Friday, October 28, 2016

De Boys

Jack looks unhealthy,
More then 50 pounds overweight. His walk is halting,
Juan drove us to the game.
He would not make it as a New York driver.
We both won, Juan $9.25, me $9.50
Dick had a haircut and talked about his proposed class in genealogy.
I momentarily could not recall Obama’s first name.
Bruce was the big winner, $20.
Poker over 10 PM.

Nice guys. Most have religion, no proselytizing here. 

Good Morning To Ya


A block from our house
On a day that is shaping up to be just fine
We meet with Sam
He is sweeping the concrete that fronts his shoe store
I suggest it will be a beautiful day
And he can keep it for just $5.00
Sam proposes we split… $2.50 each
I mumble about overhead
Before agreeing
Cemented by a hand shake


A Magical Lunch

I was alone
By no means a tragedy
My small table partially shaded
Would render me freckled faced
To a passing stroller
And very involved with my blintz
Add my puzzle, coffee, water,
And the service of a very friendly waiter
To the day’s perfect weather,

Might bring a smile to a Crows scowl.

Collapse

If the threat from without is spreading, it is the disease within that foretells our passing. We have one more horse and no pending response to the fellowship of the circle. Yes, there is a potential solution, but even if successfully executed the results may merely facilitate the ride.
The panel of deciders has gained its utter independence, and is no longer accountable to any or all. Arguably, the road to our imminent destruction has been a long time coming, but it is no longer a matter of “if”, and “when” is merely a question of whether my, or my sons, generation will be on the welcoming committee.
No, I am not preaching “the end of times”, merely the passing of the United States. It was, in its current attire, dressed, or addressed, in “Animal Farm.” Five men dressed in black have decided the meaning of the words we thought we understood.  Sadly, global restraint, a frail creature, yet a miracle of no small magnitude, has not seen the dropping of the third bomb. Whether our democratic and economic ruin will be part of something larger is beyond my willingness to speculate.   
I offer my tenuous hope for a deferral of the inevitable. We must rid ourselves of two of the five horsemen. While I have my favorites, any two will do. Unfortunately, the results are likely to be disastrous. It may well facilitate a sort of Armageddon. I give it a 5% chance of some kind of success, but here is the list of upcoming events if we do not make a correction:
1.   Democracy, expressed by voting, will not last beyond 2016.
2.   Breathable air will be quite limited by 2040.
3.   Water will be available to 1 in 5 people by 2050.
4.   Good news: catastrophic war could offset: “3”, if 3 of 5 die.
5.   Beach property will be cheaper, but changing, by 2030.




From The Outside

Looking back on my volunteer career
(ignoring the fact that I just put 2
eer words in sequence)
I think SCORE might have been my most meaningful job.
SCORE was designed to offer free assistance
To small business folks
Good people, lots of challenges, good results ...overall.
Buried friends, and retained a few.
It’s 10 years since I retired
And now I’m told I rejected would-be friends.
I can easily dismiss the suggestion but
I will retain a curiosity.
Did the teller of this unhappy news
Find me wanting?
Whether for love or money, did I
Look upon staff or associates as less,

Not my equal?

Friday, October 14, 2016

I Have Found Conservatives Who Almost Believe in Global Warming

Some of the boys from the Lawrence Welk top ten
Have at least reached the sputtering stage.
They “just don’t have enough information”.
I don’t expect to feel the impact.

It reminds me of the current reckoning
That the 2003 invasion of Iraq did not work well.
Of course that belated realization took 13 years
And seems cast in a time warp.

I look for a principle that ties such pieces together.
Might it be that the other fellow is infallibly wrong?
Is there perhaps no principle, just interest ?
Are we still running under the oil aristocracy?

This has been the warmest year in recorded history.
Of course there will always be a warmest year.
In the last 20 years we have had 7 of the top ten.
Not to worry, those Lawrence Welk guys may come around.


It will be too late, in fact it’s already too late.

Bad Call

It wasn’t close
Golden State Forward number 18 pushed
It was deliberate
With no push back
The referee who was two feet away
Pointed at Huston Guard number 27
TV replay showed…
Bad call
The head referee did not ask for a replay
Probably 10 million viewers would say “bad call”
The ref might be very blind, hate that guard,
Or the fix was in…
Or all of the above.


I think the fix was in.

Facebook is stalking me

Every day I receive Facebook notification of 99 unsatisfied requests. My mood bounces from unmitigated joy to utter self-contempt. Often I smile noting that 99 people have updated their Face book account(s). I restrain an urge to respond to all 99.  What if I sent each of them a notice that they had won 80 billion dollars, but alas they had not acknowledged the great news in time to collect? No doubt too busy updating their Facebook pages   

I wonder how these people would respond to a notice that I had died 3 years ago, but all their Facebook notices have been sent to the Library of Congress to be preserved… forever.

Running

It is long past time to breath deeply.
My inherent race to finish first
Continues as an old man runs up the stairs.
A message reaches me from the guy
Running down the stairs
“You are incredibly inefficient.
You will pass me again it you do not slow down”.
I understand my error count continues to rise and

The finished product may be an embarrassment.

For The Love Of Family

White and Tan, curious and tiny with no leash,
I’m guessing the puppy was two weeks old, and under two pounds.
It sat between three little girls;
The oldest appeared to be under three.
Her one sister might be two and the crawler under one.
The mom had just parked on the far side of Ocean Avenue.
Thrusting the compliant puppy into the smallest child’s arms,
Mom picked up the baby and started across the wide
And heavily trafficked avenue, with the other two kids
Holding hands and attempting to keep pace with mom.
I saw mom and baby, with clutched pup, reach the curb. 
Within seconds all four plus one were safely on the sidewalk.
I should have seized the youngest child, and

The diminutive puppy and headed for I- don’t-know-where.