When integrity

flies out the window, who or

what walks through the door?

~

“Walks” might not quite be

the verb that you’re looking for;

“slinks” or “slithers” are more apt.

Has America

finally reached its tipping point

with its Narcissist-In-Chief?

~

Time will tell if we

have what it takes to reclaim

our stolen ship of state.

Surveying the trees.

Looking for a clue about

what to do. “Drop it,” they said.

~

 “Now wait just a sec!”,

the gymnosperms all exclaimed,

“It’s better to hold on tight!”

Begorrah has come,

tiny ball of brindle fuzz,

to breathe play into their lives.

~

And to decorate

their home for the holidays

with irregular presents.

“Pay no attention”,

the man behind the curtain

cries, “it’s all smoke and mirrors!”

~

Pull back the curtain

and what do you see? One big

mistake staring back at thee.

Why clarify when

obfuscation was the way

he got to be president.

~

Muddying waters

is a favorite tactic

of every bottom feeder.

 Scrambling to find

an unscrambled moment in

which to veg today.

~

I hear Ron Popeil

sells a handy device that

scrambled eggs still in their shells.

Under the weather

seems less like a state of mind

and more like a state of Grace.

~

Sometimes to rise up

we must first lie down and make

space for us and grace.

Are we like the frog

who fails to see he’s in hot

water until it’s too late?

~

Foolish frogs? Fake News!

Even frogs are wise enough

to escape from rising heat.

When your forests burn,

why would you call for aid from

a flaming egomaniac?

~

Let’s say those two walked

into a burning bar – they

would order a big cigar.

What’s it all about,

Trumpie? I guess if only 

fools are kind, you’re very wise.

~

Would that I could say

Trumpie was the only one

or that he was the wisest.

Can we not attempt,

as dry leaves begin to fall,

to plant a greener future?

~

Those who have a soul

of green will do the planting

as dry-leaved souls slowly fall.

Heroes and Villains

abound. On this sacred day

let us honor the heroes.

~

But don’t terrorist

shroud their sins in holy robes

and call themselves the heroes?

When we are offered

a chance to make things right, how

can we turn away?

~

Sometimes the payment

altruism requires

is too burdensome to pay.

What if he didn’t

twitter his time away in 

self-created storms?

~

Then the news cycle

might rotate its eye away

from his tempestuous ego.

Poetry must wait;

playing second fiddle to

threats to hearth and home.

~

We must orchestrate

the music of the heart first.

Poetry takes second chair.

Although we might yearn

for an effortless birth, it

still requires hard labor.

~

Every Labor Day

Labor celebrates a birth;

Management has a movement.

There is more than one

method to achieve a goal,

even if it’s not your way.

~

  That’s what I’ve been told

and perhaps before I die,

I’ll come to believe that lie.

Sometimes it is hard

to tell if we’re the jugglers

or the juggled ones.

~

There’s a universe

inside every one of us

as we’re in this universe.

Grand plans and high hopes

do not assure successes

in all business endeavors.

~

There’s no formula

  for success, but persistence

and clear vision help.

As we grow older

and our eyesight starts to dim,

may our vision grow stronger.

~

Sight without vision,

even though rather common,

profits humanity not.

Hoping this cooler

weather improves his golf game

and soothes his G7 wounds.

~

If his foursome holds

Abe, Merkel, and Trudeau,

no pleasant weather will help.

Can we not just quit

swimming in this vile stew

called political discourse?

~

Just trying to stay

afloat is hard enough. Let’s

head for the nearest safe shore.

Our nation could use

some replacement parts before

it’s beyond repair.

~

What this nation needs,

in my humble opinion,

Is an enema.

For a moment I

thought that sign said “Firing

Now”. Could it refer to Trump?

~

Or the NRA

executive committee,

as the case may be?

Cars do not belong

in the crowns of cherry trees

even in the middle night.

~

True. Still, we offer

thanks that even though they were

in the crown they were not crowned.

After a long day

what is the best way to say,

“Thank you, but I’d rather not.”

~

Any old excuse

will adequately suffice

if the day was long enough.

Oh Fellow Poet,

have you lingered long in search

of a post vacation rhyme?

~

Oft I’ve been titled

Felonious Poet but

my rhymes are mere petty crimes.

Let’s cherish these last

few days of August before

September’s demanding rush.

~

Welcome September

and its eternal bustle,

dreading October’s surprise.

When a con artist

starts touting conspiracies,

what is he obfuscating?

~

Con artists relate

to facts as adversaries

which need to be overcome.