4/1/20
(294)
So many dishes for this Feast of Fools
A never-ending smorgasbord of jest
Unending day, you put us to the test
The cruelty of your pranking breaks the rules.

The set-up of delay and disbelief
Colossal hoax of swift and global reach
Trumped up by those who lead, inform, and preach
And then the payoff steeped in loss and grief.

Our streets, our homes, our businesses, our lives,
Our every stripe of human interaction,
Our normal past so slowly loses traction
‘Til ending of this curs’ed joke arrives.

May sadness, fear and loss all be reversed
In health and joy beyond this April First.

4/2/20
(293)
New millions of folks unemployed
Small nest eggs are getting destroyed
The ruling class waits
Behind their locked gates.
On the streets, when will folks get annoyed…

4/3/20
(292)
Hobby Lobby is open. Let’s go!
The virus can’t get there, you know?
The place is essential
Safely reverential
At least God told the owner’s wife so.

4/4/20
(291)
Mike Atkinson. Give him a hand.
As Inspector Gen., he was grand.
Gave Congress the spiel
On Trump’s Ukraine deal
And for doing his job, just got canned.

4/5/20
(290)
As The State tells us how to behave
And from six feet apart we all wave
It’s sad not to be
In the Land of the Free,
Quarantined in the Home of the Brave.

4/6/20
(289)
Each day, a new, unprecedented now,
With friends and family all in isolation
In disbelief we share our situation
As aching hearts obsess on why and how.

Our leaders hollow words bring scant relief
Advice and guidelines seem to daily change
As still, solutions, vague and out of range
Leave far too many lost in loss and grief.

Now daybreak’s stark return into the madness
As each will find their way not out, but through,
Perhaps a time to touch what else is true
For love and hope live side by side with sadness.

Beyond the great uncertainties we’re seeing
Please, find the simple, complex joy of being.

4/7/20
(288)
You could suck at your work,
An incompetent jerk,
With an absence of qualifications.

Your habits, disgust. Tell a lie, break a trust,
With an eye on more dark machinations

You can live as a fake
Who is just on the take.
Dig up women who’s children
You’ve sired.

You can fuck, break or lose
Any damned thing you choose,
But make me look bad, and
You’re fired.

For an ill-mannered fop
Can go straight to the top
If he cops to who’s bottom he’s kissin’

He can rob, steal or plunder,
Rip values asunder
And make his opponents go missin’.

If you lack the right stuff
But you donate enough,
You can brag to the world that you’re wired.

All the evidence shows
That I’m not wearing clothes,
But make me look bad, and
You’re fired.

4/8/20
(287)
Wisconsin postponing elections
Offered residents there some protections.
But Repubs wouldn’t budge
Cuz of some right wing judge.
Hey, voting should not cause infections

4/9/20
(286)
Thanks Bernie. Ya know ya done good.
You gave the race all that you could.
I don’t mind confidin’
I ain’t loving Biden,
But on voting day, yeah, sure, I would.

4/10/20
(285)
Social distance may ward off infection,
And shutdowns may offer protection,
But with poll numbers dropping,
Reopen! Go shopping!
And help out with Trump’s re-election.

4/11/20
(284)
This virus, It gimme the blues.
Everywhere I look – perilous views.
But if I want to feel
It ain’t no big deal,
I guess I should go watch Fox News.

4/12/20
(283)
Something new that has never been shared:
Fifty states have disaster declared.
I ask just for fun
How we might have done
With a leader who act’ually cared.

4/13/20
(282)
Just yesterday, so very long ago,
Those lives we led, abruptly put on hold
As stunned we watched, too quickly to unfold
An unexpected, frightening tableau.

A painful truth on every empty shelf
Confronting all who must do more with less.
This richest nation humbled to confess
America cannot care for itself.

The Front Line – ever brave, dependable,
Who pick & pack, replenish and deliver,
And every scared and unequipped caregiver,
This sickness renders all expendable.

Someday when this is over, may we see
What this great nation truly wants to be.

4/14/20
(281)
The election would not be postponed
Putting voters at risk and rezoned
It was voter suppression
By the high court in session
But the guys on the right still got boned.

4/15/20
(280)
No fake news here. Not even anecdotal.
“We’re gonna write some papers up on this”.
He claims this in his dictatory bliss:
The president’s authority is total.

So now let Barr write up some resolution.
“It’s total and the governors know that”.
Says bully demagogic spoiled brat.
The Donald’s will transcends the Constitution

A game of quid pro quo before our eyes.
States’ rights mean squat if you want help from me.
No science in my Land of the Free,
But policies of politics and lies.

So do it now. I’ll get permission later
Says he who puts the dick inside dictator.

4/16/20
(279)
Hey Congress – it’s time to adjourn
To give Trump appointees their turn.
Testing is outdated,
Oversight’s overrated,
And Donald’s got money to burn.

4/17/20
(278)
The Corona Virus can kill
I hope that it won’t make you ill.
What Fauci advisest
It’s prob’ly the wisest,
And not so much from Dr. Phil.

4/18/20
(277)
He claims total control of the nation,
Then lets states plan their own situation,
Then he foments unrest
Putting them to the test,
Tweeting for premature “liberation”.

4/19/20
(276)
Protesting the virus restrictions
Shows the courage of ones convictions.
In leaving their quarters,
Masses of Trump supporters
May result in their own life evictions.

4/20/20
(275)
In some circles, 4/20 is known
As the day to go roll up a bone.
But these days, alas,
Don’t “puff, puff, & pass”.
Just stay home and smoke it alone.

4/21/20
(274)
The Democrat gov’ners get chided.
And the caution of science derided.
Narcissistic and petty,
What makes him all sweaty
Is keeping our nation divided.

4/22/20
(273)
With this mandated shutdown, I’m through!
There’s things of great import to do!
And as things unravel,
To Georgia I’ll travel,
Go bowling, and get a tattoo.

4/23/20
(272)
A pandemic Task Force’s leader
Was a trusted aide. What could be sweeter.
His skill set was big
From his previous gig
As a Dallas Labradoodle breeder.

4/24/20
(271)
Beware the cures of anti-science meddlers
Avoid elixirs from snake-oil peddlers
Keep rumored cures, untested, out of reach
And never inject alcohol or bleach.

In days of desperation, it’s expectant
That some consider drinking disinfectant
But please to keep in mind one truth for sure
That presently for death there is no cure.

It’s sad to think a president’s suggestion
Could lead to something worse than indigestion.
Far from a doctor, clear and plain to see
But still the pow’r to fire them on TV.

And yet for some his ignorance is bliss.
And in that lies the How We Came To This.

4/25/20
(270)
A virus is plaguing the nation
Infecting the whole population
A long list of ills
Vomit, fever and chills
The symptoms of Trump Saturation.

4/26/20
(269)
Trump’s ongoing battle with WHO,
Blaming them for what he did not do,
Shows his sad defiance
Of facts based in science
Over things that he’d rather be true.

4/27/20
(269)
Mitch McConnell, that Simon Legree,
Claims that States should declare bankruptcy.
He thinks that it’s swell
For he knows it quite well
As he already is, morally.

4/28/20
(267)
Bolsonaro, the thug of Brazil.
Forever, his hand in the till.
Corrupt to the core
Just looking to score
Trump is somewhat better, but still…

4/29/20
(266)
To not wear a mask is quite tempting.
But for virus containment attempting,
We really all should
For the common good.
(Except Pence, whom God is exempting.)

4/30/20
(265)
It’s enough to disquiet the mind
When you look at the news you can find
But that’s what you’ve got
When the Media’s bought
By rich folks with axes to grind.

3/1/20
(325)
89 is a pretty good run.
He’ll live on in the chain he begun.
Cool things in the aisles,
Employees with smiles,
Trader Joe, you made shopping fun.

3/2/20
(324)
One more is down and that leaves five left standing.
This brutal campaign trail is demanding.
A noble shot, but needle wouldn’t budge
For telegenic Mayor Buddha Judge.

He had some thoughtful words we took to heart,
And in his way, upset the apple cart.
He opened eyes of some who play it straight,
Yet as for now the man will have to wait.

A centrist for inclusion and for unity,
But still no traction in the Black community.
Though through his run, a message has been sent –
You can be mainstream and be different.

Fresh face, intelligent, articulate.
Come back, young man, when you matriculate.

3/3/20
(323)
Now Klobuchar’s race has been ran.
She is smart, but I wasn’t a fan.
It was not hard to choose.
I saw most of her views
As moderate Republican.

3/4/20
(322)
Not long ago, a wide and crowded field
Provided us a multitude of choices
A chance to hear some words from different voices
The wealth of possibilities appealed.

A fresh array of faces and perspectives
Perhaps to chart a new and better way
But campaigns and debates up to this day
Descended into hurling invectives.

Some saw a chance to fix and learn and grow,
But hope and change are many years behind us.
The unease of the now stands to remind us
The creeping failure of the status quo.

And through it all it comes as no surprise
The race is coming down to Two White Guys.

3/5/20
(321)
This race to the White House. Egads!
All this weighing the Goods and the Bads.
It’s hard to endure.
But one thing’s for sure.
There won’t be more Mike Bloomberg ads.

3/6/20
(320)
When the facts are what are desirous,
Here’s an item that shouldn’t go by us:
Without cure or cause,
Trump, grasping at straws,
Blamed Obama for spreading the virus.

3/7/20
(319)
Trane’s tracks of Ivory
Rip’pling chords of Supreme Love
The Real McCoy

3/8/20
(318)
A change at Chief of Staff has come to pass
How ever did Mark Meadows land the gig?
By showing that his love for Trump is big,
And kissing Jared Kushner’s gilded ass.

Mulvaney’s parting Thank You notes were grand
But he took too much comfort on the side,
Abhorred the twenty-four by seven ride,
So he’ll be getting shipped to Ireland.

Now Meadows stands as pumped to lead the charge,
To stack the staff with loyal sycophants,
And lead them all in clever pro-Trump chants
But his own love of self may loom too large.

Congratulations, Meadows. Bend and smile.
But hist’ry says – update your LinkedIn profile.

3/9/20
(317)
The headlines daily draw the flies
And so it comes as no surprise
Our once great Nation’s future lies
Twixt Biden’s gaffes and Trumpy’s lies.

3/10/20
(316)
Erik Prince is a snoopy old cuss
And now he is spying on us
Going after the “Thems”
Labor groups, Libs & Dems
Someone please, throw him under a bus.

3/11/20
(315)
In Russia, Vlad’s reign is surreal.
Twelve more years he’ll be back at the wheel.
Now Trump’s in a tizzy
Behind the scenes, busy,
To work out the same kind of deal.

3/12/20
(314)
Trump’s travel ban’s getting in gear.
A brilliant idea it’s clear.
His great intellect
Knows this will protect
From a virus that’s already here.

3/13/20
(313)
Disease of virus and disease of fear
Infected bodies, and infected minds
Each new and troubling revelation grinds
As things we took for granted disappear.

Empty stadiums and empty shelves
The markets fall as fevered tempers rise
What’s next comes far too quickly to surmise
As pundits race on to outdo themselves.

And those elected leaders at the top
More versed in shouting matches over leading
Inured to suf’ring fearful masses pleading
Lack vision for a path to make it stop.

The future stands as troubling and unsure
I pray we all shall find heart to endure.

3/14/20
(312)
Self-quarantine makes some good sense.
Prevention’s a line of defense
That might do the trick
But what’s making me sick
Is the obsequious fawning of Pence.

3/15/20
(311)
Life seems to have taken a swerve
As we struggle to “flatten the curve”
I have much resistance
To all this self-distance
Reality has some fucking nerve.

3/16/20
(310)
Two men before a non-existent crowd
A sparring that addressed the absent foe.
It made a long but not unpleasant show
Good taste enough to keep from getting loud.

Each saw the world through different colored glasses
Each poked at missteps from the other’s past
One highlighted political contrast
The other blamed corrupted ruling classes.

Where Biden has stood next to the Big Chair
For decades Bernie stood as Class Crusader.
Can needed changes really wait ‘til later
For long, our rig-ged system’s been unfair.

Yet neither man was throwing knockout punches
Perhaps to better save for Trump, in bunches.

3/17/20
(309)
At first FOX News said “Virus…not!
It’s just some vast Democrat plot”.
They’re final’y retracting
On “overreacting”
How sad if Corona they’ve got.

3/18/20
(308)
The number of cases is growing
Our “out and about” time is slowing
Curiosity grows
As nobody knows
Exactly where all this is going

3/19/20
(307)
With government checks of assistance
Soon coming to aid our existence.
Governmental contrarians
And most Libertarians
Will accept them without much resistance.

3/20/20
(306)
Richard Burr had some inside intel.
Just before the big crash, got to sell.
His timely unloading
Beat the market’s eroding.
May he spend all that money in Hell.

3/21/20
(305)
Reports to him on viral spread and grow
A chance to act before things got so scary
Intelligence ignored in January.
How sad to use the words “we told you so”.

Two months behind in crucial preparation
A calloused eye to steps that should be taken
Instead how many millions are forsaken
Locked up at home inside a broken nation.

Alarms were sounded by ignored protestors.
Projections came on how bad things could get
He chose instead to just downplay the threat.
Those expert words were frightening investors.

If voting day should come, keep one thing clear:
His role in all the things that got us here

3/22/20
(304)
No wonder Fauci looked pissed.
But Donald just could not resist:
“Two drugs that for sure
Amount to a cure”
(That sadly does not yet exist).

3/23/20
(303)
It’s time for strong leadership, but
The man at the top is a nut.
He loathes the reliance
On truth, facts or science
Preferring his whim, mood, or gut.

3/24/20
(302)
There’s a choice over which one to fix:
The Dow Jones or the Old and the Sicks.
On one side there’s health
On the other there’s wealth.
Take a guess as to which one Trump picks.

3/25/20
(301)
A college mem’ry haunts me to this day.
A freshman college class. A game to play.
Scenarios where each group must arrive
At who among us will and won’t survive.

There’s roles to play in this reality
Of age and skill and personality.
Determine who can stay and who must go,
As tensions rise and real values show.

The old or flawed more quickly cast aside
While skilled or priv’leged stay on for the ride.
Triage in judging value of a life
And who among us gets to stick the knife.

A classroom tests the weight of I and Thou.
In larger scale, playing out right now.

3/26/20
(300)
No word when the crisis will end
But relief may be just ‘round the bend.
For the broken and ill
There’s 2.2 Trill.
A number I can’t comprehend.

3/27/20
(299)
Well, China was where it begun,
And Italy sure had its run.
The ongoing saga
Of our quest for MAGA –
How great to say “We’re #1!”

3/28/20
(298)
As victims so sadly amass,
We see it has now come to pass
Equipment, so treasured,
Has price tags all measured
In kisses he’ll get on his ass.

3/29/20
(297)
Sweet darkness escape
O precious sleep shelter me
No virus in dreams

3/30/20
(296)
While countless souls ponder their fate,
As we hole up in shelter and wait,
And we wonder who dies
For lack of supplies,
Trump crows that his ratings are great!

3/31/20
(295)
A global pandemic, or sham
Our lives are in chaos. Goddamn!
We can’t win for tryin’
You came in like a lion
Now please March, go out like a lamb.

2/1/20
(354)
Wherever its consequence reaches,
One thing this impeachment trial teaches,
This issue unites
The Lefts and the Rights:
All Senators love to give speeches.

2/2/2020
(353)
Today, maybe set aside beefs.
Pay no mind to political griefs
As the coastal elites
Battle mid-west Main Streets
When the Niners throw down with the Chiefs.

2/3/20
(352)
Trump’s football fan friends got their fill
At his Florida place. What a thrill.
A Super Bowl Fest
Where we paid for each guest
To the tune of just 3.4 Mil.

2/4/20
(351)
t’s my hope we final’y hit bottom here
Murkowski then so eloquently stated.
Both parties and both houses castigated,
Self-serving self-destruction made too clear.

A demon burns its way through ol’ DC
No side, she says, can stand exempt from blame
While media so swiftly fans the flame
All lose when this is how you play the game.

A nearly empty chamber heard her speech
Behavior that she called “shameful and wrong”
Nice tune but too late for the song,
Yet Trump’s own interests led to over-reach.

Good points in her eleven minute snit.
And still Murkowski’s voting to acquit.

2/5/20
(350)
It was far less a speech than campaign,
As eloquence circled the drain.
Some half truths to pedal,
And Rush got a medal,
Then Nancy made her response plain.

2/6/20
(349)
This bloviating gasbag of a man
Spews fetid bile on those below his station
Fat jester for the sickness of a nation
No wonder our Dear Leader is a fan.

Women, Blacks & gays – minorities –
The slaughtered Tribes, the victims of empire
For them, he pees more fuel upon the fire
For male, White and straight – he holds the keys.

And now, his Silver Medal. Right on cue.
To honor his divisive broadcast deeds
Just what this opiated buffoon needs
Be proud. I heard Bill Cosby got one too.

His hateful brand of humor’s not the answer.
But hey, I wish him luck with all that cancer.

2/7/20
(348)
With the White House’s East Room outfitted,
He bragged about being acquitted.
He went on quite a while,
And elsewhere, meanwhile,
The Statue of Liberty vomited.

2/8/20
(347)
With Donald absolved of his sins
Those who crossed him get kicked in the shins.
Testify against Trump?
Yer out on yer rump.
Guess the real witch hunt now begins.

2/9/20
(346)
Biden wants you to think he’s a player.
A “No Malarkey” Trump slayer.
A dynamic go-getter.
But he’s got to do better
Against a young, gay, small-town Mayor.

2/10/20
(345)
One thing that we all learned last night –
The Oscars ™ have gotten it right:
In art and in life,
Truth cuts like a knife.
The winner? Of course. Parasite.

2/11/20
(344)
This budget is tragic hilarity
He calls “dominance and prosperity”.
That 4.8 Trill
Is quite a bit, still,
Too many are in need of charity.

2/12/20
(343)
If e’er it was before, it’s not a joke.
For now emboldened by exoneration,
Pursuance of vindictive vindication
Could cause an elsewise moral man to choke.

His party now is no impediment.
They fawn upon his non-existent clothes,
And each who longs to keep his favor knows
That dear man Roger Stone is innocent.

We wonder now how justice is defined.
Is it to service only those in power,
While those who seek a greater good must cower.
Thanks for your service. Entry is declined.

A darker pattern dares now to emerge
His allies binge whilst rivals get the purge.

2/13/20
(342)
With the sentence that Barr recommended,
Some suggest that his tenure be ended.
Upset lawyers resigned.
But others don’t mind.
He’s just helping a guy Donald friended.

2/14/20
(341)
If you know the melody, please sing along…

Better than Trump in the White House
Better than building a wall
Better than members of Congress
Acting petty and small
Better than Right Wing militias
Better than Lindsay and Mitch
Better than children in cages
Or tax breaks for the rich
Better than midnight tweeted lies
Or Giuliani’s buggy eyes
Better than anything except
Being in love.

Better than Red States and Blue States
Jumping down each other’s throats,
Better than flooded coast cities
Being maneuvered by boats.
Better than Nazis on 4-chan
Plotting the Free World’s demise,
Better than Don Junior’s rifle
Or Melania’s thighs.
Better than wondering how and why
As you shake your head and cry
Better than anything except
Being in love.

Better than glaciers a-melting
Better than fire and flood
Better than climate change weather
Bringing on slides made of mud
Better than Black folk not voting
Or dissenters in jail
Better than having a road map to avoid The Big Fail.
Better than knowing how you’ll feel
When those prophesies get real.
Better than anything except
Being in Love.

Better than casting a ballot
Better than working for change
Better than Barr and Pompeo
Getting afflicted with mange
Better than sound bites and shouting
Being disguised as debate
Or elected officials
Spewing lies, fear and hate
Better than letting out a cheer
When Election Day is here
Better than anything except
Being in love.

2/15/20
(340)
Among all the campaigning prattle
More and more there’s a disturbing rattle.
Seeing Mike Bloomberg’s face
Suggesting this race
Be of two billionaires doing battle.

2/16/20
(339)
Those Sins Trump committed quite readily,
Without pause for contrition, and steadily.
He’s indulged in all Seven.
Will he get into Heaven?
We’ll find out. Now, if only they’re Deadly.

2/17/20
(338)
Rob Manfred, he gets no relief
For giving the ‘Stros little grief
For World Series cheating.
No one gets a beating
In these days of our Cheater in Chief.

2/18/20
(337)
This four-day work week has begun.
I hope yesterday you had fun.
Kicking back, or at play,
On Presidents’ Day,
Celebrating them all. Except one.

2/19/20
(336)
Oh Blago, congrats on your pardon.
On your way out, say “bye” to the Warden.
Like Kerik & Milken
Absolved for their bilkin’.
All of this just to give Trump a hard-on.

2/20/20
(335)
Six candidates standing apart.
Their arguing fell short of art.
Klobuchar got it right
With one phrase tonight:
“Our president, he has no heart”

2/21/20
(334)
A sideways Babel tower of six voices
Accuse, assure, explain, define and quip
As vulture pundits stay tuned for a slip
And thirsty eyes and ears observe their choices:

An angry guy who holds blame to the rich.
A ship that’s sailed. A Shiny Object face.
A racist billionaire who bought his place.
A snippy school ma’rm and some pushy witch.

With finger-pointing grasps at popularity
These former, future allies duke it out
In sowing less of confidence than doubt.
This stage affords no time nor place for charity.

Do any standing here bring greater fears
Than brightly burning thoughts of four more years.

2/22/20
(333)
Trump’s new overseer of spies
Comes off as more loyal than wise.
An intelligence loss,
But he sure loves his boss.
You’ve been warned now, so watch your backs, guys.

2/23/20
(332)
Tho he says he supports those who work,
He just gutted their rights with a smirk.
Defense employees
Get a bargaining freeze
And this keeps us secure? What a jerk!

2/24/20
(331)
So Trump is in India now.
A big-time PR pow-wow
With his buddy Modi.
No shakti, no bodhi,
Just an orange & un-sacred cow.

2/25/20
(330)
The branches of government be
Designed to work separately
And with their own talents,
Provide checks and balance.
But Trump wants control of all three.

2/26/20
(329)
With the president doing so fine
He can tweet anything & still shine.
Our Orange Pinocchio
Has such braggadocio
That he might even pardon Weinstein.

2/27/20
(328)
Our President’s sorry you’re ill.
That Corona Virus can kill.
He’s sent Pence to help
Who’s feeling is, welp,
If ya got it, it’s prob’ly God’s will.

2/28/20
(327)
With the world getting hotter each year,
And the Corona Virus draws near,
We’re drowning in plastic,
The stock market’s spastic
And America’s greater in fear.

2/29/20
(326)
A creeping scourge, or Democratic hoax.
A major threat, or just the latest scare.
To comfort us, the Internet is there
Abounding with conspiracies and jokes.

Mulvaney says that we can handle this
A this that daily seems to be expanding,
Defying anti-science understanding.
The cost of cure – the next Big Pharma bliss.

Our next step seems to be travel restriction
And on its face, a logical position.
But what about community transmission
Already bringing daily new affliction.

How blessed to have the faith of VP Pence
To pray away disease and pestilence.

1/1/20
(385)
May your dreams make it over the hump,
And your path be without halt or bump.
May joy be instilled,
And your year be filled
With things that do not rhyme with “rump”.

1/2/20
(384)
Even tho on the job they were pleasin’
Trump’s workers got canned for a reason.
Tho’ undocumented,
The Donald relented
‘Til after the harvesting season.

1/3/20
(383)
This drone attack – a tactic, or a whim
Deserved response or mindless escalation
And in what form will come retaliation
Upon the heads of those who martyred him.

Trump’s words were few, a playground bully’s taunt,
As clear as an articulate explosion.
His switches thrown to further the erosion
To end or start – what does our leader want.

Two presidents before him chose to pause.
They didn’t call for an official hit.
But Suleimani didn’t shy from it
His resume provided ample cause.

So much for New Year peace and mending fences.
Now comes the calendar of consequences.

1/4/20
(382)
The fires we’ve seen
The fires still yet to come
The fires right now

1/5/20
(381)
Iranian tempers on boil
Troops flying to Middle East soil
Assassination
Brings retaliation
Someone tell me this ain’t about oil.

1/6/20
(380)
And after Trump’s Baghdad attack,
More threats to Iran and Iraq.
His petulant rage
On the global stage
Is daring them both to push back.

1/7/20
(379)
For revenge some Iranians thirst,
With Americans fearing the worst.
Tho folks may admit
Of the targets to hit,
Perhaps Mar a Lago comes first.

1/8/20
(378)
Intelligence, we’re told, sketchy at best
Perhaps there was no imminent attack
But now we see Iran is striking back
And foreign policy by Trump is put to test.

Retaliation talk was met by threat
To target life and culture as they knew it
And could he be just nuts enough to do it.
Iran displays the guts to take the bet.

Oil. Greed. Abuse of power. Rage.
The politics of threat. The thrill to war.
Reveal the splintered rotting at the core
Of where we stand upon the global stage.

And still all those equipped to make it stop
Enabling the madman at the top.

1/9/20
(377)
A president who we all know
Made our lives a Reality Show
Each day a new crisis
Climate, trade wars (stacking the courts, putting children in cages, obstructing of justice, spreading lies, polarizing the citizenry, attacking the media, promoting his own interests, pedaling influence, cozying up to dictators, selling off our natural resources, trashing the EPA, alienating our allies, sending dog whistle cues to the radical right, pandering to evangelicals who are convinced that he’ll bring about the second coming) and ISIS…
Oh Christ, how I wish he’d just go.

1/10/20
(376)
From Iran, a few missiles were sent.
A plane is down “by accident”
Some folks have the notion
This was set in motion
By the actions of our president.

1/11/20
(375)
Each death a ripple matrix of a loss
Each hole at depth beyond our understanding
So little time to fight to remain standing
When it’s your turn to give the dice a toss

Presented as a number or statistic
A singular and abstract distillation
Whitewashing every heart’s own devastation
Emotion unexpressed in things linguistic

So vital, then so suddenly departed
With those remaining left to contemplate
The nexus of a single tragic fate
But wait – t’was only yesterday we started.

Daughter, sister, partner, lover, friend
In absence still, these roles, they shall not end.

1/12/20
(374)
At an Ohio rally, this time
Trump said Dems just want chaos and crime –
They’re “vicious and horrible”.
This man is incorrigible!
His lies leave a trail of slime.

1/13/20
(373)
Our politics are a fat mess
Each who serves has a thing to confess.
We’ve soaked in regressive.
What’s wrong with “progressive”?
In the word itself you find PROGRESS.

1/14/20
(372)
Journalism’s a challenging chore
So many newspapers cry poor
But I’d rather have read
About what’s done or said
Than the gossip about what was wore.

1/15/20
(371)
The Bernie and Liz rift begins.
The Corporate Dem camp just grins.
Spreading lies, sowing doubt,
Let the Left duke it out
While Donnie, without effort, wins.

1/16/20
(370)

Yes, Virginia,

What a day.

You’ve ratified

The E.R.A.

1/17/20
(369)
With Dershowitz now on the case
Trump’s Dreamteam Defense is in place!
He helped OJ skate!
Thought Epstein was great!
For defending the guilty, he’s ace!

1/18/20
(368)
Happy Birthday to Michelle Obama
From Donald, in her honor, a surprise!
A banquet full of pizza, burgers, fries
A little taste of schoolyard luncheon drama.

We’ll fill those kids with sugar, starch and grease.
Good health is such a Socialistic plot.
Fresh fruits and veggies just sit there and rot.
Let grades go down and average weight increase.

Roll back that woman’s call for healthy meals,
Walk back from dated concepts like nutrition
Poor kids, again, assuming the position
To pave the way for fast food outlet deals.

Such tasty food Sir. May I have more please?
More diabetes and more heart disease.

1/19/20
(367)
Our economy’s one to adore,
Cancer deaths down, and Blacks earning more.
Our trade balance sings.
How many more things
Does Donald Trump take credit for.

1/20/20
(366)
His message fell deaf upon fools
He was slain by establishment tools
Celebrate on this day
As his dream fades away
While his name still adorns streets and schools.

1/21/20
(365)
Impeachment? Who’s in – Yes or No.
Most have had quite enough of this show.
It smells like manure
But one thing’s for sure –
There’s 3 – 6 – 5 days left to go!

1/22/20
(364)
So many words we find to rhyme with Mitch,
Sometimes we get distracted by the game
Of making clever put-downs with his name.
But focus on the goal – to make the switch

And toss him on his ass come voting day.
To suit his party’s goals he twists the rules
Then gleeful, plays the Democrats for fools
Enough of this. Let’s send him on his way.

His loyalty is only to the wealthy
While stacking courts with dim, regressive judges.
And in his Holy Quest, he never budges
To keep Kentucky dumb, poor and unhealthy.

It’s time to dump this chicken-necked disaster,
And un-employ the Senate’s sham ringmaster.

1/23/20
(363)
The Dems offer up each demand.
Witnesses they’d call to the stand,
Documents by the ream
Of Trump’s corrupt scheme,
All they get tho, is “talk to the hand”.

1/24/20
(362)
Is there really any doubt about the facts.
Could one say true he’d not do such a thing.
Does it not count, this evidence we bring.
He lies, then moves to cover up his tracks.

Coercion, pow’r abuses and obstruction
But “in his mind, the man did nothing wrong”,
Sings Lindsay Graham in a fawning song
Preparing for his Hall of Shame induction.

Republicans say they’ve heard nothing new
But if it’s new, they’ve turned a deafened ear
New evidence, says Mitch, ain’t welcome here.
What is our sad Democracy to do.

We see beneath this partisan hysteria –
Trump only loves the ME that’s in aMErica.

1/25/20
(361)
Someone at the meeting was wired
When Trump made clear what he desired.
He was heard without doubt
Saying just, “take her out”.
Some believe that he only meant “fired”.

1/26/20
(360)
Impropriety? There was no appearance.
Trump followed strict ethics adherence.
No hold-back of aid,
No quid pro quo trade,
Just Dems’ election interference.

1/27/20
(359)
precious bird in flight
shrouded in great grey danger
heartbreak so quickly

1/28/20
(358)
This life of ours, more fragile than papyrus,
Too late when seen how fiercely took for granted,
With such concern for where and how we’re slanted,
Does not concern Wuhan Corona Virus.

Would aliens upon our world admire us
Or aim to move us past our barbarism
Would we slay them before we’d heal our schism
And what about Wuhan Corona Virus.

Infectious as a song by Miley Cyrus
A cobra-centered matrix flying wide
And why are Donald’s tariffs not applied
To cash in on Wuhan Corona Virus

No game. No PacMan, Donkey Kong, or Gyruss.
No vaccine for Wuhan Corona Virus.

1/29/20
(357)
Oh Mitch, I’m so sad. What a shock
That you may lack enough votes to block
Bolton testimony
Which may have a key.
We don’t like him, but let the man talk.

1/30/20
(356)
The will of the people be damned
Who cares if they’re all getting scammed.
The defense can rest
For I know what’s best.
Four more years down your throat I get jammed.

1/31/20
(355)
Liz Warren showed some guts to ask
When she took Justice Roberts to task –
Does a witness-less trial
Make our system look vile?
What feelings did his grimace mask.

12/1/19
(417)
The trillions we’ve poured into war
Could have paid for our health care and more
Fully fund education,
Feed and shelter the nation.
The machine is corrupt at its core.

12/2/19
(416)
A climate summit starts now in Madrid
May it undo the damage that we did
Before a woeful global lack of will
Results in massive planetary kill.

Impeachment hearings carry on. That’s great
But Donald says he won’t participate
He’d rather spend time preaching to his minions
And from the sideline, tweet out his opinions.

Then, Lisa Page’s talking points anew –
What she and Strzok did and did not do,
And Trump’s relentless mocking of the two,
Including their orgasmic noises. Ewww.

So many topics but so little time
To sit here and create my daily rhyme.

12/3/19
(415)
Trump’s new tariffs are drawing the flies.
They’re just shafting our long-time allies.
His odd strategy
Spells trade tragedy,
Turning once good-buys into goodbyes.

12/4/19
(414)
The definition of impeachable
A clear delineation of offenses
A leadership that’s baldly lost its senses
And Trump declares himself unreachable.

This is our now, as audience and actors,
With scripts of lies and spin across a spectrum
A close-up shot of Democracy’s rectum
The loss of decency no longer factors.

What we see here is not all that there is.
This tightly scripted staged reality.
The numbness of lurid banality.
Don’t underestimate the business of the biz.

Beyond this tragic sideshow one thing’s certain –
There’s more that’s going on behind the curtain.

12/5/19
(413)
Yesterday, ranking Rep. Collins said
These are Democrat lies we’ve been fed.
Lawyer Karlan objected –
No vendetta detected,
But based on the facts that she read.

12/6/19
(412)
With the squabbling between each faction
No Democrat seems to have traction.
You’d think that the fears
Of four sucky more years
Would inspire some positive action.

12/7/19
(411)
More than 500 Law Profs agree
Donald Trump behaved impeachably.
But each one’s just a tool
From some liberal school.
Their bias is quite clear to me.

12/8/19
(410)
Joe Biden says it’s plain to see
Where he stands environmentally.
If you want to ban fracking
And send lobbyists packing
Then vote for one other than he.

12/9/19
(409)
The latest Trump outburst of note?
His wooing the “Killer Jew” vote.
“You may not like me,
And it’s mutual, see?
But I’m the Democrat tax antidote”.

12/10/19
(408)
Some Republicans are so obtuse.
For their tantrums there is no excuse.
All the pointing at Biden
And witnesses hidin’
Will not cover up Trump’s abuse.

12/11/19
(407)
Through 18 years and three administrations
The Afghan War Machine rolled right along
While each report revealed nothing wrong
Through countless and destructive conflagrations.

Conflicting strategies, unclear objectives
Corruption masked by data points distorted
The harder facts that never got reported
On countless and unwinnable directives.

No intel here for telling friend from foe
No real metrics found for keeping score
No sense of what we’re really fighting for
No end in sight for paying for this show.

The space between the truth and what we’re told
Makes wonder of what other lies we’re sold.

12/12/19
(406)
Trump Junior went hunting big game.
An endangered Argali, its name. A permit he lacked.
Got it after the fact.
A trophy kill. Totally lame.

12/13/18
(405)
For Obama, the man never budges.
He just stalled with obstruction and fudges.
For Trump, Mitch got moving,
The senate approving
A quarter of all active judges.

12/14/19
(404)
The outgoing Gov of Kentucky
Helped some 400 felons get lucky.
Some rapists and killers –
Community pillars
Whose donations to him were just ducky!

12/15/19
(403)
Mitch McConnell and Lindsay Graham,
In the Senate will choose to O.K. him.
They’ve said the will play it
As Trump’s lawyers say it
And they both lack the guts to betray him.

12/16/19
(402)
The impeachment soap opera continues.
To the Senate, we’ll see change in venues.
May Mulvaney, his crew,
And John Bolton too
Have their testimony on the menus.

12/17/19
(401)
A New Jersey Dem named VanDrew
Thinks impeach is the wrong thing to do.
To save his own ass
He’ll give Trump a pass,
And become a Republican too…

(So six staffers told him “Go screw!”)

12/18/19
(400)
The Countdown dwindles to four-hundred days
Until we see the next inauguration,
But still there is this nauseous sensation –
What if he’s re-elected and he stays.

Impeach him now. Democracy can’t wait.
While slowly die the things that really matter,
The rich get richer and fat cats get fatter.
Don’t just drain swamps. It’s time to clean the slate.

This Trump’s a symptom of a larger ill,
All those who profit from our house divided
Then buy the outcome already decided
And plot to bend the masses to their will.

Our public servants pledge, then fail the tests.
And still we vote against our own best interests.

12/19/19
(399)
The lines were drawn
The vote was reached.
The president
Has been impeached.

Burma-Shame

12/20/19
(398)
“Remember who you are and whom you serve”.
The words of Christianity Today.
Jim Bakker tho, has other things to say.
Those anti-Trump believers have their nerve.

How dare to lecture on morality.
How dare to buck the faith so now in fashion,
To contemplate the depths of Christ’s compassion,
And question our anointed one’s legality.

Such passion Trump’s dominion arouses
With thoughts and actions for which none atones
For some are just so busy throwing stones
They can’t see their reflections in glass houses.

It’s said to be not of the world, but in it.
And could it be your soul to lose to win it.

12/21/19
(398)
A Republican staffer is gloating
Suppressing the rolls of those voting
Is a great secret mission
To scare opposition
And win the election. Worth noting.

12/22/19
(397)
This country’s a hard thing to run.
All work and no play is no fun.
In Trump’s tenure here,
One statistic is clear:
In golfing dates, he’s Number One!

12/23/19
(396)
In the White House there’s folks acting snotty.
In the House and the Senate? Too haughty.
Is that Santa we see
Flying over DC
Because everyone there is too naughty.

12/24/19
(397)
That Iowa woman’s not nice.
Assault with a vehicle – twice!
She should be behind bars,
Hitting brown kids with cars,
But she’ll prob’ly get hired by ICE.

12/25/19
(394)
This Christmas Day, some pointers from the right
To win debates that crop up at the table.
Some talking points, assuming you’re not able
Alone to wreck your loved ones’ appetite.

No quid pro quo, but “yes” to Russian hoax.
Add salt and raise the flame to fan the schism
By dissing Democrats and Socialism.
Call out the human scum amongst your folks.

Don’t fret about this conversation’s fitness.
This holiday it’s all about the winning
And keeping Orange Mussolini grinning
By escalating Donald’s war on Christmas.

The Prince Of Peace’s birth? No time for that.
Here’s Jesus sporting his red MAGA hat.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE
REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU VOTED FOR. NO, REALLY.

12/26/19
(393)
And so for once the news reports can wait.
To set aside the scrolling, scrolling madness,
The never ending feed of doubt and sadness
A break from contemplating global fate.

Today, no president is needed here
Collapsed amidst the food and gift debris
No words of politics with family
To truly hold the things that we hold dear.

McConnell and his senate are on hold.
The congress spat resumes another day
For now, a time for sloth and gentle play
Some coffee then a stroll out in the cold.

The dramas of our world will all continue.
This rhyme’s to celebrate the peace within you.

12/27/19
(392)
Not much from the Trump camp we hear.
But the image I have conjures fear:
On the White House john lid,
Spewing tweets from his id,
Gearing up for the battles next year.

12/28/19
(391)
In the late waning days of December,
As the year flickers down to an ember,
Our Trump’s in Palm Beach,
Sitting just out of reach,
At a club where he’s the only member.

12/29/19
(390)
For a long time, his name was in doubt.
A secret that one should not flout.
It’s not about knowin’
Who was whistle-blowin’,
But what he was blowin’ about.

12/30/19
(389)
Through a callous and wide-ranging stunt-y,
We’re now seeing purges aplenty.
It’s not about polls –
It’s about voter rolls,
And who can vote in 2020.

12/31/19
(388)
Together we have seen and been through plenty
A decade that began with hope and change
And then would slow and sadly turn to strange
Ten years that feel as if they’ve aged us twenty.

You’ve seen it all. No need here to remind.
The sad events, the scared and grieving faces,
The lives disrupted by relentless races
Of progress that may leave us all behind.

And yet within, perhaps the will to start
Afresh and listen to those inner voices
That softly whisper to us kinder choices,
For know that with each asshole beats a heart.

Another day brings forth another chance
I hope your year will give you cause to dance.

11/1/19
(447)
A New Yorker for most of his life,
He just split with his golf clubs and wife.
Now our president’s
A Palm Beach resident.
Let the southland put up with his strife.

11/2/19
(446)
The DHS head for our nation
Devised “family separation”.
Chad Wolf is the hero
Of “tolerance? zero!”
So much heartbreak from this man’s creation.

11/3/19
(445)
Our money’s been wasted by fools
To keep out the smugglers and mules.
Trump’s Wall’s getting breached
And America’s reached
By folks armed with cheap power tools.

11/4/19
(444)
Republicans really don’t care,
But Liz & Bern lay it out bare:
The very, very, very,
Very, very, very, very
rich, they ain’t payin’ their share!

11/5/19
(443)
Now we begin to formally withdraw.
That Paris Climate Deal just was terrible.
What matter if your shithole life’s unbearable.
We’ll not be tied to any global law.

What does a scientist know about growth?
The smell of progress -is- carbon emission.
Why should I ask some vague future’s permission.
The here and now of winning is my goal.

The Socialism of that Green New Deal
The lab coats pushing Celsius two degrees
Do polar ice caps really need to freeze?
The answer, soon enough in its reveal.

No more must makers choke on regulation –
Pursuing endless growth and innovation.

11/6/19
(442)
In Virginia, a woman named Juli
Once got press when she acted unruly
With a finger displayed
To Trump’s motorcade
But today, she’s elected quite duly.

11/7/19
(441)
(Guest writer Lindsay Graham)
Testimony and transcripts will show
There was not a hint of quid pro quo.
He didn’t, he didn’t,
He didn’t, he didn’t,
He didn’t – and if he did, so?

11/8/19
(440)
Each posting on the ‘net invites inspection.
Drill down and you will find the comments section
Poor grammar, lousy spelling, brute insanity
Enough to make one lose faith in humanity.

The MAGA 2020 crowd in force
Condemning all but Fox as fake of course
Insults and threats and braggadocio,
Defending their Orange Pinocchio.

They’ll spew statistics of all he’s achieved
All counter-claims are not to be believed,
For Democrats and Hollywood and Science
Are in conspiratorial compliance.

I hope our country and our world remain
When they find out their leader is insane.

11/9/19
(439)
He’s never met a war he didn’t like
And now he’s got one with his former boss.
When paths judicial and executive cross,
O where will Bolton’s testimony strike.

His view of Rudy making like Tom Hagan
An offer that Zelensky can’t refuse
It’s time to pay some diplomatic dues
Or else that Ukraine air support goes beggin’.

Now to your relevant conversations,
And meetings where some dirty deeds were done
The dates and times of justice overrun
Of this and every past administration.

Could someone be impeached on this alone.
Recall, accountants brought down Al Capone.

11/10/19
(438)
The Republicans are of One Mind,
And the Corporate Dems are in-kind.
Protect the Elite
By law or deceit,
And leave no Billionaire behind.

11/11/19
(437)
the soul marches on
seasoned wounded veteran
soldier of all wars

11/12/19
(436)
Does anyone envy their task
As we hear what lurks under the mask.
With what they have got,
Impeachment or not?
It depends much on whom you should ask.

11/13/19
(435)
Bill Taylor relating the trauma
Of Donald’s Ukrainian drama.
We hear what was said
While Repubs ask instead,
“What about Hillary and Obama?”

11/14/19
(434)
Some say he knows just what to do.
Some suggest he’s a self-hating Jew
Or just the reviled
Clandestine Love Child
Of Goebbels & Nosferatu.

11/15/19
(433)
Yovanovitch, out on her rump.
An unceremonious dump.
Her only malfeasance
Was that her allegiance
Was to the U.S., not to Trump.

11/16/19
(432)
The trickster spider in his web ensnared.
A jury finds him guilty on all counts
And from his high horse Roger Stone dismounts
Has ever there been one so truth-impaired.

A rabid dog inside a fancy suit
Relentless master of the smear campaign
No bottom line is found within the brain
Of he who peddles right-wing poison fruit

Intimidate, deny, obstruct, attack
A playbook that would make Dick Nixon proud.
With Manafort and Flynn, please join the crowd
It’s off to prison sir, and don’t come back.

The subterfuge and pain in which he’d revel.
Where does one find the sympathy for this devil.

11/17/19
(431)
Tho some friends of mine say it’s but hearsay,
Those listening in were quite near-say.
What was said, what was meant
What was Trump’s true intent,
All of this is becoming quite clear-say.

11/18/19
(430)
In Lou’siana and in Kentucky
Trump-backed candidates were quite unlucky.
Despite the support,
His guys came up short
Could it be cuz the President’s sucky??

11/19/19
(429)
The rumors and the speculations fly
The White House denies anything abnormal
A visit. That is all. Nothing was formal.
Our President’s a hella healthy guy.

His massive brain is ge-ni-us and stable.
No problems with his heart, for he has none.
In going “number two”, he’s Number One,
And don’t you dare put diet on the table.

This physical was part-one of a study
And then he met a young man in recovery
Stop looking for some sinister discovery
The fact is Walter Reed’s a golfing buddy.

A fear of something serious, but nope.
Yet even so, the rest of us can hope.

11/20/19
(428)
It’s not about the witness on the stand.
Reject their very presence out of hand
Instead, call out the Hunter Biden mess
And dirty deeds by Fusion GPS.

The dark alternate narrative returns,
Ignores a career diplomat’s concerns
Discounts alleged hearsay caught on phones,
But loves the talking points of Alex Jones.

Our President has not been treated fairly
The Dems, the Hollywood Cabal, the Ukraine crooks,
The former staffers with their tell-all books
You know, the blame lies with Obama, squarely.

(I’m tired of these never ending tunes
As sung by ranking member Devin Nunes.)

11/21/19
(427)
Yesterday Sondland gave us the scoop:
Zelensky – a quid pro quo dupe.
The aid we’re providin’
For dirt on Joe Biden,
And everyone was in the loop.

11/22//19
(426)
Netanyahu indicted? What for.
A leader with greed at his core.
Some bribery and fraud?
Selling favors? How odd!
Somewhere, I have heard this before

11/23/19
(425)
Our Prez lacks connection with fact,
And Ratcliffe and Nunes? No tact.
But still it is noted
That Democrats voted
Extending the Patriot Act.

11/24/19
(424)
It’s a federal crime to solicit
Something seen of value to a campaign
From a foreign agent, and now spreads the stain
To Nunes, who it seems may have been complicit.

So many saw Ukraine opportunity
So many now may have something to fear
Should ethics apply to what is done here
Or do we just take with impunity

One hand in the pot. The other points fingers
All sides have a defense with “what about you?”
Each player, a chance for turning the screw
And yet for all, a strange aroma lingers.

What’s going on is more than we can see.
Meantime, our best to Justice RBG.

11/25/19
(423)
There once was a Prince named Andrew.
His buddies and he liked to screw.
Queen Mother got pissed –
Scratched him off of her list
For the nasty-ass things he would do.

11/26/19
(422)
A Judge notes Democracy’s flaw:
It puts no one above the law.
“Presidents are not Kings”.
Let’s hope McGann sings
About what he did, heard and saw.

11/27/19
(421)
Opinions – there sure are a lot.
They’re something that everyone’s got.
But if you don’t agree
With Trump or DNC,
You’re obviously a Russian bot.

11/28/19
(420)
For near a thousand days, each day a verse
A troub’ling time on this long-troubled earth
Observed with gnawing doubt disguised as mirth
Yet thankful, knowing well it could be worse.

Each day new reasons why we stand apart
And battle over what is meant by “free”,
As those who rule show clear how not to be
If one should have a conscience and a heart.

I offer though, a gratitude profound
For where it is I get to stand, and how,
And who I stand with in this precious now
More grateful though if they’d but stick around.

Yet deep and far, my thankful nature dropped
When seen his head on Rocky, photoshopped.

11/29/19
(419)
Yesterday things were happy and stable
Even tho’ some were simply not able
To keep the mood light
Til the end of the night
By avoiding his name at the table.

11/30/19
(418)
Impeachment proceedings still run.
Time now for Trump photo-op fun.
Hand food to some troops
Sing your praise to small groups
And act like you’re getting things done.

10/1/19
(478)
What blasphemy was their words written in
Impassioned threats hard-flung by grim Oath Keepers,
Those camouflage-clad semi-auto creepers.
America, O what a ride it’s been.

For Democrats and other Communists,
The different faith’d, the dark-skinned, and the queer,
Keep moving. You may take no refuge here.
For bullets have replaced loud words and fists.

A tweet re-tweeted by the President
Comes from the heart of one First Baptist preacher
And this is what he learned from Christ, the Teacher
Is Civil War what this man truly meant.

The ravings of a tinfoil boss of bosses
Inciting war to help disrupt due process

10/2/19
(477)
Authoritarian regimes
Went through this a whole lot it seems –
That the things that they did
Just served their leader’s id.
But in republics, only in their dreams.

Timothy Naftali, Historian.

10/3/19
(476)
The leader of Finland looked grim.
The chances for friendship are slim.
He wanted to flee
When Trump touched his knee.
I guess the man’s “Finnished” with him.

10/4/19
(475)
The president sure as hell knows
How the game of big government goes.
Lie in avalanches,
Commandeer all the branches,
And turn them against all your foes.

10/5/19
(474)
Trump says, “I was investigated!”
Trump says, “I was investigated!”
“ME ME ME, ME ME ME,
ME ME ME, ME ME ME!”
Trump says, “I was investigated!”

10/6/19
(473)
For his tactics, the man stands alone:
Deflect, attack, cut to the bone,
Countersue, blame, and lie,
Don’t explain or tell why,
Like his mentor, that scumbag Roy Cohn.

10/7/19
(472)
A witness shot dead within days.
A coincidence that should amaze.
Innocence testifies,
And suddenly dies.
Guess forgiveness does not run both ways.

10/8/19
(471)
The latest from his “great and unmatched wisdom”
Withdrawal – a betrayal of the Kurds
Turns our support to mere and hollow words
Who of us here can understand his system.

A Tower with his name in Turkey stands.
A threat to Donald’s private economics
Concerns him more than radical Islamics.
Is that why he gives reign to Erdogan.

To end an “endless war” is quite becoming,
But not the same as saying that we quit,
And let the natives there clean up our shit.
Beware, North Syria – the Turks are coming.

So many hoped this wasn’t how it ended.
It’s bad – even Pat Robertson’s offended.

10/9/19
(470)
Giuliani, Pompeo & Pence.
Subpoenaed White House documents.
Denials, name-calling,
Accusations, stonewalling
But no truth in Trump’s line of defense.

10/10/19
(469)
Lives, houses and business are gone.
Maps of forced power outages drawn.
Is this the futility
Of our “public” “utility”
What side is the PUC on.

10/11/19
(468)
There once was an ambassador named Yovanovitch
Corrupt foreign schemes simply made her itch
And so she forbade
Ukrainian aid.
Of course, Giuliani fired the witch.

10/12/19
(467)
For taking on Trump from the right,
Shepard Smith said his final “Goodnight”.
Fox News and its minions
Ditch news for opinions
While spewing their cancerous blight.

10/13/19
(466)
Another moment you cannot take back
An instant choice that draws from countless years
Fueled by bias, amplified by fears
Another person killed for being black.

Show me your hands. But then there is no chance.
A shot rings out without time for compliance.
No threat here; no resistance or defiance.
An encore of a sad familiar dance.

Killed for no reason while inside your home
By someone in a uniform, no less
Without a body-cam, would he confess?
What dark justice justifies this syndrome.

How many friends and family members cried.
All touched by some slow motion genocide.

10/14/19
(465)
This constant exposure’s exhausting.
So much peace of mind he is costing.
His image and words –
We’re surrounded by turds
It’s our sanity he is accosting.

10/15/19
(464)
World News Tonight war coverage? Sucky!
That we found out, I guess that we’re lucky.
Their footage was not
Of Kurds getting shot,
But from a gun range in Kentucky.

10/16/19
(463)
Twelve candidates stand in a row.
They tell us how much that they know.
The best? Hard to say.
But the main take-away?
That incumbent has just got to go.

10/17/19
(462)
In witnessing the meltdown of a man,
Each day brings new and troubling surprises.
We see with every issue that arises
The leader of our country has no plan.

His Turkish letter, void of erudition…
Withdrawing aid, the Kurds are surely toast…
With Italy he plays the awkward host…
…and Nancy is the third-grade politician.

Arrests of Giuliani pals mushrooming
Each day more staffers take a worried stance
They cannot all be Democratic plants.
McConnell says impeachment may be looming.

And on the global stage, our nation’s splendor
Corrupted by this base Snake Oil vendor.

10/18/19
(461)
O Baltimore you’ve lost a favored son.
Sharecropper parents who were born of slaves
Pursuing justice, not fearing making waves,
But final challenges could not be outrun.

Revealing truth and unifying factions,
But never backing from a worthy fight,
Put politics beneath his doing right.
Solutions found in human interactions.

To tweet attacks, he sang a higher note
Did not engage in hateful rhetoric
But still he knew which ass deserved a kick.
Sad he’ll be missing the impeachment vote.

The power of his faith his greatest shield.
In Heaven, still, this gentleman won’t yield.

Elijah Eugene Cummings
January 18, 1951 – October 17, 2019

10/19/19
(460)
Their stays are amazingly brief.
While there, from both sides they get grief.
Some are good for a laugh
While they serve on his staff,
But no Oscar ™ for an “acting” chief.

10/20/19
(459)
Trump Doral sounds, at best, unappealing.
Smells of blatant, corrupted self-dealing.
Meet up elsewhere because
That Emoluments Clause
Helps avoid having Heads of State kneeling.

10/21/19
(458)
If you want help from us, well then go for it.
But someone needs something to show for it.
The quid pro quo play’s
The American Way,
And Mulvaney just says to “get over it”.

10/22/19
(457)
The G7’s next hacienda
Won’t be the Doral in its’ splenda.
But the sad information
Is not the location,
But that Climate Change missed the agenda.

10/23/19
(456)
There was no conversation I recall.
There’s been no statement on this from my hand.
Where came this notion, I don’t understand.
For I’ve said not a word on this at all.

The phone call was “perfect” and “innocent”
But what he said I said I didn’t say
(O would this Ukraine mess just go away?)
I can’t confirm. Just ask him what he meant.

I did advise releasing the transcript,
Confirming what said was not improper,
Providing our side with a gossip stopper
To counter lies the whistle-blower slipped.

It’s not a lynching. Mitch rejects the trope.
Yet soon he might be reaching for the rope.

10/24/19
(455)
The FaceBook harvesting of billions of eyes
A public utility that stretches global
And lacks a leadership with causes noble
Perverting Free Speech with silos of lies

Each targeted for me, and you, and you
Through algorithms linked to fingertips
As into clouds the self that we are, drips
While sweet Alexa tells us what to do.

A college online project, rating chicks
That morphed into ubiquitous addiction
That shoots us up with kittens, friends and fiction
And made a platform for electing dicks.

Zuch knows that Trump won’t battle over turfs,
And won’t disturb his kingdom or his serfs.

10/25/19
(454)
Two people with a tell-all book to sell:
A pattern over decades traced, as well
As forty-three assaultive allegations
And one man’s predatory inclinations.

A grope, a grab, a kiss – his famous quote.
What woman wouldn’t want that tongue slid down her throat.
He’d show her off just like a new Ferrari,
And never feel the urge to say, “I’m sorry”.

From pee tape hints and matters more perverse,
To outright purchasing Miss Universe
Some went against their will and some got paid
By just another schoolboy getting laid.

And all this from a man chosen by God?
Expose this faulty vessel as a fraud!

10/26/19
(453)
A lay’r of dirt or froth on liquid’s surface
Coagulating into human form.
These are Republicans who won’t conform
And lockstep serve their leader’s higher purpose.

How sad this insult isn’t hard to find.
It’s used to denigrate the opposition
By leaders with a tyrant-like condition.
Hitler, Stalin, Putin, come to mind.

And so with his impeachment probe proceeding
And daily bringing damning testimony
(Despite the meeting-storming dog & pony)
Dear Leader drops a tweet to stop the bleeding.

His Presidential insult echoes loudly.
How nice that some opponents wear it proudly.

10/26/19
(452)
With PG&E lines in doubt
There’s much to be worried about
Wind and fire we’re told
So put Donald on hold,
And wait til’ the power goe

10/28/19
(451)
Entire towns evacuate
No power, some gas – but you’ll wait.
America’s great!
Climate action can wait!
And California’s a Third World State!

10/29/19
(450)
Our forces came through in the clutch
Struck a blow against ISIS and such
Our Donald was thrilled
Baghdadi got killed,
But he relished the telling too much.

10/30/19
(449)
How int’resting to hear from Kenneth Starr
(The purple-lipped ol’ Grand Inquisitor
Of Clinton and his kneeling visitor)
Who now claims that impeachment goes too far.

He clearly feels “high-crime-and-misdemeanor”
Does not relate to foreign quid pro quos
Or Donald’s gain under Congress’ nose,
But more to do with Presidential wiener

These hearings are just some Pelosi plot.
Her eyes, as third in line, are on The Throne
Those charges are but hearsay, overblown.
O fading Starr – is that the best you’ve got?

Select your facts and twist your history
To justify your moral bankruptcy.

10/31/19
(448)
The Series is done and we’re through with it.
Each team had a chance, but one flew with it.
We send our congrats
To the Washington Nats.
(But Donald had nothing to do with it).

 

9/1/19
(507)
The earth filled with fire and flood.
A gunman out looking for blood.
Our leader’s a curse
Who’s just making it worse.
A great day for smoking some bud.

9/2/19
(506)
Makers, carriers, fixers, builders, sweepers,
Those who sew and iron, serve and cook and clean,
Who make it work and run behind the scene
And yet so disrespected by their keepers.

Back breaking, mind numbing, and soul destroying
On the line, and on – or off – the clock,
From fact’ry, warehouse, construction site and dock,
The setters of the table we’re enjoying.

Much more than some great 3-day weekend deal,
This day we honor those who do the work.
A meager tip jar pittance of a perk,
And from it, even then, the Bosses steal.

Our lives become a bit less of a fight
When Labor votes to stand tall and unite.

9/3/19
(505)
Suicide Bomber. Hostage. Deaths. Attacks.
Shots Fired. Dirty Bomb. Evacuation.
Shootout. Cocaine. Palestine Liberation.
Weapons Cache. Radiation Leak. Anthrax.

Recruitment. Pirates. Hamas. Hezbollah.
Basque Separatists. ICE. Shelter-In-Place.
Key Logger. Taliban. Decapitate.
Kidnap. Collapse. Disaster. Sinaloa.

Pandemic. Plague. Small Pox. Assassination.
Black Out. Brown out. Grid. Power. Body Scanner.
Cyber Command. Botnet. Keylogger. Scammer.
Extremist. Hazardous. Evacuation.

This partial list for all you rhyming nerds,
DHS monitored phrases and keywords.

9/4/19
(504)
A founder of faith-based conversion
Once condemned gayness as a perversion.
That he’s finally come out
Wipes away any doubt
That his Bible is the Queen James’ Version.

9/5/19
(503)
The Parliament, tamping down Boris,
Set an excellent example for us.
His Brexit deal sucked,
So enough Tories bucked,
And said “NO” in a resounding chorus.

9/6/19
(502)
When Dorian hit with persistence,
The Bahamas had little resistance.
Whole towns, now debris
Leaving those who can’t flee
In need of life-saving assistance.

9/7/19
(501)
Many years and many millions spent
To get the High Court voting 5 to 4.
The Bigtime Donor Interests know the score.
And those black robes know who they represent.

In 13 years, a quarter billion dollars
Anonymously given to the cause
Secures Big Donor sway over our laws
But who’s hand holds the leashes to the collars.

The doctrine that the Federalists preach,
Roadblocks to ballots for those not like us,
Pollution limits are superfluous,
Thumbs down on Labor, thumbs up to corp’rate speech.

It’s hard to not have oligarchic visions
With 73 pro-corporate decisions.

9/8/19
(500!)
Alabama got ready to flee
Based on weather updates from DT.
Information reliance
No longer from science
Will now be pronounced by decree.

9/9/19
(499)
For three years now the clickbait headlines scream
That Donald’s breakdown/takedown soon is coming
How much false hope are these articles drumming.
That ending comes in some collective dream.

The chance the House may soon vote to impeach.
The specter of the man’s ill-gotten wealth
His lies, his insults and his mental health
All fun to read while he stays out of reach.

Who’s strong enough to match him whim for whim
We’ve seen – he simply will not beat himself
His base is strong. Opponents line the shelf.
Who dares show his own nakedness to him.

A chance for any honest confrontation
Unmasks his hollowness before the Nation.

9/10/19
(498)
Four states thinking Trump’s doing swell
Let their primaries slide into Hell.
The man’s on a mission!
There’s no competition!
Call off the election as well!

9/11/19
(497)
I am wary of any such offer
From those who regularly demonize
The vulnerable ones before our eyes.
Beware the remedies these people proffer.

A problem, hard to solve and most persistent.
It’s headline grabbing, yes, but is it wise
When powers choose to but politicize
A matter needing thought and real commitment.

So will our government offer assistance –
The resources to shelter and to house
Or is this policy they now espouse
The next step towards locking up resistance.

Each day a rising in intensities
Next comes demolishing of tent cities.

9/12/19
(496)
Now we must bid John Bolton good-bye.
Tho’ we really may never know why.
Was he fired? Did he quit?
Tell me who gives a shit.
Just be glad that the bombs didn’t fly.

9/13/19
(495)
Who cares what the EPA’s for.
Regulations are such a damned chore.
That stuff that we’re drinking?
Too bad if it’s stinking.
It’s the water – and a lot more.

9/14/19
(494)
So Gregory Cheadle is sore.
And will not tolerate any more.
He decided to flee
The pro-White GOP
And be Trump’s Token Negro no more.

9/15/19
(493)
Those Dems, they don’t get along well.
They finger-point, argue and yell.
While Repubs, of one mind,
Kiss their leader’s behind,
As they follow him straight into Hell.

9/16/19
(492)
Brett Kavanaugh’s back in the press.
But Trump says he has naught to confess.
Was it just harmless fun,
Or assaulting someone
Because she was wearing a dress.

9/17/19
(491)
Above great oil fields the bombs exploded
Who sent the drones was far too obvious
Mess with our Saudi friends, you mess with us.
Our President now boasts – we’re locked and loaded.

For years, our nation’s hawks have bitter longed
For cause to war with what was once great Persia
And now a chance to trump NATO inertia.
For with this act we see the world was wronged.

The finger-pointing and the accusations,
The shocking, witty tweet from Tulsi Gabbard,
The perfect chance to fin’lly raise our scabbard.
What sacrifice awaits this Game of Nations.

Six million barrels lost. Our friend is pissed.
(You know. The one who killed that journalist.)

9/18/19
(491)
GM’s 2% wouldn’t fly.
And the layoffs? Another black eye.
Now, along with no pay,
‘til the strike goes away
They can all kiss their health plans goodbye

9/19/19
(490)
Set aside my political rhyme
On the ongoing government crime,
Cuz for now things are great.
Giants fans celebrate –
Bochy wins for the 2,000th time!

9/20/19
(489)
Tho a few may dismiss it as scuttlebutt,
Donald said things that were inappropriate.
They involve the Ukraine,
And to cause Biden pain.
How long can we go with our eyes wide shut.

9/21/19
(488)
Some partisan hack job dared blow the whistle
On artful dealings with my Ukraine friend
Dear God when will my persecution end.
Two Hundred Fifty Million worth of missile,

I only ask – a favor in return.
With all the resources at my command,
What part of “rival” don’t you understand.
Perhaps we will not meet until you learn.

And yet not many rise to say extortion.
And fewer still have balls to say impeach me
And those who do just lack the length to reach me.
Minority is still the smaller portion.

And right on cue, to offer some distraction,
I’ll send some troops to start some Saudi Action.

9/22/19
(487)
Giuliani is all that we feared.
His approach to truth is multi-tiered.
He’ll admit, then deny,
Proffer rumors, then lie,
And beyond all of that he’s just weird.

9/23/19
(486)
Climate Change is a given for most,
Tho’ them old white republicans boast
That they neither believe
Nor look on and grieve
As our kids slowly turn into toast.

9/24/19
(485)
A young activist, name of Greta,
Advocates climate action mo’ betta
Than the plans I’m supposing
The U.N.’s proposing
To confront this looming global threat-a.

9/25/19
(484)
We must preserve the checks and balances
We must restore our Nation’s public trust
Re-earn a faith long warped by rot and rust,
And see what lurks behind the valences.

For finally Pelosi says “let’s roll”,
And some will ask why did she wait so long
While others, angry patriots, gone wrong
In MAGA madness, know God’s in control.

Four-hundred million dollars worth of aid
Were dangled by one seeking reelection
What spin or twists of truth can give protection
To one who’s very country has been played.

The transcript may reveal what Trump’s hidin’
In dealin’ for the Ukraine dirt on Biden.

9/26/19
(483)
Those “talking points” lie with such style.
Their arrival made Democrats smile.
So now as Trump burns,
Some White House aide learns
The dangers of hitting “reply all”

9/27/19
(482)

From darkness comes

A hopeful glint

The refreshing taste

Of

Im-Peach-Mint.

9/28/19
(481)
This impeachment has caused quite a scare.
It has Donald pulling his hair.
However it ends,
How nice he has friends
Like binSalmon and Putin,
Giuliani, Rasputin,
Lewandowski and Wayne LaPierre.

9/29/19
(480)
In all this scandalous investigatin’
Let’s check the major players that we’ll find:
A part-time envoy who has just resigned,
A wide-eyed, rambling latter-day Tom Hagen,

Two Presidents – one of them once a comic,
The other, sadly funny without tryin’,
An AG who upheld his boss by lyin,
But now avoids all contact telephonic,

A whistleblower (name is still unknown),
Some Congress folk who paused from noble goals
To focus on their standing in the polls,
And all the folks Don talked to on the phone.

But if impeachment has no wind for sails,
We’ll just get stuck with Hillary emails.

9/30/19
(479)
When President Trump has departed,
When we clean up the messes he started,
When Mitch has set sail,
And their friends land in jail,
We can ask ourselves, “Who the hell farted?”

8/1/19
(538)
Beyond politicians campaigning,
Could someone please do some explaining
How industry lobbyists
And billionaire hobbyists
Are helping the swamp get its draining.

8/2/19
(537)
At his rallies, a new full court press:
Dump on cities that he calls “a mess”.
Give that baby a rattle
As he provokes the battle
Of America versus U. S.

8/3/19
(536)
A resumé based on exaggeration
He sees no Russian meddling at all
Experience, at best, is rather small
“Agrees with me” his main qualification.

This self-proclaim’ed border wall protector
Who’s prosecutor role was overstated
Was found by both sides to be poorly rated,
And will not be Intelligence Director.

John Ratcliffe how your comet blazed and fell
But don’t waste time on doubt, regret and fretting
You’re just the next to not survive the vetting
On senior staffers’ longmarch straight to Hell.

And now update your page in Wikipedia
To show how you were trumped-up by the media.

8/4/19
(535)
pop pop pop pop pop

they are not firecrackers

red blossom heart break

8/5/19
(534)
Proud misfits rise devoid of empathy
Dear leader speaks a “no” that smells like “YES!”
What target’s next is anybody’s guess
In real life, an 8-chan fantasy.

Another rambling hate-filled manifesto
Another round of worthless thoughts & prayers
No one inside the Senate really cares.
No votes, because the NRA done said so.

What is this evil crawling at our borders
Why is this crisis filling filthy cages
Where comes this darkness that within us rages
Who are the people following who’s orders.

An angry disaffected white defendant
An exponent of our second amendment.

8/6/19
(533)
White, Black, Brown. The difference is small.
For Green’s the best color of all.
The rich save their cares
And sincere thoughts and prayers
For the stock market in its free fall.

8/7/19
(532)
Palm Springs is the desert, but please.
One-Hundred Twenty-One Degrees (?!?!?!)
Global warming’s complete.
That ungodly heat
Can cause one tremendous unease.

8/8/19
(531)
What a way to break up a fam.
ICE knocks on the door, and then, wham.
Now a child’s alone.
To quote Nina Simone,
Hey Mississippi, Goddam!

8/9/19
(530)
Tucker Carlson is quite a guy.
“White Supremacy’s only a lie”.
Racist, sexist and fake.
Glad he’s taking a break,
And his sponsors are saying “buh-bye”.

8/10/19
(529)
My rally here, it really drew a crowd.
Much bigger than the one held for O’Rourke.
That loser’s really crazy. What a dork.
Cute baby. Bet he’ll do his parents proud.

Camera’s ready. Now, thumbs-up and smile.
Wall-Mart, you say? I hear they like me there.
Don’t let the baby mess my wifey’s hair.
Just let his uncle take him for a while.

I’m here to show America I care,
And tell the world my empathy’s not fake
And pose with all these nurses on their break
And get a tee time at a course somewhere.

To make this country great again’s my credo.
And by the way – too bad about Toledo.

8/11/19
(528)
And as expected, while our eyes wide shut,
With scarce a trace of plausible denial
A certain man is now exempt from trial
As some unseen director hollers “Cut!”.

On private planes, on islands, in penthouses
A bank of faces most of us have seen
Engaged in acts that lay beyond obscene
Their partners’ lack of willingness arouses.

The rare elite – their power is a drug.
When darker forces find the means to flaunt you,
Til your indulgences come back to haunt you,
Yet in your hand, the pow’r to pull the plug.

But Jesus, what a life and what a ride.
(And no, it did not end with suicide).

8/12/19
(527)
The rich and connected Epstein
Raped many an underage teen.
Before he stood trial,
He was jailed for a while,
And then h

8/13/19
(526)
Letting key conservation laws lapse,
With our future, the man’s shooting craps.
He’ll hold the distinction
Of spurring extinction
And world eco-system collapse.

8/14/19
(525)
In Dayton, that guy with the gun
Ended up on a breathtaking run.
26 shot, they reckons
In just 32 seconds.
A new record. He’s Number One.

8/15/19
(524)
Unwanted advances cause grief!
The victims deserve some relief!
The next man down? Bingo!
Placido Domingo.
(But still, not our Grabber-in-Chief).

8/16/19
(523)
Gorgeous land and peaceable folks.
Ah, the images Greenland evokes.
Though his aides may deny it,
Trump wanted to buy it
As ice for all his Diet Cokes.

8/17/19
(522)
Those Rhode Island guards are the worst.
Driving trucks into crowds undispersed.
They find so resplendent
The Second Amendment
While pepper spraying the First.

8/18/19
(521)
Union workers at Royal Dutch Shell
Were given the option from Hell:
Hear what Trump had to say,
Or no pay for the day,
And no shouting or protests as well.

8/19/19
(520)
Afghanistan
Beyond the norm
Needs
Comprehensive
Bomb Reform.

8/20/19
(519)
Grab your surfboard. Catch a wave, and ride.
The water of Lake Michigan awaits
But only time and chance will tell your fates
From that ammonia and cyanide.

A deadly spill for days left unreported
Til fish by thousands floated belly up
But not to worry friends. Relax. Drink up.
The company at fault will get this sorted.

In Indiana flows the Calumet
Upstream, an old steel mill blast furnace blows
Without a word, the toxic mixture flows.
How sad those poor shareholders might get wet.

“Permitted levels” now, they say, relieved.
Without a word why they should be believed.

8/21/19
(518)
Yesterday, Donald Trump was emphatic:
Loyal Jews should not vote Democratic.
Should they just follow orders
Like his Nazi supporters?
His logic’s somewhat problematic.

8/22/19
(517)
The Amazon now is aflame.
Greed and ignorance take up the blame.
Like Atlantis before,
Paradise is no more,
This poor world. It cannot be the same.

8/23/19
(516)
Emboldened by the actions of our leader,
World dictators and despots wield their power
The stronger take and let the weaker cower
What happens next will need no psychic reader.

His ill or good intent does not much matter
For style and result set such example
A blueprint for all those who who wish to trample
And bleed the world while their accounts gets fatter.

Baha’i faith says peace is inevitable.
A true “planetization of mankind”.
And through that, what exactly would we find
And what we found, how would it be profitable.

The forward path, so bloodily debated
And yet each particle inter-related.

8/24/19
(525)
Our Exalted Trade Warrior Wiz
Tweets demands to American Biz.
The man hereby orders
They leave Chinese borders.
Now, who does this guy think he is?

8/25/19
(514)
Joe Walsh is just full of repentances.
Was a racist (but that’s in parenthesis).
Now he wants to be the
GOP nominee.
Hey, at least he can speak in full sentences.

8/26/19
(513)
A bit of fumble on the global stage.
His glib and shallow comebacks miss their tone
The world moves forward as he stands alone
The spin from staff’s success is hard to gauge.

Japan won’t play along with his deception.
Great Britain humbly asks him for Trade Peace.
While Putin’s invitation gets no grease,
Macron’s guest from Iran gets a reception.

His buddy Bolsonaro took a beating
But Donald has no time for climate change.
By afternoon his mind was out of range
And soon enough the man was off a-tweeting.

Some say our Leader isn’t having fun
In Biarritz at the ol’ G6+1.

8/27/19
(512)
One man’s vanity.
Ecological insanity.
A crime against humanity.
Insert my profanity.

8/28/19
(511)
To Doral, Trump gave out invitations
To the folks of the G7 nations
Tho it sounds like a gas,
They may want to pass
Because of Health Code violations.

8/29/19
(510)
The news from our great EPA:
Methane limits get loosened today.
Big Oil gets a pass
On releasing their gas.
Drill away! Frack away, Fart away!

8/30/19
(509)
They’re crowded and unsanitary.
No showers or toothbrushes. Scary.
The food there is rotten
The children, forgotten.
And is Oversight welcome?
Not very.

8/31/19
(508)
Our Government wants you to eat!
The fatty, the salty, the sweet!
Old guidelines? Passé!
The Donald Trump Way
Is processed foods and lots of meat!

7/1/19
(569)
Let’s embrace inoffensive and bland.
Turn the Fourth Estate rock into sand.
Don’t get too close to home,
Or cut near to the bone,
Or satiric cartoonists get canned.

7/2/19
(568)
World Leaders paused and watched her gesture grandly,
And photobomb her way across G20.
Opinions, yes, it seems that she has plenty
For photo ops that may just come in handily.

How pleasant that she represents our nation
(While husband Jared serves his Saudi master
So he can pay his New York mortgage faster)
Yet “Donald’s Daughter”’s not an occupation.

But in the future, not to far away,
These pictures of her sitting at the table
May try to show the masses that she’s able
When time comes for her own Election Day.

I hope I shall not live to finally see
The nightmare of some Trumpian Dynasty.

7/3/19
(567)
A young rapist acquitted, it seems.
A good student. Why ruin his dreams.
This fine Eagle Scout
Has a future, no doubt,
In the White House or on the Supremes.

7/4/19
(566)
In celebration of the brave and free,
Our independence and inter-dependance,
With synchophants and shameless in attendance,
We pay for Donald Trump’s “Salute to Me”.

No Veteran he, but ogling his tanks.
Blue Angels scream for him, just overhead,
As for a tinhorn dictator instead,
While those who serve will barely get a thanks.

Would someone tell me what the Hell I’m missing.
Why let that face reflect a Nation’s cheers
It did quite well without him all those years
This shameless King of right-wing fanny kissing.

The Baby Diaper Trump a-flying tall.
Unnerving that we need it there at all.

7/5/19
(565)
I missed the parade, I’m confessin’
The war planes and tanks were no blessin’
Under grey, stormy skies
People just rolled their eyes
At Donald Trump’s history lesson.

7/6/19
(564)
Our president fights the good fight
For citizen census insight
It really takes grit
To finally admit
It’s to help out the white and the right.

7/7/19
(563)
Pimp to well-connected and to stars
A list of names all known to like ‘em young
With scores of victim stories to be sung.
How many years could be spent behind bars

This friend of Clinton, Dershowitz and Trump,
This pal of heads of state and billionaires,
A private plane to jet away from cares,
A destination isle of teenage rump.

Who are the folks who wish he’d go away.
Those implicated should he testify.
Or will his mem’ry suddenly run dry.
When called upon to tell who came to play.

Perverse elite who find such clever uses
For human trafficked underage masseuses.

7/8/19
(562)
Is the world getting better? Well, nah.
Many problems but ah…
Here today, quite a score –
World Cup Number Four.
USA Women’s Soccer. Brava!

7/9/19
(561)
An ambassador, name of Darroch,
In a leaked memo, gave Trump a knock.
He called him “inept”.
How America wept.
Kim Jong Un wouldn’t stand for this talk.

7/10/19
(560)
She called him on the message he’s exuding –
To make the country great for but the few.
Perhaps he should try harder, and anew
For she’s one of the people he’s excluding

The team will not be coming for a visit
No photo op for this administration.
Her vic’try celebrates a larger nation.
His straight and white agenda’s too explicit.

Four World Cup wins they made upon the field.
The Level Playing Field fight still rages
How sad equality must come in stages
A patriarchy not content to yield.

But Rapinoe, she sees the future beckoning.
To Trump she says, “we need to have a reckoning”.

7/11/19
(559)
More video on CNN.
A deluge that’s beyond my ken.
Louisiana, not again.

7/12/19
(558)
A plea deal in 2008
Let Epstein the pedophile skate.
Acosta protected
The rich and connected
And now, he’s resigned, and that’s great.

7/13/19
(557)
Tennessee gives a nod to the man
Who saw slavery as quite a good plan.
Hip hip hooray,
It’s Bedford Forrest Day,
The first Grand Wizard of the Klan.

7/14/19
(556)
ICE men descend with their hooks.
The world sees how bad this all looks.
So many afraid
To get caught in a raid.
We should arrest crooks and not cooks.

7/15/19
(555)
Have you heard Donald’s latest eruption?
“Go back home and fix the corruption”.
(Greater risk for our nation
Is overpopulation
And catastrophic climate disruption.)

7/16/19
(554)
Though his words were both racist and mean
This was nothing that we haven’t seen.
Although he’s unkind
The man’s color blind.
There’s just one he sees, and that’s green.

7/17/19
(553)
What once was the party of Lincoln
Has too many folks who are stinkin’.
Their man, can’t you tell,
Is George Lincoln Rockwell.
It’s enough to drive one to drinkin’.

7/18/19
(552)
And now a list of evidence he touts
That one’s dissent should call for deportation
To salt the bleeding fissure of our nation
A rally chant as if by soccer louts

Impassioned crowd rings out with “SEND HER BACK!!”
A mob shall solve the problems at our core
While leaders punt on what this Country’s for
It’s hard to see recovery from our lack.

The market’s up. So tell me, what’s the fuss.
Our policies, dark secrets poorly kept,
America, so steeped in moral debt
While others pay the bitter price for us.

The world, I fear, will need to take a bath
Should it survive our neo-Fascist path.

7/19/19
(551)
Werner Horn is void of contrition
For this State Rep’s recent admission
Where he found the bravery
To talk about slavery
As some sort of time-honored tradition.

7/20/19
(550)
Gene Scalia’s a pip of a guy,
And the corporate sector knows why.
Poor labor relations.
More deregulation.
And worker protections, goodbye.

7/21/19
(549)
Does Trump want a nation of fools?
Where lying and ignorance rules?
I’m sad for our Nation’s
Once great Education.
When billions get cut from our schools.

7/22/19
(548)
Yesterday, Donald Trump was a-tweeting
That with Schumer he’ll set up a meeting.
With their separate renditions
Of our border conditions
I’m sure that their talk will be fleeting.

7/23/19
(547)
A fanatical Trump fan named Cesar
Showed how whack his delusional ways are.
To the Trump folks with gripes
He sent bombs stuffed in pipes.
These are zombie apocalypse days, Sire.

7/24/19
(546)
Theresa May’s out on her rump
The Brexiteers get a big bump
A torch has been passed.
The Queen is aghast
And Great Britain gets their own Trump.

7/25/19
(545)
From neither side he stooped to take the bait.
With answers in few words and often terse.
No revelations came to fuel the verse
Was Mueller’s testimony worth the wait.

While one side fumed and spewed about a coup,
The other probed for fodder to impeach.
Yet Mueller, taciturn, beyond their reach,
Referred to his report as if on cue.

The facts his team assembled in those pages
A cautionary tome for those to follow
An image of a future hard to swallow
Corrupt, beyond the finger-pointing rages.

His statements cast a measure of aspersion.
Our leader must have watched a different version.

7/26/19
(544)
The penalty of death is reinstated.
The latest chapter of this endless show.
The chosen five, the lowest of the low,
But is this progress to be celebrated.

Our schools, our air, our health care and our border –
Our Nation’s troubles crying for solutions.
No time for those, but more for executions.
It’s good to have priorities in order.

For 16 years, the executions pause
And now comes Barr all set to throw the switch
Too bad for someone caught up in a glitch
When one is here to serve a higher cause.

Survivors still may see this as a boon,
But politics, not justice, called this tune.

7/27/19
(543)
Dear Leader’s great Art of the Deal
Lampooned on the President’s Seal.
Golf clubs & cash.
A nice Russian sash.
Sometimes truth is just too damned surreal.

7/28/19
(542)
In Moscow, protesters arrested.
A political process gets tested.
The crowds representing
Locked up for dissenting.
Poor Donald, so jealous, is bested.

7/29/19
(541)
So Dan Coats’ tenure now ends.
Is this good or bad for us? Depends.
An Intel chief leaves,
And the new one believes.
That Korea & Russia are friends.

7/30/19
(540)
From years ago, a Randy Newman song
Said “Oh Baltimore, man, it’s hard just to live”.
The images “The Wire” had to give
Suggested that Trumps tweets were not too wrong.

But still it stands a city fierce alive,
Defines itself beyond some rust and rot,
Prepared to offer everything it’s got
Determined to do more than just survive.

Ignore the tweeted insults, Baltimore.
You plus & minus balance of a City.
Who cares if not all parts of you are pretty
Your urban landscape stands as metaphor.

A quote rings out from The Baltimore Sun.
It’s better to have rats than to be one.

7/31/19
(539)
Some things we learned over the din
On the Democrat pathway to “Win” –
Aim for Google looks,
Compromise with the crooks,
And sound lots more Republican.