It turns out talk is

not cheap. Without listening

it can cost a lot.

~

As best I can tell,

based on how much they chatter,

some folks get paid by the word.

Sometimes, what we want

is not in our best interest;

other times, it’s what we need.

~

Often only time

will reveal if that wanting

helped or hindered us.

How can the grandson

of immigrants turn against

those who seek a better life?

~

Because he believes

it takes a special person

to dream the ‘Merican dream

Our ability

to govern our response is

our responsibility.

~

If one doesn’t have

that ability how can

one govern at all?

So many points of

contention, so many points

of view – what would wise folks do?

~

Remember this truth:

Like anuses, we got ’em;

everybody else’s stink!

Are we just chasing

unicorns and looking for

rainbows? How do we find hope?

~

Unicorns are lies,

rainbow’s got no pot of gold,

and hope? Hell! That’s for snowflakes!

If, as Chomsky says,

this is a one-party state,

can we really make a choice?

~

The Business Party

has no clothes and progressives

are pointing that out.

Why not find one small

thing we can do each day to

make things better and do it?

~

“Facta non Verba”

is more than an ideal;

it’s the only road to change.

Wow! These old grey men

are those at the highest risk.

The masked? All under Sixty!

~

No grey area

exists when it comes to risk

whether you’re eight or eighty.

Why can’t July just

pretend to be April like

February did?

~

Sometimes it feels like

the hundred and twenty ninth

of March is about to dawn.

Hoping for the best

is a meager substitute

for taking all precautions.

~

For best results, mix

both ingredients well – hope

and taking all precautions.

The time may yet come

when we will celebrate our

interdependence.

~

Until that day comes,

some people will continue

to tell the whole world, “Screw You!”

Perhaps it’s high time

to declare independence

from these days of baldfaced lies.

~

But it’s those lies that

make America great or

so those hat-wearers believe.

Would that hate could be

removed as easily as

those monumental statues.

~

Some stains will persist

no matter how much scrubbing

or street cleaning we can do.

His walled in heart has

imprisoned his mind; therefore,

we must march and vote.

~

Don’t we all reside

safely inside these prisons

that we construct for ourselves?

From her lofty perch,

she surveys all her domain

with casual indifference.

~

Although secretly

she’s quite content, she just can’t

let those minions know.

If we can’t love our

neighbor, can we at least treat

them with decency?

~

Loving thy neighbor,

sometimes tolerating them,

can be a major challenge.

Those we raise on high

will eventually fall

much as Ozymandias.

~

But love’s legacy

raises us up and endures

though statues may fall.

The two viruses,

covid-19 and hate, are

highly contagious…

~

And easily spread

if we can not be bothered

with basic mouth management.

Taking the long way

often pays you dividends

not found on the Interstate.

~

The quickest route is

not the best if you hope to

find unexpected treasures.

Sometimes the sunset,

replete with many colors,

exceeds imagination.

~

And in parting leaves

behind a memory that

warms the coldest night.

Polarizing does

not cool us off on these days

of constantly rising heat.

~

Polarizing just

sharpen the contrast

between bright lights and darkness.

In this modern age,

does the old guard stand a chance

on the social medias?

~

What old and young need

are improved listening skills

whatever the medium.

Skip the daily dose

of lies and propaganda;

we’ve got brighter things to do.

~

You sure got that right.

For a start, I’ll sing a song,

smell some roses, stop the fright.

Oh! Blessed silence!

We have forgotten how loud

everyday life can be.

~

……………………

…………………………………..

…………………………………….

                  .

Dear President Trump,

My niece is more self-made man

than you’ll ever be.

~

 President Bone Spurs,

unlike your niece, made himself

using tweets and slurs

Our consuming rage

and the violence it fosters!

Can this be the only way?

~

Controlled rage gives us

the energy we need to

persevere and build anew.

Heroes will remain

untarnished longer when kept

in hearts than on pedestals.

~

Not just untarnished

but unvarnished, heroes held

in hearts will remain.