Thursday, October 30, 2003

CHESS


Queens' pawn four to Knghts pawn three,
Attacking, retreating, defending, a pin;
How complex can a game strive to be,
Two players struggle, only one wins.

Setting up combinations, advancing plans,
Moving key pieces closer to the king;
Opponent counters, moves demand,
You re-think strategy, try another fling.

Two players batter away mentally,
Thrusting into each others' territory;
Checking opposing kings tentatively,
Put the other guy through pergatory.

Finally a fatal error made,
An inevitable slip and trip;
Opponent swiftly seizes and invades,
Soon your king is locked in death's grip!
It is all over -- then the board is re-made,
Another chance to trap opponents king and be hip.


(c) MSW 2003


CHICKEN AND RICE TO GO


Chinese rocket pierces the sky,
Sophistocated capsule reaches orbit;
Taking their share of Solar System pie,
Leaving the rest of us to absorb it.

Mission will follow mission,
Orbiting space labs coming next;
Well-laid plans coming to fruition,
New-found tech muscles flexed.

Eventually taikonauts will walk the Moon,
They will tread on Mars,
And then one day following soon,
China will head for the stars.

Good thing in space there is no air,
To smell the scents of all that cooking;
Beef, Chicken, Rice, Stir-fry without compare,
Would have all other astronauts out looking --
About only their stomachs they would care!


(c) 2003 MSW
Republican America


Parades of Suicide bombers on parade,
Fists raised defiantly, cries of hate and death;
Their appointment with death already made,
Anything to make USA feel terrors breath.

Budget deficits Federal and State,
Force local cutbacks across the board;
Taxpayers forced to dig deep and donate,
Replenish the city's hoard.

Working two jobs to make ends meet,
Helplessly watching prices rise;
Tempted to give up in defeat,
Discouraged by politicians' lies.

Taking in another roommate,
Helping shore up the bottom line --
Logistics of living a continuous debate,
Hoping that things will work out fine.
National leadership better not escape,
After committing horrendous economic crimes!


(c) 2003 MSW

Wednesday, October 01, 2003

Central Office


Fiber optics input, fiber optics output,
Transmit jacks, receive jacks;
Up wavelengths, down wavelengths,
Multiplexing and demultiplexing digital signals;

Billions of binary digits riding glass highways,
Only pausing at the intersection knows as a
Central Office - telephone jargon for Supernode.
The high-volume stream gets separated down,
Converted to electrical signals, separated more -
Spat down to the local ofice for conversion
To analog voice signals for area phones.
Phones are rung and signals become voices,
Family love and concern surviving the trip
Through endless miles of fiber and wire.

Remnants and relics of older technologies
Sit, gather dust, silent witness to the juggernaut,
As todays new tech supplants yesterdays wonders.
Kept to remind us what it was like then --
Tall, sturdy racks of Iron and Steel,
Electromechanical sentinels, lifeless
Still exuding strength and glory of
The once-omnipotent Bell System.


(c) 2003 MSW

Avoid Nuclear War

  Ever since I’ve been alive, all I’ve known is the nuclear sword poised, hanging over us all, ready at any moment to fall and send u...