Why Do Collins and Flake Even Pretend?

Collins waffled and hemmed and she hawed

Though the nominee is blatantly flawed

He dissembled, denied

Bullied and lied

And SCOTUS is now Kavanaughed.

Her independence is merely a myth

She’s part of her party’s monolith

She’s sorely deluded

If she thinks she’s included 

In a league with Margaret Chase Smith.

Who You Gonna Believe?

Alright it was Finland not Denmark, but doesn't this sound familiar?

Would it or wouldn't it be

Is this week's controversy

Whether it's best

To reality test

Or live in your own fantasy?

The bald guy was smiling, but the big guy with the hair looked glum.

The flames that pass for his hair

Suck the oxygen out of the air

So none can remain

To operate his brain,

Assuming he's got one in there.

The Theater of the Absurd

It’s on.  Kim and Trump meet in a Ego Stroke of Diplomacy.  But before that it was off, but through Trump’s mythical skill as a negotiator, it’s on again.  I knew I’d seen a similar act before.

Remember the singer James Brown

From exhaustion he’d collapse on the ground

Fans feared for the worst

But with a high energy burst

He’d continue and bring the house down.

And before the worst hair day ever, Trump showed his strength by running away from the G7 meeting.  Securely ensconced in Air Force 1, surrounded by intimidated sycophants, he disavowed his agreement with the meeting results.  Safe from the real world of international relations and intelligent reasonable leaders, he resumed his lying, insulting and bullying.  

How does this make America Greater?

The Self Proclaimed Master Deal Maker

Agrees with the way

They draft the communique

Then reneges just a few hours later.

The Continuing #SAGA

It’s a case of too much evidence.

Trump bitches some more every day

Giuliani has joined the affray

But Counsel Bob Mueller

Thank God has stayed cooler -

A Bob Cat just stalking his prey.

I’m waiting for Mueller to strike

Since we know what Donald is like -

All bile and attack -

For that lying sack

A perp walk is too short a hike. 

A Penny for My Thoughts?

Highly overpriced.

My brain cells may not follow the norm

When they’re active and gather a quorum

Thoughts may find their ways

Through the cerebral maze

Their various blunders to perform.

Expectations are often harsh critics.  How much Practice does it take to make Perfect?  I certainly don’t know.

Practice is an unpleasant chore

My mistakes are too hard to ignore

I don’t like what I hear

But they won’t disappear

Unless I endure them some more.

You can check out the results of infrequent practice and even modest expectations at:

www.youtube.com/channel/UCCRDcBOsFHPLm_Va_dxpPdA

I, Alone - a campaign song

NameTags - a song about school reunions 2 versions, one with the lyrics printed, one live

State of Confusion = describing the consequences of growing up in Summit, NJ

Rainbow Blues - what it’s like to be an underachiever in a very successful class

50 Ways to conquer Stage Fright - a live performance by a very shy performer 

 Fake Tears

The last couple of months have been a blur.

I was recently decataracted

But sadly both eyes have reacted

To all the drops they prescribed

For healing my eyes

And my vision was badly impacted.

My vision is improving.  Although I’m mainlining artificial tears, often a veil descends and blurs everything.  Ironic isn’t it, when there is so much in the news to weep about, I need Fake Tears.

The doctor says not to despair

Such reactions are not very rare

The tear film will return

To eliminate the blurrin’

And the cornea will soon self repair.

Oh, It’s Lying Time Again 

This week Trump boasted of lying to Justin Trudeau about U.S. Canada trade.  After more than a year of denying any Russian influence on the 2016 election, the Trump administration invoked sanctions on Russia for their disinformation campaign.  Trump doesn’t like to lose, and when he realized his lying wasn’t as effective as the Russians, it was time for retribution.

Trump craves fortune and fame

And will lie to promote the Trump name

But the Russian operation

Of disinformation

Put Donald’s weak efforts to shame.

  

Trump got caught, but really it wasn’t Donald’s fault.  Why didn’t those high IQ advisors warn him that the good looking, nice guy (lightweight) Canadian premier might have done his homework?  Somebody should get fired.   Except in Trumpworld Trump’s brilliant improvisation becomes the truth.

Who’d imagine that Justin Trudeau

Would know about US trade flow

And doubt the belief 

Of our Liar-in-Chief?

How was poor Donald to know?

Shambolism

A friend pointed out the the word shambolic - legitimized by the NY Times among others - is the adjectification of the noun shambles.  So in addition to nouning and verbing we need to track adjectifying and adverbing.  So today i’m working on adjectification.

The White House operation’s shambolic

The state of the staff is scrambolic

They support and rationalize

Ad hoc policies and lies

Of a boss who is highly gambolic.

Enough already!  Literally, adjectivally, symbolically and politically.

Trump will stumble and fumble and bumble

He’s a bully who wants others to rumble

Mueller, I hope

Can Rope the big Dope

And bring him down with a tumble.

I am Against Domestic Violence

It scarcely needs to be said, but now you know.

When General Kelly learned that Rob Porter

Had beaten his wife and floored her

Kelly fired him at once

(Plus eight or more months)

By an effective immediately order.

The rot starts at the top.  And according to the top, Porter has a great career ahead of him, even though he failed to get security clearance.

Wife beating had caused him to fail

And opened him up to blackmail

But the news is now out 

So I’m sure there’s no doubt

He could continue his old job - from jail.

Smart or Stupid?

Ever notice how some people, pets or other animals can be very clever or smart about some things?

The Rat wannabes have returned

But it seems that the mice now have learned

If they sniff at the trap

Their necks will go snap

So the bait I put out has been spurned.

And clueless or stupid about other matters?

They drop stuff behind everywhere

Are they dumb or just unaware?

It they cleaned up their scat

I might not know that

The mice had even been there.

Confessions

How am I feeling?  Fair to maudlin.

Because I have not jogged at all lately

And been spending my mornings sedately

My jogs were the times

I worked on my rhymes

My output has fallen off greatly.

Tuning fifty I was still cruising

Reaching sixty was a bit less amusing

The years slip on by

The numbers get high

And seventy was more of a bruising.

Trying to Catch Up

Traveling broadens your horizons.  Berkeley, CA, late morning, everyday between Christmas and New Years, men, women, students sitting outside various coffee shops talking and having coffee.  Looks enticing.  Back in Maine after New Years - No Freezing Way.

Men sitting outside drinking coffee

Conversation seems easy and free

Just shooting the breeze

Relaxed and at ease

I admit I regard them with envy.

Unfortunately it’s not just the weather, I think it’s me.

There’s so much that I’ve left unfinished

My task list is never diminished

I don’t have a clue

What I would do

With time and money to do as I wished.