I guess when you are

a genius president, you

don’t need input from intel.

~

This current culture,

replete with egotism,

tends to engender “fake news”.

Is a rigid mask

any less dysfunctional

than explosive emotion?

~

It’s been so long since

I’ve seen a rigid public 

mask, I wouldn’t know.

Sow seeds of smallness.

Short-circuit signs of service.

Sacrifice your soul.

~or~

Contemplate chaos,

consider coalitions,

cultivate community.

Aging gracefully

is not for the faint of heart

or for the weak of spirit.

~

Aging gratefully

can strengthen the muscles of

both heart and spirit.

Where do you turn when

it’s your turn to take the lead

and no one follows?

~

People are often loath

to play follow the leader.

Just lead anyway.

Is this compromise,

or more amoral slight of hand

by the greatest shister in chief?

~

Less compromise than

cave, an act driven not by

cleverness but fear…

The sun refused

to let those dark clouds define

the day. It shone anyway.

~

Some deluded sons

think they shine bright regardless

all dark cloudy evidence.

An ugly knit toque

balms pains of knitter’s passing

simply by wearing

~

By wearing the toque

you honor the knitter and

your place in her heart.

Froth’s a pleasing tease.

Matters of substance take time 

to digest. What’s Trump’s meal plan?

~

A sop to the right,

totally lacking substance,

is exactly what we have!

When frigid breezes

blow in from the frozen north,

will the swamp ice over?

~

Ice comes and ice goes,

but the swamp remains, lasting

home of swampy things.

If words were enough,

he could have built a stone wall

miles high by now.

~

Already been done-

written walls ’round stone cold hearts-

“Fountainhead” to “Atlas Shrugged”.

There’s more to courage

than expressing indignation

in the face of injustice.

~

The heart of courage –

facing adversity with

dignity and some humor.

If we could only

see beyond our “no’s” perhaps

what we see would change.

~

When the sea change comes,

even the “Party of No”

will know the party’s over.

Let us not sorrow,

even though we would like to.

Instead, let’s walk with Mary.

~

To walk with Mary

we must be ready, like she,

“to dance for the world”.

Time and time again,

we ask “Why me and why now?”,

but never get an answer.

~

 Allusive answers

are often nature’s response

to ill-conceived inquiry.

Patiently waiting

for the people to bestow

a resounding obloquy.

~

The majority

didn’t and don’t support him.

His enablers must go.

For now the White House

is aptly named. Its coldness

tries to pass for purity.

~

Compassionless frost

and ever deepening snow

can not mask its swampy stank.

Winter melody –

that gentle, quiet chiming –

falling sleet on frozen leaf.

~

Meanwhile, inside

joyous song erupts when kids

learn there’s no school tomorrow.

“I ask you to judge

me by the enemies I

have made.”  – FDR

~

“A wise leader must,

while loving his enemies,

also hate his friends.” – Nietzsche

Why does Congress fear

to rap him ‘cross the knuckles

like some pre-teen miscreant?

~

 Knuckles and backbone –

the body politic seems

unable to find either.

Let’s watch a liar

inspire only ire:

five alarm dumpster fire!

~

The questions remain:

how will that ire be used,

and by whom and to what end.

Ignoring signals

regarding our nation’s health,

he barfs up a wall.

~

 When your daddy’s sick

with Munchausen’s By Proxy,

who can guess what ailment’s next.

Flying in the face

of all logic and reason,

some remain convinced they’re great.

~

Disconfirming facts

must be ignored for the grand

illusion to thrive.

Healing is furthered

when hearts and arms open wide

and mouths sometimes remain shut.

~

Perfect recipes

can yield distasteful dishes

if ingredients are missed.

Even fools know when

statements are tightly scripted.

Free men don’t say the same words.

~

At a loss for words,

 dear fellow poet, but as

a free woman I won’t use yours.

There’s always room for

improvement, but why must that

room keep expanding ?

~

Feckless leadership

demonstrates, by example,

just how huge that room can be.

The hour has past

for one of us to begin!

It must be a whole New Year.

~

 Thanks for picking up

the thread I dropped and making

things right as you often do.

A New Years Party

found less than satisfying;

All doctors, nurses, and me.

~

 May you leave behind

the pain of the old and find

healing in the new.