Wednesday, November 6, 2024

If This is America

If this is America,

All I’ve been taught,

As a student in school

Or in life, adds to naught.

 

If this is America,

Fairness and truth

Are mere follies we bandy

About in our youth.

 

If this is America,

Bullies may rule,

With justice expected

By only a fool.

 

If this is America,

Decency’s out,

For power and flattery’s

What it’s about.

 

If this is America,

So much is wrong

That all I can think is

That I don’t belong.

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Voting Reminder

On my phone came a reminder 

That today’s Election Day,

With a list of things to do to keep 

Anxiety at bay.


See some art at a museum,

Find a park to soothe your soul,

Have a meal at some new restaurant -

Diversion is the goal.


Go to church if that’s your calling;

Do some shopping if it’s not.

Read a book or try some exercise -

They both can help a lot.


At the bottom of the message,

Which reminded me to vote,

After all of the suggestions

Came a most surprising note:


“If you’re feeling suicidal,

Here’s a number you can call.”

When I think of this election,

That reminder says it all.


Monday, November 4, 2024

A Cardinal Encounter

Behind a fence were piles of leaves

The trees had lately shed

And as I passed, my eye picked up

A flash of something red.

 

I stopped and looked and out it popped,

An unexpected sight –

A cardinal, enrobed in red,

Which filled me with delight.

 

I don’t believe, as many do,

This sighting signified

A visit from the dead or that

Good luck was thus implied.

 

I rarely see this bird, though,

Yet my morning did begin

With a cardinal encounter

Nowhere near the Vatican.

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Ralph - You Are Behind Schedule

Before the marathon began,

I walked First Avenue,

Aware 100,000 feet

Would soon come pounding through.

 

The do-not-cross tape waited

And the police were getting set

To control the hordes of cheering fans

Who hadn’t gathered yet.

 

Since some apartments face the street,

Their balconies supply

A place for friends to stand and shout

As runners hurry by.

 

From one such place, I saw a sign

To jokingly remind

A guy named Ralph, despite his plans,

He’s lumbering behind.

 

I wish I could have witnessed Ralph

As, passing, he took note,

Of the presence of his buddies

And the message that they wrote.

 

(The title is what the sign actually said.)

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Seize the Day

You look at things differently when you are old

And should do things when you have the chance,

For maybe you won’t get to act on the plans

You have made way too far in advance.

 

Surely some opportunities won’t come again;

You must grab them, no matter the cost,

Or you’ll wake up one day and you’ll realize, too late,

That the moments you’ve craved have been lost.

 

Time is fleeting and more so as decades add up

And the years you have left start to fade.

Every chance that you miss offers no second shots;

Possibilities can’t be delayed.

Friday, November 1, 2024

Polite

The biggest surprise in the suburbs,

Where I helped out on Halloween night,

Wasn’t focused on candy or costumes,

But the kids, who were just so polite!


Whether solo or part of a gaggle,

Dressed as witches or pirates or queens,

They approached in a calm, measured manner,

While their parents looked on, dressed in jeans.


“Trick or treat!” they exclaimed, sporting smiles,

As I offered the candy-filled bowl.

When I told them, “Take two,” they said “Thank you!”

As if being polite was the goal.


No one pushed or took more than was offered;

All were patient and many did shout,

“Have a great Halloween!” as they parted,

Not a one with a sneer or a pout.


It was wonderful watching this happen -

Just a night filled with nothing but fun.

The true magic will be if politeness

Stays alive when their childhoods are done.



Thursday, October 31, 2024

A New York Take

The Yankees lost - I’ll take my lumps.

Just make the next loss - please! - be Trump’s!