Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The Obama Cookie

Boomers Cafe loaded with fattening stuff,
Bigger burgers and fatter fries for bigger
Appetites. Here there is no fancy frills or fluff,
All staple items to trip a diners’ trigger.
-
A special cookie is available there,
Full of tasty chocolate chunks;
Now is wildly popular everywhere,
Lift bored taste buds out of their funk!
-
Although many Boomers are dieting now,
They can find room for these cookies;
With a rich taste that makes one say, “wow”,
These are not made by any cookie rookie.
Time to travel to the Baby Boomer Cafe,
Buy a dozen, hand them out, make someone's day!

(Sonnet in response to news reports of the Obama Cookie)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Memories of Mother

She was so dear to me,
A friend, a confidante, a supporter always.
There to comfort, to dry my tears, and yet
There to give me a push when called for.
-
Our loving, sweet mother.
She gave us life, nurtured us,
Endured our tantrums, cooked our meals,
Washed our clothes, made our beds,
Offered many loving words of encouragement.
-
Cold mornings on a paper route were warmed
Considerably by her driving me on the route!
-
Almost up to the end, when Cancer took her...
After losing her voice, she would still write
Loving notes of encouragement to me.
Motivating me on a first job,
Congratulating me on successes.
I still have them, of course, all treasured.
-
On this anniversary of her death in 1981,
I honor her memory once again.
Love never dies, it just gets passed on.
Feeling her warmth as I write this,
Dear reader, now I pass it onto you.
-
Thanks for reading this, and may you be
Even fractionally as fortunate as I was.


-

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Came Late to the Party

Too bad the coffeeshops are closing,
Unfortunate to see gadget stores going;
Now that economy is getting a hosing,
Yours truly got a laptop with wi-fi homing.
-
Either too soon to the mark,
Or a day late and a dollar short;
My timing seems on a lark,
Leaping forth while others abort.
-
Still pleased and amazed at connectivity,
Built into most laptop computers today;
Just one aspect of mobile productivity,
Hotspots abound all over town nowadays.
Though economic fallout descends around me,
My mobile Internet access will keep me happy
-
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And the screen is really crisp and sharp too *grin*

Sunday, November 09, 2008

How about them Hawkeyes

National-ranked team with tough defense,
Their record matching determination to win;
Time for the Hawks to drop all pretense,
Join fierce battle with chance of victory slim.
-
Shonn Green started things out right,
Kelly and Royster responded in kind;
Penn State Showed assembled might,
Hawkeyes fought on, determined in mind.
-
Third quarter came with Hawkeye score,
Lions roared back with scores of their own;
Neither side yielded but struggled even more,
Yet Hawks destined to win titanic struggle at home.
Green and Murray put once mighty Lions down for good,
Hawkeyes stature standing tall in Big Ten neighborhood.
-
-

A tribute to the Iowa Hawkeyes football team in Sonnet form.
Congradulations to the entire team for a well-deserved victory.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Post-Election Haiku




Election over,
Democratic president,
Sigh of relief heaved.
------------------------------------
President chosen,
No more televison ads,
I sigh with relief
------------------------------
Noise level increased,
A new leader is chosen!
Good, no more attacks.
-------------------------------
I am so relieved,
Our new leader is chosen.
No more TV ads!
----------------------------
Joy, pleasure abound,
Obama was elected!
Stocks were not impressed.
--------------------------
Challenges abound,
Obama will have hands full;
Hope he can juggle.
-
-
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Hopefully the next four years will be better than the last eight.

Monday, November 03, 2008

CBS Sunday Morning ran a segment on Patriotism last sunday, which got me to thinking....
And to writing some stuff. So, here goes.....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patriotism

Devotion, support, love of country
Expressed in many different ways.
Military service, volunteer duties,
Fighting for civil rights for
Ethnic groups of various stripes.
USA comprised of many, many
Populations of subgroups.
White, Black, Hispanic, Asian
Pro-life, Pro-choice,
Conservative, Liberal,
Heterosexual, Homosexual.
All fortunate to live in such a large,
All-encompassing country,
Big Uncle Sam holding all
In loving, protective embrace.
This Election Day,
We can nod in
Acknowledgement
Of one another,
Our rights to be different,
Our freedom to disagree --
Yet our acceptance of one another.
We are all Americans,
Constantly learning from each other.
We can come together this Nov. 4th,
Participate in worlds greatest democracy,
Electing our leaders once again.
Civil rights struggles will continue,
New groups, new issues,
New, against old, entrenchments.
As we struggle for direction,
We can still love one another.
God bless America, in all its diversity, indeed.
-----------------------------------------------------
Patriotism II

Is it more loyal, patriotic,
To follow well-worn paths,
Enlist and follow orders,
Be made into a killing automaton?
Or fight unconventionally,
Standing up for civil rights,
Support the downtrodden,
Show unique kind of moral might?
Defending your country certainly honorable,
Difficult to know where hairs were split...
Between defending our borders, or
Promoting world-dominating policies.
True patriots will question authority,
Not for dissentions sake alone,
But to seek demonstrable truths,
The betterment of all our welfare.
John Adams, or Thomas Jefferson
Dynamic tensions between
Priviledged and Innovators,
Traditional and novel.
Rosa Parks, or George Wallace.
Barry Goldwater or John Kennedy,
Martin L. King or Richard Pryor.
Discordant tension, striving towards unity.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Patriotism III
We all seek what is right for ourselves,
And our fellow countrymen, countrywomen;
Bitter pill of democracy is the ongoing struggle
Argument, debate, haggling out of detail,
To find that which works reasonably,
Inclusive of at least the majority.
For the betterment of all.
Today, there are thousands, millions of
Gays and Lesbians who love the USA.
They are volunteering for community groups,
Supporting political choices, assisting with
HIV testing, counseling, outreach. All
Adding their threads of achievement to this
Huge multi-hued tapestry we call
The United States of America.
They also deserve the rights to liberty,
The right to love a member of the same sex,
To enter into legally-recognized civil unions.
The USA has survived and prospered
Due to its ability to change and grow.
We no longer allow slavery,
We have cleaned up our air, water;
We have made many strides in
In improving the lives of citizens.
Time to take the next step.
Grant the right to marry to
Gay and Lesbian couples.
Freedom for all, not most.
--------------------------------------------
Patriotism IV

We face many challenges ahead,
Domestic petroleum supply decreasing,
Economic turmoil straining the Fed,
External threats steady or increasing.
-
Social Security, Medicare funds will run dry,
Other social safety net programs in jeopardy;
We need new ideas, funding plans to try
To keep our large population safe and healthy.
-
Hopefully our newly elected president can achieve
Great strides in solving some of these major issues;
We can achieve what we can conceive and believe,
Disparate groups joining together, healing fissures.
Both candidates observed, "Our best years are yet to come",
With unity and purpose, We can attain these heights as one.
-
-
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One nation, under God, indivisible. With liberty and justice for all.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Memories


Memory, sweet memory


I remember when
One used to pick up a heavy
Telephone handset,
stick a Finger into circular hole,
Pull down a dial at the correct number.

Long distance calls
Beeped, warbled, hissed.
It required an operator
For my collect calls from school.

That was back when I was
Young, skinny, desired by
More people than I would
Have thought possible.
-
Technology was clunky,
My body svelte, sexy.
-
Today, things stand reversed.
-
Slim cellular devices
Packed with many features,
Hard to dial, though, with
My wrinkled fat old
Fingers.


Who ever said life was fair.
Pitch black coat,
Darkness with legs,
Eyes gleaming outward,
Mouth opens, shimmers teeth,
Meows march forth,
Gripping my ears,
Demanding attention.
-
It tangles in my ankles,
Increasing the volume.
-
I hasten to fetch the dry cat food,
Unable to refuse such a creature.


The neighborhood beggar.

Weaponize

 The military is always on the lookout for new weapons; Various advanced drones and aircraft flit about in our skies, Beamed laser weapons h...