Month: April 2017

 

I’d like to turn the time-piece back
To Wednesday, after sarin gas
Before our Tomahawk attack
What different might have come to pass

Consider Al Assad’s position
By himself he can’t survive
His power base, in his condition
Relies on powers from outside

Russia and Iran’s behind him
Absent them he’d soon be gone
Clearly Assad’s brain is dim
Deploying sarin nerve-gas bombs

Embarrassing this must have been
To Putin who removed the stock
Of Syria’s gas from fighting scenes
To see Assad, then bring it back

Since Trump and Putin have been close
Since we’ve agreements with Iran
Trump’s leverage on Assad was most
By dealing with them, since he can

It’s clear diplomacy would work;
With pressure from supporting states;
To stop this stupid Syrian jerk
From using gas beyond this date

Instead, Trump struck a Syrian base
Committing, thus, an act of war
Confusing our allegiances
And made things worse than were before

4/7/17

In yesterday’s poem. Gas, the word saran should be spelled, sarin.

Tomahawks, some fifty nine, were launched at Al Shayrat airbase
That is the base in Syria, that sourced the sarin gas attack
The one whose cable images, horrific scenes on which to gaze,
Made Trump reverse his policy toward Al Assad, no looking back

This gas attack was not the first with planes attacking overhead
Committing gross atrocities, four hundred thousand have been slain
Trump’s own attacks have killed civilians, women, children, all are dead
But this time Trump saw suffering that penetrated his numb brain

I have no doubts that here at home he’ll boost his popularity
As far as good responses go, this limited response was best
The question is, what happens next among eventualities
And how will Russia now react; so goes this foreign crisis test

Meanwhile at home some changes made: Steve Bannon’s gone from NSC
And Nunes has recused himself from heading Russian inquiries
But now the focus of the news is on our act of war, it seems
And on the legal basis to attack the Syrian sovereignty

4/6/17

 

Today, a rare occasion, Trump claimed he’s responsible
To counter Syrian attacks of sarin gas which yesterday
Killed innocents of every age, most reprehensible
Of all Assad’s atrocities. But why it’s hard to say

Assad had gained a policy: U.S. won’t interfere
In Al Assad remaining as the country’s head of state
We’ve joined with Russia’s and Iran’s supporting reigns of fear
Abandoning the people, leaving them to meet their fate

Now Trump with mock emotion say’s he’s changing his great mind
On watching videos of children dying in the streets
Like everything the President pronounces or decides
We’re left to scratch our heads, to wonder what he really meant

My question, if it was Assad, where did he get the gas?
The Russians were supposed to store it all beyond his grasp
Yet gas there was and kill it did; it murdered them in mass
Those images indelible, a baby’s final gasp

1/5/17

 

A deadly poison gas attack was launched today in Syria
The Trumpean response has been to blame it on Obama
The Congress, not Obama, would not act in their hysteria
Back when Assad was using gas, his people meeting Karma

Eventually Rex Tillerson came out with State’s response
Pure platitude, all righteous, tough, with nothing really said
The US blames Damascus, though Damascus claims it not
There may be truth to Assad’s stand, despite the views we’re fed

In warfare gas is last resort, used only by the losers
Assad is winning, air and ground, politically as well
He has no reason to use gas, more likely his opposers
Especially since Trump switched sides: Assad’s his man, do tell

So many things are happening as in a nightmare dream
With neophytes in charge of all, devoid of expertise
And headed up by Donald Trump. We can’t believe his tweets
Ineptitude shows everywhere. But we’ll land on our feet

1/4/17

 

Who is the man upstaging Tillerson?
Who has usurped the State Department’s place?
Who is Trump’s only trusted one?
His son-in-law, who’s less than forty years of age

Jared’s the man Trump turns to for his views
Jared’s the man Trump’s put in charge of much:
That’s Mexico and Canada, Iraq and Israel too
China, Japan, and tax reform as such

The list goes on, both foreign and domestic
What tasks need done, it’s Kushner’s job to do
And State’s ignored; it seems surrealistic
Old Tillerson is left out there to stew

The expertise of statecraft is ignored
The ship of state is rudderless I fear
One man’s in charge of everything onboard
And, lo, that man’s still wet behind the ears

4/3/17

 

Many of Trump’s entourage have basked in Putin’s gaze
Who’ve looked upon the Kremlin viewing everything as good
Who’ve taken money, who’ve colluded, singing Putin’s praise
But one stands out among the crowd, it must be understood

It’s Putin’s puppet, Tillerson, whom Putin told Trump choose
To be Sec. State, a perfect choice, from Putin’s point of view
Since State Department Putin hates for publicizing news
Of murders and corruptions, all for power, what he’ll do

Emasculate Department State is one of Putin’s aims
And weaken NATO and the EU, Putin views as threats
Rex Tillerson is just the guy who’ll play the Kremlin’s games
As partial payback for assisting Trump; this pays the debt

Rex Tillerson’s behavior as Sec State has been a laugh
He operates in secret, no reporters, no replies
Refuses interactions with the State Department staff
And asks them not to look at him, no contact with his eyes

There’ll be a NATO summit for the nations to attend
But Tillerson won’t be there, more important things to do
He’ll be instead in Russia drinking vodka with his friend
Receiving new instructions and reporting what is new

The news these days is all about the Russian interference
And collusion with the Trumpsters, generally about the past
Although we’ve need to know, it’s second ranking in importance
Compared to Tillerson whose future damage can be vast

4/2/17

 

I keep telling myself that this, too, will pass
I see my future self looking back and saying
Thank whatever powers be, it’s over!
And then I cast my future eyes to view the wreckage in his wake
And ask:
Was this really necessary? Did we need this now?
I guess we did!
I guess we did!

We Democrats, we’re smug in all our uppermiddleclassed-ness
We used to be the labor force. Now labor’s for the immigrants
The immigrants we used to be
Oh, we decry disparity in social services – and wages too
But then, that’s for the government. We live our tricky-tacky lives
Somewhat aware, somewhat aware

Republicans, we were elite and militarily the best
We were conservative, before destruction of that word
What are we now? The new do-nothings of the day
The highest bidder gets his way
We blind our eyes to Trump’s corruption shames parading by
As long as he will sign our wretched bills

Will we have learned?
Will we go forward hence
As all eyes turn
To President Mike Pence?

4/1/17