Remembering the Reunion

Who are these people?

I recognized the ones I knew best

I was happy to see all the rest

But some of the faces

The stories and places

Really put my memory to the test.

Here's my number, give me a call.

It ended out on the ball field

With more pictures and stories revealed

Addresses exchanged

Vague plans arranged

Solemn pacts to keep in touch were sealed.

Francis Speaks, Who is Listening?

Pope Francis is visiting the U.S. this week, eating lunch with the homeless rather than with members of Congress, and knocking Trumpty-Dumpty off  the wall....

A humble man of the people, this Pope

He is giving so many such hope

That the Vatican might find

Through his open mind

A way to soften and broaden its scope.

John Boehner ( soon to be former Speaker ) invited the Pope to speak before Congress, as what?

a). Head of State, normally invited by Presidents only

b). Head of a Church, muddying the separation of Church and State

c). Conservative advocate, only to realize that as much as Boehner might like the sex and sanctity bit, he disagrees with Francis's uninfluenced by lobbyists views on immigration, capitalist greed, tolerance and environmental degradation...

Their faith in the Church is still strong

Yet they find that they can't go along

Because he places reliance 

On empathy and science

So this Pope must be totally wrong.

One Down, One to Go

I just attended the first of two high school reunions ( explanation available by request ), and it set the bar high for the second in two weeks.

In praise of the organizing committee

Plan a reunion? No prob!

Organize this feline like mob?

They said it was fun

And still got the work done

A fan-( insert your own emphasis here )-ing-tastic great job! 

I know that the planners really tried

To make sure we were all satisfied

They did all they could

Which was very good

But we missed all the classmates who've died.

G.O.P. Campaign in a Nutshell

The generic candidate’s speech is…

We’re gonna take our country back

We’re gonna be safe from attack

The economy will soar

No climate change anymore

And we’ll substitute fiction for fact.

... and the leader is …

Trump’s on the stump every day

Crowds love what he has to say

His appeal is amazing

And somewhat hair-raising

If he wins there will be hell toupee.

What Would You Do?

If you were awakened at 4:00 AM by an intruder?

We had an unarmed intruder last night

He startled me and gave me a fright

But I grabbed a trash can

To fight like a man

The squirrel ran, but he put up no fight.

Seriously it was a squirrel, but I was expecting a mouse.  The ‘extraction’ was successful.

Would it be different if I had a gun?

In that case what would I have done?

Would I have fired at will

In an effort to kill

A little creature who just wanted to run?

Back to School

An upcoming High School reunion is bringing back some old memories.  Here are some comments on teachers I appreciated more after I graduated.  Both were tough, but they did teach.

French teacher Mme. Girard - I was in her class for French 2 through 4

Year one she wielded a battle axe

Was a stickler for accent and syntax

When we got to year four

The class wasn’t big anymore

And Mme. Girard could begin to relax.

Chemistry teacher Dorothy Smith - I took 2 years of Chemistry from her.

A few students had real trouble with

Their Chemistry teacher Ms. Smith

When she realized

They had plagiarized

Her toughness wasn’t only a myth.

But remember what Simone Signoret called her autobiography 

Nostalgia Isn't What It used to Be