Rockford into Rust

In the space of 20 years we lost so much manufacturing capability to other countries it boggles the mind.  A villanelle to address the subjerct.

The empty factories stand in quiet rust,

 Their echoed whistles silenced long ago

; The fire in the furnace turns to dust.

The golden promise shattered into dust,

 As lines were moved where cheaper currents flow;

 The empty factories stand in quiet rust.

The towns that thrived on work and steady trust 

Now watch the shadows of the machinery grow;

 The fire in the furnace turns to dust.

We traded iron gears for steel untrust,

 And lost the craftsman's touch we used to know;

 The empty factories stand in quiet rust.

No sparks are thrown, no sudden metal thrust,

 Where generations worked to make it so;

 The fire in the furnace turns to dust.

The heavy hammer falls because it must,

 Yet leaving only ghost-towns in the snow:

 The empty factories stand in quiet rust,

 The fire in the furnace turns to dust.

Triple Me

 

Political campaigns all take a similar path. . .

They start out with such noble goals;

bring democracy back to the people,

take corruption out of the process.

Time to give all parties due process,

bring fairness back into the fold.

But then the realities set in...

Running a campaign costs money,

“Brother can you spare a twenty?”

Need to find hundreds of write-in votes,

if the committee will allow them in!

Leadership already has their favorite picked.

Inevitable corruption seeps in,

power posturing and majority rule

enforce ultimate control over it all.

Two contenders emerge, and one wins out.

With the financial influencers and horse-trading,

any actual good done for the public at large

seems accidental, ephemeral good fortune

for the actual benefit of all society.

Everything else is just “Me, me and me,”

group after group tugging our country

back and forth, to and fro across history.

Everybody Does It

 

     Masturbation, or self-pleasuring. It is nature's own sexual safety valve. When one is so overcome by desire, and cannot get it another way, one can always resort to their hand – or a sex toy. And there is nothing wrong with that at all. Most of us are in a place where we will not likely get the object of our desire, and therefore need some kind of relief mechanism anyway. To deny this on some religious or moral grounds is just plain cruel. There is no rational reason to deny ourselves this stress release.

     Now, granted, some may fall into a pattern of compulsive over indulging. This is probably not a good idea, just as overindulging in any other pleasure or vice can also be destructive. And one should certainly give a try to dating and other social options. But for most of us, there is no reason at all to not give ourselves a helping hand from time to time. It is good for our physical and mental health, if for no other reason than to exercise our reproductive machinery – keep it 'tuned up.'

     World leaders especially should practice more self-pleasuring. It might lead to less conflicts, and more peaceful negotiations. It's difficult to maintain a state of anger or mistrust when one is flooded with post-orgasmic oxytocone/dopamine. While I'm not suggesting that world leaders have sex with each other, they could do something to lower the temperature of anger around the world today. Something to think about. Like, get yourself off, don't set the nukes off! Then maybe start cooperating on issues of mutual concern, like global climate change and pandemics.

Oh, if only it were so.

High Summer Time

 

July 15, the middle of summer, high summer.

Outside temperature to match – mid 90's F.

Steamy humidity and foul tempers go together;

It is also a summer of war.

Ukraine and Iran are smoldering with hatred and heat,

one can smell burning bodies from a long way off.

Leaders yell and bark orders, and more

young people die in many senseless ways.

At home gas prices follow thermometer readings up,

but various local events try to give us a bit of joy.

Every time happiness promises to creep in,

some seething hatred always spoils the day.

People just can't help but inject misery into life.

It is high summer,

and folks are out on the water,

on the recreational trails,

in their yards working on projects.

Bitter winter cold is a distant memory.

No season lasts forever, and change is

always in the mail, arriving harshly later on.

It is high summer,

and there are some good memories,

oh, to bring them back to life.

Oh to create some new wonderful memories. . .

But that gets more difficult every year.

It is high summer,

but youth is a fleeting memory,

and joints never work as well as they should.

Still, a walk can be forced,

a social event planned,

a pleasant conversation enjoyed,

a tasty meal savored.

It is high summer,

and I'm determined to enjoy it,

no matter what anyone says or does.

Here's hoping that you can too!

Sustaining the Earth

 

Some of these ideas have been around for decades.

Drive with care, no rabbit starts and slam on the brakes;

Use less assisted technology of all kinds.

Turn up the AC and turn down the heat thermostats.

Recycling has taken off in recent times;

Yes, toss those twist-top plastic jugs into

the blue bins, cover and all.

No, not the plastic bags, nor the aluminum foil.

Clean cardboard is recyclable -

food-coated pizza boxes or plastic-added boxes: NO.

Aluminum cans and milk jugs – yes, recyclable,

and so is glass. But plastic berry containers are not.

The main point here is to just try to do what you can.

If we all try a little, it will matter a lot and make a difference.

These steps will save us resources, and protect the environment.

Read up on how to protect the environment,

because the same steps will help you save money in some cases,

'and benefit our children, and their children . . .

meaning more clean water and air will be around for them.

If one takes a walk along a pedestrian trail,

one can see firsthand the good and the bad.

The trash of all kinds left behind,

and the decorative plantings or landscaping.

The care and the carelessness -

often right next to each other!

What a beautiful world we can have,

if we all just try a bit harder to care for it.

Chicago Memories

 

Every time I turn around

I bump into another person.

Masses of humanity,

ongoing sea of people all over.

Crossing streets full of honking cars,

a milieu of sights and smells,

appealing or disgusting.

This mighty megacity is overwhelming.

Even inside a hotel room I hear

a constant din of horns and sirens,

even voices yelling out about something important.

The 3 AM truck deliveries to Trader Joes

have to go on so they don't run out of stuff.

Just wish it wasn't so close to my window!

Oh well, this is life in a very large city.

I was happy on the boat tour,

marveling at all of the skyscrapers

that spoke with each other through design.

No surprise that many others also want to see

the wondrous constructs of our second city.

It was a good time to forget about all

the problems that exist in society,

and celebrate our triumphs for once.

The problems will not easily go away.

But we can at least give ourselves a

pat on the back on occasion.

But be sure to watch where you step around there,

there are moving obstacles all over the place.

Fly Landed on a Hedge Fund

 

What does the fly know about a hedge fund?

The Catbird calls, but not to his broker.

A robin sings melodious tunes,

enchanting listening ears but not the SEC.

One can plod along a woodland trail,

and tolerate temporary drudgery

much better than one can walk a prison yard,

and just try to stay alive intact one more day.

Financial shenanigans are multitudinous,

just like needy, desperate, greedy people.

Some are luckily able to avoid all the schemes,

and count what is really meaningful in life.

Enough.

Enough to eat, enough to live and sleep and stay

indoors or outside even.

Enough, and no more.

In fact, the less the better.

Throw greed out the window,

Cast ambition to the wolves.

A simple life can be the new rule,

Let other people get trampled under hooves

of rampaging Wall Street beasts of all sizes.

I'll take the drowsy sunlit garden

with a free banquet of shapes and colors.