The garbage barge is floating large,
A
tugboat smoothly towing.
The
seagulls swoop, a noisy group,
To
follow where it’s going.
I
sit and stare, quite unaware
Of
who might pass behind me,
But
those who know where I might go
Would
very quickly find me.
Unless
it’s wet or winter’s net
Has
trapped me and it’s freezing,
I’ll
be right here, the river near,
To
all my senses pleasing.
Two years ago today we watched
The Capitol attacked,
In disbelief at all the sense
Our leader surely lacked.
In shock and horror we were glued
To any screen in sight,
As protests turned to violence
From those just thrilled to fight.
Today we watch the circus
As the House attempts to vote,
Our government still stymied
By some mulishness of note.
A strong conviction’s often worth
A fight, to some extent,
But once we knew lines not to cross,
Which now some circumvent.
It sounds like junior high school,
The
vote that will not end,
With
people making speeches,
K.
McCarthy to defend.
The
government’s on hold
For
no decisions can be made
Until
a leader’s chosen,
But
the pols are all afraid.
Concessions
have been offered,
Some
of this and some of that.
The
easiest solution is –
Elect
a Democrat!
A man took his bird in a cage for a walk;
It looked at the river and started to squawk.
With bright yellow feathers, it didn’t belong
In a prison, rewarded with seed for a song.
I grew up with a parakeet kept as a pet,
Which flew all ‘round the house ‘til the sun was to set,
Then returned to its cage, which was covered at night,
So it slept on its perch with no way to take flight.
In the summer, when somebody opened the door,
Our bird flew away and we saw it no more.
I would bet if that yellow bird just had the chance,
It would make its escape with not one backward glance.
School and work resumed today,
The
holidays complete,
So
now we’re moving forward,
Hoping
slips we won’t repeat.
Of
course, there will be blunders
And
perhaps a huge snafu,
But
the ways we botch and bungle
Should
at least be fresh and new.
If
we’re fortunate, then maybe
We
can laugh at our mistakes
And
accept that there are times when
We
just can’t catch any breaks.
So
far things are going smoothly;
Well,
at least they are for me,
Thought
there’s lots of time ahead
To
mess up 2023.
In the car, our radio
Has stations we adore
From a company called Sirius,
Which we pay extra for.
As Sirius subscribers
We get classical and blues,
Plus the Beatles and a lot of
Rock and roll from which to choose.
But on New Year’s eve, our signal
(For it’s satellite deployed)
Just stopped working and so Poof!
There went the music we enjoyed.
Since it’s holiday, we couldn’t
Reach a person to assist
And the helpline couldn’t help us,
Not an unexpected twist.
We will follow up tomorrow,
Though the irony, to me,
Is that we had no such problems
When our radio was free!
Good riddance 2022!
I’m
glad to see you go,
But
maybe from your negatives
Some
joy will start to flow.
A
brand new year begins with hope;
The
slate is fresh and clean,
So
happiness may yet become
A
part of our routine.
No
illnesses, no canceled flights,
No
hatred, anger, death –
Just
sweetness and a sense of peace
Imbuing
every breath.
Though
optimism isn’t
Something
natural for me,
Perhaps
life will be much improved
In
2023.
