Who among us knows

how to find the best in those

who bring out the worst in us?

~

Remember; who pulls

from our darkest hidden moats

offer us the greatest growth.

In all history

has there ever been a more

asinine casus belli?

~

If you mean the feud

between Kushner and Bannon

I’d say definitely not.

When we find out where

all the flowers have gone, will

they turn up in Trump’s back yard?

~

All the flowers went

to R. E. Lee’s yard before;

why not Mar-a-lago now?

What could be better,

on a sunny spring morning

than a stroll through the garden?

~

A morning spring stroll,

a garden soaked in sun –

a tiny slice of heaven.

When they say something

is second to none, could it

mean it ranks third, fourth, or worse?

~

Second to none is

an unaimed superlative;

either awesome or horrid.

Is the handwriting,

at long last, upon the wall

or is it smoke and mirrors?

~

The script has been large

and staring us in the eyes 

if we’d only look.

How do you know when

it is better not to do

rather than to do?

~

No matter the choice

an opportunity cost

will surely apply.

Snow balls and clear skies

bathing in the warming sun;

does this mean that spring has come?

~

How astute of you

to read these signs and make an

accurate surmise.

When every which way

we’re thwarted, how do we get

ourselves resorted?

~

To get resorted

we resort to resistance,

thereby thwarting the thwarters.

Perhaps poetry

can be crafted without words

and still convey some meaning?

~

Wordless poetry

is preferred by those who like

the ineffable.

After nearly nine

hundred poems, I still enjoy

our poetic give and take.

~

Giving and taking

images and ideas

result in lyric union.

In nearly three years,

almost nine hundred poems;

have we learned our lessons yet?

~

As long as poets

have words, there will be questions

and endless answers.

Sometimes it’s best to

act; other times it’s best to

wait.  What will help us decide?

~

Never act before

you have gathered ample facts;

also, don’t procrastinate.

When is it easy

to ferret out self interest

in politicians policies?

~

There’s always a bit

of self interest. What’s harder

to ferret out is how much.

After several

days of much welcomed sun, can

we warm to new visitors?

~

Sorry I’m so late;

I was enjoying the sun

with unwelcome vistors!

When the silence grows,

filled only by cricket chirps,

do we dread the next great noise?

~

Whether the great noise

comes from without or within,

cricket chirps are much preferred.

If consistency

is the hobgoblin of small

minds, is Trump’s a bigly mind?

~

Inconsistency

is not always a virtue

but neither is discipline. 

So, to be or not

faithful to our ideals

even unto death?

~

When the time comes, each

will answer such a question

for themselves alone.

What if Ghandi or

Martin Luther King had

given up on hopes and dreams?

~

Perhaps they would have

lived to see their grandkids grown

and living under boot heels?

Hopes and dreams be damned,

when food, shelter, and safety

are at risk for so many!

~

We must not lose hope

or forget our dreams as we

work for the well-being of all.

How can we find peace

when violence has taken up

residence in our hearts?

~

Tending a garden

requires uprooting weeds

as does finding peace.

Back, when we were five,

we knew if we stuck to lies,

all our whims, we could contrive.

~

And by six we learned

our many lies did not keep

us from getting schooled.

What steps can we take

to turn his military

march into a dance?

~

Already we dance

to his frenzied dervish tune;

Postmodern Danse Macabre.

When, from the shadows,

an unlikely hero comes,

will we recognize his face?

~

Turn on the light. Look

into the mirror. Do you

recognize your hero’s face?

Whenever will we

see that we are only small

specks in vast infinity?

~

When we realize

that size is unimportant

in this fractal universe.

If he abuses

late night cell phone privileges,

will daddy take it away?

~

With baited breath we

wait, wondering why he would

delay ’til another day.

If compassion filled

our hearts and reason

filled our minds, then what?

~

“It’s the dawning of

the Age of Aquarius”…

or , at least, satiation.

Whether the weather

displeases or appeases

will its change bring diseases?

~

On Capital Hill

they plan to cure disease by

repealing climate and weather.

If you have all the

answers, perhaps you didn’t

ask the right questions.

~

And, of course, we must

question your ready answers

trusting not in platitudes.

Creativity

is vital to survival;

otherwise you just exist.

~

Just existing can

sometimes take almost all the

creativity you’ve got.