Month: April 2020

The death toll keeps rising while Trump keeps on stumbling
His briefings to newsmen have been worse than bumbling
And meanwhile on cable his ratings are tumbling 
He spoke of ingesting pure bleach

Confronted, he claimed that his words were sarcastic
But some people heeded; their fears made them drastic
To try almost anything even fantastic
They take from the President’s speech

The Trump, though buffoonish, is now truly dangerous
For cable-news programs their task is most onerous
To screen the Trump briefings correcting untruthfulness
And deadly suggestions he’d reach

Dems warned this would happen, that Trump was a threat
Remaining in office; it was a sure bet
His actions/inactions were bound to cause deaths
And, therefore they had him impeached

Reps did not convict him; they hadn’t the gumption
They turned a blind eye to Trump’s legal infractions
His clear violations of our Constitution
Now fruits of their folly they’ve reached

4/26/20

Oil

Oil my gosh!
The price of a barrel was minus three seven
I do not josh
If you had capacity
And lots of audacity
They’d pay you per barrel and much more, soon, even

It’s not oil war
Between Russians and Saudis
That’s small stuff so far
This is the canary
It’s really quite scary
Foretelling depression, a word, now, that’s naughty

Not hard to predict
Driving is down more than thirty percent
Producing oil isn’t
Cars aren’t being sold
From lots growing old
Their prices will drop until people will spend

People are scared
No matter State rulings it’s what people do
Based how their lives fare
They’ll keep social distances
Slowing plague’s instances
Slowing the economic recovery too

4/20/20

Coin Toss

It’s “heads, I win and tails, you lose”
That’s Trump’s approach to this pandemic
Each State is on its own to choose
It’s openings, but economic

Happenings redound to Trump
If things go well, but if they don’t
He’ll blame the State out on the stump
Providing leadership he won’t

Trump joined with tweets the right-wing mob
With calls to “liberate” the State
From laws too harsh, to hard the job
Of staying home ‘till later dates

It’s incongruent and ironic
That these Trumpean fanatics
Act in ways I’d label tragic
In the face of this pandemic

Where more of them will end up dead
Prolonging what they now protest
With Trump supporting them instead
Of telling them what’s for them best

To follow laws the Governor
Has ruled on social distancing
Trump’s tails or heads on every score
His chance of losing he’s enhancing

4/17/288

A worse than deeply mixed up mess
In Hebrew is a balaganz
It is the best word to express
Trump’s singularly poor response

To this pandemic: faking deeds
While stealing from the harried States
The purchased med supplies they need
Trump’s lectures laced with lies and hate

Although Trump claims authority
To open commerce on May Day
To kick start the economy
The governors can still say nay

But mostly it’s the people’s choice
They’ve suffered loss and loneliness
The plague, if over, they’d rejoice
But lacking proof and truthfulness

They’ll maintain social distancing
Impacting the economy
Recession thus continuing
Trump’s balaganz, his enemy

4/13/20.

In times of stress and much duress we look for inspiration
From our leaders, from our clergy, from the ones in charge
Except for our bleep Prexy who just lives self adulation
To most governors and mayors I’d award them many stars

However, most of all I am inspired by those who work
At hospitals, and food banks, the police, the firemen sure
The grocers and the druggists, those who labor at our ports
By all who put their lives on line that we be safe, secure

To all these heroes we give thanks, the soldiers of this war
Those overworked, those under stress, those lacking what they need
Who work and work despite their state not knowing what’s in store
Despite the lack of leadership from Trump, they do their deeds

The Jewish holiday, Passover, starts tomorrow eve
It celebrates the transiting from slaves to being free
The COVID-19 virus it appears has us enslaved
Constrained, confined to stay at home we’re not at liberty

Because of all these heroes working day and working night
The epidemic will subside like waters of Reed Sea
And in those days we’ll start to see an ending to our plight
And like the Jews in days of yore we, too, will then be free

4/7/20

You may not watch the Maddow show the way I do
You may not pay from day to day attention to the news
I know the news of late’s been hard and hard to listen to
As good reporters such as Rachel draw their guest’s grim views

That is the job reporters do while keeping their opinions
To themselves except what’s gleaned by inference from what’s asked
It’s not for them to criticize the Leader or his minions
Or telegraph emotions, but remain cool to their task

However, Rachel radiates her feelings broad and wide
It’s that plus her sheer brilliance that makes people love her so
Her insights on what’s happening, the context she provides
But telling or instructing Power that is a no! no! no!

Last Friday she had had it; Trump’s dumb actions, such a farce
The National Emergency declared by Trump in March
Meant he then had the helm, she said, that he was then in charge
‘Twas written clearly in the act but Trump ignored that part

Then Rachel outlined what to do as though it was her place
A central rational approach accounting for each task
Of course the Power would buy it not; ‘‘twas much too much to face
He’d settle for a back-seat role; what more could people ask?

He called himself a wartime prexy, strutting ‘round the stage
The leadership the nation looked for, nowhere was it found
Instead each state was on its own, each on a different page
Too bad that Rachel’s not in charge; her handling would be sound

4/4/20