Lyrics once were
to tell a story
of heroes and great deeds.
To entertain with stories of great
conquest and fools failures.
Or to impart moral lessons
of great import and value.
Or to soothe babes with
lullabies and inspire wonder.
Tell of great causes and
rally thought and hope.
Reaching for imagination
reaching for the stars.
Or to woo a young
woman to love.
Lyrics were song
with a melody and
rhythm that all who
might hear could sing along.
But today so many are
of deeds of madmen,
gangsters are the monsters,
drugs are in the streets,
the rap is poetry with
vulgarity as stock shock,
For whom will it inspire,
for whom will it soothe,
for whom will it woo,
and bring solace or love?
Category Archives: Musings
Spring Forward
I looked at the clock this morning
happy I had slept until 7:30
to start my morning ritual,
then realizing that it was body 6:30…
being it is what it is,
I still got up. for the morning
must be as prescribed
or would it be morning at all?
But today, disappointed I didn’t sleep in
as I had hoped. And instead of knowing
it is what it is.
I consider the absurdity of
human games with clocks.
What point is daylight savings time,
to confuse us with mind tricks on a body
that shrugs its shoulders at amateurish magic?
I hear the marsh bird singing its lonely song
as I do every morning at this time,
no clock change will change the song
or the ritual of singing it at this time.
Four notes, pause, same four notes,
it is what it is.
No one answers that bird.
I imagine I’m the only creature
that ever notices this lonely song.
The magic of time change
is as lost to the bird as it is to my body.
It is what it is.
Stupid humans think that we can
jump an hour into the future.
It is is what it is.
Car Repaired (part 2)
Part 2
I arrive at the car under the tree
now green with pollen washed
down by the pitter-patter
over, then starting-over rain
and it just sat there in its
impertinence getting green
all night long, as if it was my fault.
I opened the hood not sure
what I would do, but I thought
it looked good to open the hood
cause doing nothing seemed
obviously more stupid,
than looking under the hood.
I touched the battery cable,
because why wouldn’t I?
The crackle of spark as
the negative cable moved
suggested the last idiot
who worked on the car
didn’t tighten the cable.
I found the right socket
for I was the idiot and
knew which socket fit
and it was the only one
not of perfectly clean chrome
and tightened the cable.
Walla.. if that’s a word?
The car started up, once
again Repaired, and
I, the idiot, was grateful
to drive it home, with
the realization I should
stick to poetry versus auto repair
and listen to the rain,
pitter-patter.
Car Repaired
I went to the store to buy a couple things,
happy the newly repaired car started
and ran great,
until I had a few groceries
and the newly repaired car
would not answer me
when I asked it to start,
so there I sat wondering why
it would work then suddenly not,
and there was no answer at all
except the rain on the roof
that said pitter then patter,
and then started over,
unlike the car that never started over.
So, there it remains sitting in the rain.
Pitter-patter.
NATO Strengthened, China Accession
Russia, and by that I mean Vladimir Putin is unwittingly accomplishing two things in the matter of weeks which would otherwise have taken a decade or more.
One is the unification and strengthening of NATO. This is clear and playing out in the united front being shown as defenses are strengthened. Germany committing to 2.5% GDP expenditure in defense spending is extraordinary. The threat from Russia is now so very clear and apparent. This has been written about and spoken about quite clearly in the last two weeks, and requires no further discussion other than to say that the Trump administration weakened NATO alliance, and Putin corrected that weakness in just a few weeks.
The second impact Putin unwittingly caused is a bit less obvious, the rise of China. I’ll make the case for it here. His actions, will result quite obviously in economic disaster for Russia, while allowing a great acceleration for China. Europe will be slowed by energy issues, and dealing with millions of refugees for another year or more. China seeing the challenge it is for Russia to take over Ukraine via land invasion, will think twice and maybe thrice about threatening invasion of Taiwan, an island not so easily accessed.
If China gives up its obsession with Taiwan, they then can reduce their defense expenditures and double down on economic growth, presenting an alternative to US and Europe for second and third world development. China will seek to secure critical natural resources through either the raw materials and/or the processing of those materials… they are doing so today for critical battery technology that is needed for electric vehicles. This market will grow as threats to oil have caused price increases and the world seeks greener power. China will emerge very rapidly as a superpower, and will distance themselves from Russia once it serves their needs to do so… which is after Russia bloodies itself against the patriotism of a democratic Ukraine.
Putin, inadvertently strengthened NATO and paved the way for China to accelerate their position as a superpower… interesting.
Sunflowers
Sunflower’s careful keepers tend
fields of yellow not yet knowing
experience of evil eastern wind.
But the winds come hard, relentless.
Children flee, father’s stand, resist
unheralded brave most are nameless.
Investing in a future more free
for their children, for future
generations will rebuild, you’ll see.
The soil may be bloodied by those who remain
but the future skies above will be free and blue
and below the yellow flowers will reign again.
The Blue and Yellow, an example for all to see
that freedom isn’t free, it is paid for by
patriots who believe and sacrifice for you and me.
In solidarity with Ukraine!
If Dogs
If dogs had opposing thumbs
would they flood social media
about the butts they sniffed?
If birds could speak,
would they pass on fake news
along the wire?
If people could envision
the future, would we see
what we see today?
March 1st
March 1st
March and it feels like seasonal grid-lock
To the East each morning black birds flock
I know it could all just fade to white
For there was no answer in the night
Nor in the day when blue chases the gray
And these words have no clue, no sway
Other than the thought loud in my head
Maybe I should have just stayed in bed
Hoping the bear hibernates a while longer
Until we are much wiser and bit stronger
Marsh Birds
Early in the morning I hear the marsh
birds sing their lonely songs, with
repeating melodies, as if they have
no other purpose but to fill the world
with sound.
And I sit with wonder, and think
then write these lonely words, with
repeating rhythm on this page
with no purpose but to fill the world
with thought.
Chaos
In a world in which fire is applied
to move the will of the people
to futilely change the arrow of time;
such heat as applied will be absorbed,
returned in an expanding system
which consumes everything on its way
toward further disorder, for entropy
will not be denied and heat moves
to cold, never the other way around.
And the source of fire will too burn
in an inexorable drive toward chaos.