Month: July 2020

Two events historic have occurred today

The great John Lewis, be in peace,
He was interred, his last essay
Was published in the New York Times
He spoke to us, to all of us
Through us that “truth is marching on”
To make “good trouble” for the truth
He was a great man for all time

The second quarter GDP
Was down by thirty three percent
Historically the worst its ever been
It measures our economy
It’s due to Trump’s pandemic poor response
The plague is now beyond control
Sans leadership recovery won’t be

7/30/20

I recall the way I felt
When, God forbid, a plane went down
An airline super-liner with three hundred souls aboard
It would hit me hard and hard
It felt like my soul was scarred
Business flying occupied much of my time

There, but for the grace of God go I

Now we face a situation
COVID deaths throughout the nation
Reached one hundred fifty thousand in five months
That’s as though five hundred airplanes
Those that fly commercial air lanes
Crashed and killed all those aboard in five months time

Ten such super-liners crashing each three days

COVID’s now beyond control
Every day a greater toll
States reacting only when their stats are bad
Thus ensuring dire fate
Since, by then, it is too late
The COVID will accelerate, go viral every time

Thousands more, among us needlessly will die

There is a way that is well known
To bring the COVID numbers down
It’s back, again, to locking up the nation
With Trump’s absent leadership
Unless his notion of this flips
We’ll see the death count climbing for some time

We are Trump’s sacrificial lambs for slaughtering


One piece of worthy news we heard today
That next week Biden will announce his choice
Of VP, who’s to be his running mate
I’m sure ‘twill be a reason to rejoice

I hereby do predict just who ‘twill be
He’ll choose K. Harris to be his VP

7/28/20

Have you seen Trump’s storm troops in Portland city?
Have you seen them tear-gassing peaceful protestors?
In camouflage combat fatigues with no name tags
And armed to the teeth, gear for riot suppression
Provoking a riot and marchers arresting
Good citizens who have the right to protest

Trump says it is his responsibility
To quell lawlessness in the cities

Have you seen infections have now reached four million?
Have you seen one hundred and fifty K dead?
The corona virus infecting the nation
Is out of control, clearly no end in sight
With each state enforcing what it thinks is right
Some guided by politics following Trump
Ignoring their experts, now that’s really dumb

Trump says that he bears no responsibility
It’s up to the States and the cities

I find it intriguing that Trump has the gall:
To send in his troops, local protests unheeded
While eschewing leadership desperately needed,
To bolster his chances to win in the Fall

7/24/20

Yesterday John Lewis died
This poem I could not complete
The thoughts just left me, though I tried
So here’re my thoughts with some repeats

Trump’s photo ops were so important he deployed the Federal troops
To clear the crowds, to club them coldly down,
Way making for our now dictator
Like when on the escalator
Don Trump, the most important man in town,
His need to have that photo, absolute

Again in Portland Trump sent in his troops to quell the crowds
Of peaceful demonstrators, no holds barred
In camouflage with no ID
Abducting people standing free
And whisking them away in unmarked cars
That Trump supporters viewing this might feel Trump proud

Elections are but just three months away; the time does fly
The polls are shouting that Pres. Trump will lose
Already Trump claims rigged results
And voter fraud with Dems at fault
Will be why Biden voters then will choose
But Trump cannot accept a loss; his weakness clear, he’d rather die

Since Trump sends in his troops to clear the crowds for photo ops
Imagine what he’ll do as though he won
He’ll claim he’s still the one in charge
Though votes against him were quite large
Come twenty Jan. , year twenty, twenty one
He’s likely to deploy his troops the power transfer there to stop

7/18/20

Trump’s photo ops were so important he deployed the Federal troops
To clear the crowds, to club them coldly down,
Way making for our now dictator
Like when on the escalator
Trump was the most important man in town,
His need to have that photo, absolute

Again in Portland Trump sent in his troops to quell the crowds
Of peaceful demonstrators, no holds barred
In camouflage with no ID
Abducting people standing free
And whisking them away in unmarked cars
That Trump supporters viewing this might feel Trump proud

While writing this, all news aside,
It was announced, John Lewis died
A man of greatness this day passed away

He nearly died at Soapstone Creek
The Edmond Petis bridge o’er spanned
He crossed with MLK against state troops
Now after John that bridge should be renamed

In Congress Lewis was a leader
All his life he fought that black lives mattered
Awarded Freedom’s Medal by Obama

A tower of righteous strength and modesty
He will be missed

7/17/20

Today’s debate is opening of schools
All while the epidemic rages on
They must be opened, stated Trump the fool
But scared are parents feeling put upon

Our kids need educating, there’s no doubt
And learning on the internet’s a bane
It’s boring how the teachers go about
Presenting class materials; it’s a pain

But dangerous a classroom full of kids
A danger to their teachers, moms, and dads
A stuffy classroom hours there to sit
While breathing virus laden air is bad

But classrooms can be relatively safe
The CDC had drafted guidelines how
Pres. Trump suppressed their issue to the states
Each district, on its own, must work it out

And on-line education need not be
Conducted as if kids were back in class
Home-schooling software programs one might see
As how to bridge the gap ‘till danger’s past

As Autumn comes and schooling must begin
A true conundrum while we face this pox
Where standard thinking really doesn’t win
Solutions truly lie outside the box

7/14/20

So Many Things To Fret About

So many things in news these days
So many things to fret about
It’s hard to choose what not to say
What of importance to leave out

For instance AG William Barr
Had EDNY, Donoghue,
Removed, so open probes that are
Involving Trump will fade from view

Another instance: Roger Stone
Convicted, soon to serve his time
His sentence was commuted, though,
By Trump for squealing not Trump’s crimes

But news that makes me fret the most
Is that this virus epidemic,
Counter to what Trump may boast,
Has reached proportions that are tragic

Three million cases now confirmed
The thousand deaths, one thirty four
“Out of control” is what is heard
“And getting worse” we’re all in for

“So, live with it” is Trump’s response
And timid governors throughout
The States take measures I’d pronounce:
Too late, too little there’s no doubt

A total shutdown is what’s needed
Now to turn the curve around
And if these warnings are not heeded
Gross thousands more will die, it’s bound

7/10/20

I’ve read the book that Bolton wrote

He’s In The Room throughout the book

He writes first hand of Trump’s own quotes

Like you are there, the way things look

 

The book is long and detailed so

John’s own opinions there throughout 

A hawk of hawks, his outlook, though

A brilliant intellect, no doubt

 

I’ve witnessed all the main events 

That happened while John was in place

Through public sources, their intent

To broadcast facts as known, each case

 

In context Bolton put events

The give and take of politics

The side remarks, emotions vent

Decisions made that didn’t stick

 

But most importantly the book

Gives insights on the President 

The way he sees things when he looks

His lack of depth, his time mis-spent

 

Trump’s many wrongly fathomed views

Those based on hearsay, news that’s fake

The nation’s laws he does abuse

And White House norms he does forsake 

 

John Bolton, true Republican,

Has views with which I don’t agree

I’m really not a Bolton fan

But what he wrote helped me to see

7/7/20

Two numbers, today, shouting loud in the news
The first one is fifty; the second, one hundred
The thousands of cases; of dollars, ‘tis true
The virus today striking younger and older;
What Putin will pay for the life of a soldier
While Trump blithely states there is nothing he’ll do

The virus is winning the war of this age
It’s reached a point now where it can’t be contained
And even if states all rescind every phase
Despite counter-actions it has the potential
To multiply vastly, to grow exponential
Until there’s a vaccine to quell its great rage

On lives of our soldiers a bounty’s been placed
One hundred K dollars each soldier killed dead
Who serve in Afghanistan, Taliban faced
‘Twas offered by Putin’s despised FSB
The offspring of Stalin’s most feared KGB
It’s Putin’s attempt to our efforts disgrace

In both of these turmoils the President’s placed
His thumb in a dark place that’s not near his face

7/1/20