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.

Self-inflicted wounds

often take more time to heal;

needing stronger medicine.

~

As the wise ones say,

pain is inevitable,

suffering is optional.

Closed minded people;

always with their mouths open,

never with their ears.

~

When we open our

minds, ears, hearts, and arms, we’ll speak

a language richer than words.

What road have we been

traveling that has brought our

nation here from there?

~

Thankfully, the road

less traveled, commonly called

the highway to ersatz greatness.

Since we can not trust

our fellow man’s self control,

what’s our remaining option?

~

We could begin by

controlling easy access

to lethal weapons.

Why can we not see

the damage fast approaching

when we deny our devoir?

~

 Self absorbed, we can

not hear the call of duty

or see what our deafness brings.

When everywhere you

turn, you’re blocked, is it just time

to get off the road?

~

When all roads are blocked,

that’s the time to blaze a trail

across trackless wilderness.

Whoops! Time grabbed my mind

and took off down memory

lane, leaving today behind.

~

Omphaloskepsis

is a most worthy pastime

as the twilight approaches.

Those incessant tweets?

Only a rat infested

mind could be composing them.

~

Soon, the only rats

left will reside in that head,

all the others having fled.

When there’s work to do,

kids are sure to alert you

with sudden, welcome, absence.

~

Perhaps they learned it

from watching Congress and Trump

leave town when there’s work to do.

When appeals to love

and reason are ignored, is

all that’s left self-interest?

~

When love and reason

fail to sway the hearts and minds,

go fetch a great big hammer.