Author: Sabba Rabba

I do recall now many many years ago
In southern Israel at our friend’s moshav
We witnessed what we’d only heard was so
The chicken meant for dinner with its head chopped off

It ran berserk in circles, to and fro
So why am I retelling this old memory?
Its image came to mind on Rachel Maddow’s show
Describing headless government’s confusing story

Where government should quarterback the nation’s means
Of getting and distributing the limited supplies
Instead we suffer lies from Trump and truly harebrained schemes
In deadly competition states are forced to vie

I didn’t eat that chicken, loss of appetite
My stomach feels the same it did those years ago
More than a thousand people dead, now gone from sight
And when this plague will finally peak it’s hard to know

3/26/20

The remedy’s worse than is the disease
That’s the President’s latest lament
Those health-care restrictions he wants to release
To boost the economy seriously spent

Trump sees the stock market at levels it was
Way back in December of twenty sixteen
If that doesn’t pick up as Trump hopes it does
He’ll lose in November and that can’t be seen

It’s rare that Trump’s ignorance broadcasts so loudly
Even though Trump can’t un-shut all the shutdowns
People are scared; wouldn’t follow so boldly
Where Trump wants to go. Thus, would fall flat his rebound

The thing most important to note from Trump’s briefings
His foremost concern is not for the dying
Five thirty three deaths and counting this evening
Trump’s latest pronouncements are sanity defying

3/23/20

I’ve watched the morning briefings of the President and team
‘A million tests available; whoever needs can get
Masks and beds and respirators plenty for our needs’
Trump’s briefings have been naught but lies, sheer lies I do regret

I pity his poor followers, all those who watch Fox News
I don’t know how much they believe within the Fox News bubble
Within red states that have ignored precautions they must do
And preparations they must make to be prepared for trouble

New York is now the epicenter; they’ve exhausted their supplies
Of beds, of masks, of personnel, of respirators too
Of gowns and gloves and other stuff required for saving lives
But from the government it’s zilch; Trump talks but doesn’t do

Right now in Arizona sixty nine infection cases
The state is taking measures but no sense of urgency
But we have quarantined ourselves, we’ll go no other places
We’ll order in and keep within except emergencies

3/20/20

By now you’ve heard most everything ‘bout viruses, I’d say
Corona virus, Covid-19 likely here to stay
Some act-together countries made it through the smoothest way
But others had poor leadership; that’s us, the U.S.A.

That, too, is nothing new to you; it’s where we’ve been before
With Trump our Prexy at the helm we don’t expect much more
His whole administration reeks from rot that’s at its core
So looking o’er the months to come are what I think’s in store

The market tanked ignoring measures put forth by the Fed
I don’t think it finished falling; bottom’s still some time ahead
Pelosi’s stimulus will help if it gets passed as read
But we, like Italy, will have a shortage deep of beds

As such our death rate will go up above the world’s rate
And more will be infected through incompetence, ’tis fate
It looks to me that this will last well into Autumn late
Economies around the globe it’s bound to devastate

Commercial stand still will disrupt the links producing food
Which could result in local famines here plus lack of goods
The workers who produce the food might labor as they would
Or they may say “no way Jose!” their feelings understood

It’s not a pretty picture, this, the future that I see
It need not come about this way, if leadership there’d be
The past portends the future; Trump is Trump! He’s fettered free
While we each do what we each can to keep us virus free

3/16/20

A national emergency the President declared today
Which frees up funds, some fifty billion
Also, bureaucratic blocks that progress meets along its way
Were shoved aside so virus testing could grow into millions

Trump had a show of CEOs of major corporations
Which, likely will get bailout funds from this emergency
The Dow Jones jumped some nine percent upon Trump’s declaration
Erasing losses, yesterday’s, Trump’s inconsistencies

Meanwhile Pelosi and Mnuchin hammered out a package
Of economical relief for those who’ll be affected
By lay-offs and a loss of pay due to their workplace stoppage
Trump said he’ll sign, yet ‘twill take time to learn whose been afflicted

All this sounds good except the fact that testing’s largely absent
Two thousand cases now are known and fifty deaths so far
The President keeps promising test kits are being sent
An exponential curve of growth; unknown how many are

Our markets o’er the last two days have seen some wild gyrations
Responding to the President as though he’s all that counts
But ultimately they are tied to economic machinations
And I predict a full recession, virus brought about

3/13/20

This is an update on virus mishandling
We’ve now o’er a thousand known infectious cases
But having just tested five thousand, our sampling,
My guess is infections are ten times that basis

And growing by contacts geometric in scope
Each infecting two others on average they say
Our chance of containment is nil, beyond hope
And we will not know it at our testing pace

Except for facilities which will be needed
To medically care for those virally ill
It will not be long, ”plan ahead” was not heeded,
Before such facilities will all be filled

We’ve excellent doctors and virus professionals
Who’re doing their best as they cope with the chaos
That comes from our leader, unwise and irrational
Whose major concern is the market’s big sell off

3/11/20

The market in equities fell off a cliff
Yields on the Treasuries dropped close to zero
The Standard Poor index quite nearly now sits
Within bearish country. It could go tomorrow

Why, then, such behavior; what’s causing this dive?
Some blame the new virus how spooked the stocks are
But not the pandemic itself, come alive
But how it’s been sorely mishandled so far

That’s clearly the case, but wait, wait there’s much more
Involving the Saudis and Russians alike
With oil economies, they joined in force
Controlling production to yield a good price

Meanwhile, American frackers were shipping
Maximum crude, chipping at Russian markets
This plus the virus were causing a crippling
Of their economy. Shallow their pockets

Russia’s response was to break with the Saudis
And ship out their maximum; prices be damned!
The Saudis, unhappy with Russia so haughty
Reduced prices so much, the stock-drop it fanned

This got the attention of Trump and his cohorts
Ever concerned for his fate twenty twenty
That should this extend, his next term could abort
Despite his corruptions he’d still come up empty

Trump now wants to goose the economy somehow
A stimulus package, reduce payroll taxes
They won’t solve the problem: it’s not lack of cash now
The people are frightened; the plain, simple fact is

The people aren’t traveling, nor are they gathering;
Spending as little as they have to do
And Trump helps us not with his incessant blathering
Stiff upper lip and we’ll all make it through

3/9/20.

It’s now an old-man, old-man race, Elizabeth has quit
The women all lament her absence, no diversity
But women claim majorities of voters Democratic
Who’ve chosen not to vote their sex, at least explicitly

But Warren got blown over by a Biden based tsunami
And so did Sanders feel the force of southern voters black
Super Tuesday changed the game, no erudite bonhomie
The blacks have just one thing in mind: to take this country back

To take us back to competence, trustworthiness and truth
Where we’re again respected by our allies and our foes
And crises like corona virus managed well with couth
Not like the current real disaster growing blow by blow

Trump undercuts his experts telling falsehoods right and left
We’re woefully behind on test kits and dispensing them throughout
As such we know not who’s infected, numbers we’re bereft
Or where it’s safe to gather and/or where to gather not

The net result we’re witnessing: our citizens are scared
Nations stop transporting while supply chains slow to halt
The world wide wheels of commerce winding down as though impaired
Mismanagement by Trump’s regime is partially at fault

The handling of this viral crisis by Trump’s chosen team
Highlights the urgency to get it right, our choice come next November
And why the Blacks went all for Joe, their vote a laser beam
To trounce Pres. Trump: in sheer landslides, the better to remember

3/7/20

Not credible, incompetent describes the Admin’s handling
Of this corona virus outbreak, this, the deadly nineteenth strain
It’s Trump’s stark lies and wishful thinking
Plus his gagging expert’s voices; so, in dark we’d all remain

Trump’s biggest worry’s the stock market, down by ten percent or more,
How it might impact the .elections. Trump: the Feds will handle it!
But there is no way to spin it; world supply-lines by the score
Can’t supply sans transportation; down because of the pandemic

Manufacturing will slow down due to lack of needed parts
Retail-item-shelves will empty not to have them filled again
World economies will slow down; GDP-change, falling charts
Likely leading to recession if incompetence remains

SARS lasted for about eight months. Six thousand victims maybe nine
Throughout the world had been infected; average deaths, some ten percent
But so far eighty thousand victims of this virus are infected
Average deaths at two percent, and it’s barely started yet

With SARS the market took a nose dive, but recovered rapidly
Too, our response was wisely handled; not like what has happened now
Trump’s blundering is costing lives and causing much anxiety
Hope for the best, but be prepared to brave the worst some way, somehow

2/28/20

Awkward Truths

By all indicators it’s Bernie whose leading
In counting the delegates and counting votes
He’s won the three Primaries; no one’s contesting
And looks to place high in the fourth one, I’d note

That’s not to imply that he’ll win nomination
It’s really too early that judgement to call
Plus Bernie’s anathema in much of the nation
And most older Dems. are quite certain he’d fail

But it’s not too early to face awkward truths
Should Sanders succeed to become nominee
His strongest supporters: Latinos and youth
Both groups poor on turnout; it’s their history

And, too, disappointment might hold seniors back
Meanwhile, Trump supporters will be fired up
This could mean disaster for all Democrats
With Bernie as nominee, how to beat Trump?

The answer is turnout, it’s turnout in mass
We’d have to put differences out of the way
The message is ,”Beat Trump!” It’s that first and last
To foment a groundswell of Dem. votes that day

That means we each have to volunteer too
In whatever way we can, what we have to do
To get all the Dems. to vote, raising their fears
Of having Trump President for four more years

2/24/2020