Braving April’s rain,

the birds stand on the porch rail

waiting to be fed.

~

Patience always pays

dividends that far exceed

the high price of hasty rage.

Neither red nor blue.

All those elected puppets

don’t exist above the waist!

~

Whose bidding are those

“elected” puppets doing?

It’s surely not the peoples’.

To enforce tariffs

or not to enforce tariffs?

He waffles on that question.

~

Waffling’s easy

when the gesture’s import

outweighs the outcome.

When a soul craves wealth

and seeks it by any means

can it be satiated?

~

Unlike the ego,

the soul cherishes, but leaves

craving to others.

The vultures gather

to feast on the remains his

overseers wrought.

~

And if they heeds not

the rural byway’s traffic,

his fête galante will be their end.

Do those billionaires

imagine some good fortune

will be found in civil strife?

~

Their uncivil acts

bring misfortune to many

but leave them untouched.

White clouds glide across

a sun lit blue sky on this

balmy April day.

~

But in time’s fullness,

likely sooner than later,

balm will cool and blue will grey.

Alone with our thoughts

in this crowded empty field

among granite sentinels.

~

So many loved ones

lie here. Our hope is that they

know how much we care.

As we share stories,

we only wish you were here

to add your own special twist.

~

For in that telling,

from your unique point of view,

could the full saga unfold.

The voice of reason

can’t be heard if it remains

unspoken because of fear.

~

Even when spoken,

reason’s dulcet serenade

often falls upon deaf ears.

Of survival skills,

the one most underrated

is resiliency.

~

We’re going to need

that and a sense of humor

in the years ahead.

Our minds can wander

to places unknown while

our pens wait for words.

~

Our pens can wander

on pages unknown while

our minds churn anxious butter.

April fools alone

contemplate, and scribble rhymes

in this material world.

~

Foolish from their love

of words, poets dare to speak

in a sometimes hostile world.

Do we recoil

from these absurd policies

or do we lean in and fight?

~

It’s natural to

recoil from such harmful

policies, but we must fight.

Trump now lays claim to

April First as a day of

honor for his followers.

~

Who’s the bigger fool;

the foolish King wannabe

or those sold to peasantry?

This shade of verdure,

somewhat more yellow than green,

forecasts Irises blooming.

~

Hints of lovely things

to come can be found if you

pause and look around.

I guess they think our

homeland will be more secure 

if they plan for war, not peace.

~

Full transparency

in government requires

nothing to be classified?

Do clouds mar the pure

cerulean sky’s expanse

or highlight its dynamics?

~

It all depends on

the viewers and whatever

mood they happen to be in.

Beautiful spring days,

balmy with warmth and flowers,

massage our tired spirits.

~

Spring’s green message of

renewal reminds us gray

doesn’t have the final say.

It seems toxic waste

has spread as far as Congress,

the White House, and way beyond.

~

This, once great, nation

now’s a great superfund site

and the EPA is dead.

As the full moon fades,

the trees reach out to the stars,

hoping for a bit of light.

~

Only trees, these days,

have the patience to invest

in such lofty goals.

When our simple joys

become more pains than pleasures,

it’s time to find new hobbies.

~

The source of joy might

lie in simply being as

much as it lies in doing.

The sudden stillness

after the big wind left us

wondering what was to come.

~

Like a hurricane,

that sudden calm just may be

a pause before the second wind.

As darkness deepens

and the winds begin to howl,

all wise folk seek out shelter.

~

Riding out the storm

is the first step followed by

assessment and cleaning up.

So, three point one four,

once essential for building,

is now just about dessert?

~

Son, your reference

to pi and the Bloodhound Gang

is just not family friendly.

Let’s not be out trumped

by muskiness, Surely we

can reverse the tide.

~

Of course he’s the Don!

And Musk’s what, his enforcer?

Casa Bianca’s all mobbed up.

That man can subfusc

the brightest of spring mornings

with his joyless agenda.

~

His governance

by shenanigans brings out

darkness everywhere.

To look busy, they

found nonexistent problems

and dashed around solving them.

~

As an afterthought,

when their actions made things worse,

they blame their predecessor.