The ice covered pond

catches the departing moon’s

glow and shivers with delight.

~

Relishing the freeze

of this grim year’s waning nights

even as the days lengthen.

Quiet as a tomb.

Like a musty library,

this physician’s waiting room.

~

And all through the room

not a creature was stirring

not even a nurse?

If only congress

had a stimulus package

for Trump’s bankrupt mind.

~

Maybe his packed court

will recall his bankrupt soul

when he demands clemency.

Some people will say

or even do anything

just to cling to relevance.

~

Irrelevantly

 relevant seems to be what’s

all the rage these days.

It’s sunny but cold

just like all those senators

who grin and refuse relief.

~

Big sunny smiles

and glowing words of promise

can not disguise icy souls.

On this Boxing Day,

can I count on those I serve

to render me a service?

~

Being served by those

we serve can’t be counted on,

but can be hoped for.

The promised vaccine,

a cherished holiday gift

in the year of Corona.

~

Wise Men delivered

all things politicians can’t;

good tidings, gifts, and good will.

At double arms reach:

it’s how we’ll spend this Christmas

because we love each other.

~

Our hearts reach beyond

our arms and in our hearts we

will hold each other.

He searches, not high

but low, for validation

of his Trump victory show.

~

Rehiring those

he previously fired

now that they’re freshly pardoned.

When “because I can”’

is the order of the day,

the Law abuses Justice.

~

When “how can I help?”

is the order of the day,

the Law serves Justice.

Which one starts and when

can be really confusing

so I’ll start; you can finish.

~

 It’s not difficult

to keep the order correct…

and yet, we still, mess it up.

Spreading holiday

cheer requires real effort

this corona year.

~

While spreading Covid,

on the other hand, appears

to occur effortlessly.

Kickin’ hornet’s nests

for neither fun nor profit

ain’t how to run no railroad.

~

If you just want to

distract and create a stir

kicks may be the way to go.

When enlightenment

comes, it is not always welcomed.

Some prefer the dark.

~

Hiding in darkness

makes some people feel secure…

they can’t see doom approaching!

They chase illusions.

One is striving for order;

the other yearns to be free!

~

Chasing illusions

seems to be a uniquely

human specialty.

Couldn’t he do us

one huge favor and just go,

depart, vamoose, leave?

~

Having made his mark,

packs his (not) fake Gucci bags;

shuffles off to Monaco.

Frozen wind blown trees,

still adorned in russet leaves,

shiver in the morning breeze.

~

And we shiver too,

adorned not in russet, true,

sheathed, though, in some brighter hue.

Things might go better

if congressmen, like dogs, had

a park to bark, run, and play.

~

Who let the dogs out!

Senators and Congressmen?

Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!

This warming weather

belies the coming winter

with its dearth of snow.

~

Maybe the weather

should go before the Supremes

and have its fake case dismissed.

Let’s build a fire

of forgiveness and toss in

all those useless resentments.

~

There’s not sufficient

accelerant in the world

to ignite a blaze that vast.

Does half this country

really believe wholesale fraud

robbed them of their chosen one?

~

People can believe

great absurdities if they’re

primed to be angry and scared.

Even when we have

nowhere to go, we are still

in a hurry to get there.

~

Urgency, it seems,

is wholly independent

of actual importance.

Mournful cry echoes

o’er frosty hill and hollow:

Vixen screams out the season.

~

That vixen you heard

might have been me proclaiming

I had turned seventy eight.

As the birds gather

at the feeder, a few white

flakes fall. Winter approaches.

~

And chickadees wait

patiently upon the branch

while jays bedevil the squirrels.

Joining and parting,

spinning together for now

until time to whirl away.

~

Such is the nature

of the dance we do as we

twist and twirl through life.

Have you made your list?

Have you checked it twice? Do you

know who’s been naughty or nice?

~

This lopsided list

is so weighted to naughty

that the nice is hard to find.

People disagree.

But can they do that without

being disagreeable?

~

It is certainly

possible, but not very

likely unless they want to.

Wishing sun could melt

iced over hearts just as it

melts frost covered ground.

~

Frosty demeanors

and icy cold calculus

oft require greater heat.

As the days unwind,

languishing in late autumn,

can we avoid hebetude?

~

One suggestion, but

not a very good one, is

to follow Fox News.

December arrived

with gusty winds blowing cold –

a rebuff to November.

~

A stark reminder

of autumn’s historic role,

despite pressure to forget.