacation RULES!

They may be on vacation,
not a teacher left to blame
not a worry in the world you'd think
but they worry just the same:

Will my team win?
Will I ever get that bike?
Will she think that I'm a jerk?
Can I make it on that hike?

Will I get picked to play the game?
Will the bullys leave me alone?
Will the swimming pool be open?
Is this enough for a cone?

But this July is special
bigger worries take the floor
its Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
the last of the Potter lore

Millions of kids on the edge of their seats
anxious to get in the queue
to buy Ms. Rowling's newest book
(coming soon to a store near you)

Can Harry again face the Dark Lord
and survive to tell the tale?
Or will the "boy who lived" and fought
fight again and this time fail?

There may be tears this summer
from some diehard Potter fans
or there may be summer smiles,
no one knows Ms. Rowlings plans.

Youth

2007-07-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

The gifts of age,
though many, are few

Knowledge and wisdom
soon corrupted
by doubt and fear

Freedom gained with maturity
ere long lost
to responsibility

The assurance of adulthood
opens too easily
to remorse for 'adult' decisions

Oh indomitable, indestructible youth!

How I long for what I once thought I was

How I envy those who live there now

The Only "True" Church?

2007-07-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

From the ReligionNewsBlog on July 10th: The Pope said today: Other Christians (churches are) Not True Churches

The Catholic Pope
sits high
above the church
and the world
to arrogantly imply,
once again,
that only the pope
may speak to God
and God speaks only
through him

The disenfranchised masses,
Pope Benedict must hope,
will flock to his church now
to pray directly to the Pope

In Pamplona

2007-07-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

In the news, the Associated Press reports: Spanish Women Demand Pamplona Cow Runs

On Pamplona's streets
with bulls at their heels
men and boys run
Its tradition! Its fun!

In Pamplona's kitchens
with paella in the pot
girls and women are bored
too long they've been ignored

"The bulls loves to run
we all know that
but so too does a cow
. . . perhaps the time is now!"

Women and girls of Pamplona
need their very own day
With cows at their heels they'll run in the street

. . . making their dreary lives complete?

Beneath our Ship of State

2007-07-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Vile creatures inhabit
the political seas
that churn beneath
our "Ship of State*"

Cronies, wealthy contributors,
influence peddlers and panderers
relentlessly prowl those murky waters
like hungry sharks

Often rewarded by earmarks,
pork and special considerations,
regularly tossed overboard to sate them,
they continue their patrol

Those in power
at the 'helm' of our 'ship of state'
appear to be locked on course . . .
Destination: Reelection

Reelection at all costs!

* In the middle of the 20th Century the metaphor "Ship of State" was much more commonly used than it is today. According to Wikipedia the "Ship of State" metaphor was originally the creation of Plato and, as it was introduced in Plato's Republic, it "likens the governance of a city-state to the command of a naval vessel."

Too Many Came

2007-07-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

They came
asking only for a chance,
a chance at freedom from poverty,
freedom from corruption,
freedom from their state-owned lives

They came
any way they could
On foot or packed in vans
in the dead of night
in the hell-like desert heat

They came
to be productive
and send 'dollars' home
to provide food and few luxuries
to those who could not come

But too many came
language became a barrier
resources became drained
laws were broken and ignored
Those who came, became fugitives

What was to be
the 'land of opportunity'
became a land of fear
Not because they came,
-- because too many came

Dirty Little Secrets

2007-07-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Dirty Little Secrets
sucking chest wounds of the psyche
inflicted by social stigma
may be terminal if left untreated

They come in a variety
of shapes, sizes and intensities
no one-fits-all mentality
we all have unique propensities

They recognize no class distinctions
are politically correct and color-blind
these equal-opportunity vexes
steal your will and control your mind

Could there even be one mortal
so possessed of self control
that some dirty little secret
has not extracted its toll

I doubt it!