Topsy-Turvy

 

You’re up until you’re down,

You’re in until you’re out;

One group thinks you are A-OK,

but then another thinks you stink.

Popularity is a flickering wave

in a turbulent ocean of human desires.

Got to focus in and ride that crest,

then fade back deep for perspective …

sooner or later you’ll fall flat on your face.

Must needs to shift to some other mental place.

Thank goodness for the refuges from the game,

where we are not endlessly pursuing fame,

rating each other up and down and sideways…

Time to get out in nature and take a walk,

leaving every single device owned behind at home.

Finale Balance

 

Mow and weed,

scrape and paint;

strenuous indeed,

not for the faint.

Retirement was supposed to be easy,

all travel and pleasure and fun.

Not perched on a ladder feeling queasy,

Pushing through painting until done.

But there is a balance that can be found,

between entertainment and needed projects.

Some time invested in tasks profound,

then allow relaxation to pause and reflect.

There will be time enough for future entertainment,

while I gift myself with some needed goal attainment.

Crossing the Finish Line

 

Hoping to thrive after turning 65,

hereby declaring my retirement.

Memories of past jobs gone by,

Forced into situations and adjustments.

Started out in a high tech industry,

But forced by circumstances to go low.

Thought I would do so much,

money ideas flowed like water.

But here I am retired,

moving more like molasses.

Still getting projects done,

one by one,

slow and steady completions,

as the days crawl by,

and yet time still flies.

Maybe some travel will help my mood,

now suspended by strangeness

and disbelief.

How did I get all the way to 65?

And why do I still feel like 23 inside.

Questions, questions, questions.

Never too old to ask,

or be baffled by a lack of answers.

A Few Musings

 

Back in the day

“Real time” meant when you bought a newspaper

from the street corner kiosk or machine.

The same day was timely enough for current events,

and ‘going viral’ was language reserved for the doc’s office.

Memes held different meanings back then,

and any online chatting was happening in BBS’s

or that Compuserve online service, the new sensation.

Carburetors could be adjusted with a screwdriver,

engine timing could be checked with a simple light.

EV’s were restricted to the local golf course,

Computers sat in rooms, not under the hood.

But we got by just fine,

didn’t know anything different,

thought we were living in modernity.

Analog living gave us everything we needed.

And we had all the time we needed,

to do just whatever we wanted,

no pesky notifications or updates required,

back when electronic devices worked for us.

======

Escape from Pseudo Reality

A paper book beckons with drama on a page,

yet those Netflix dramas are all the rage.

Some man hands a woman a warming wrap,

while remnants of humanity are under attack!

Choose your anxieties, now or later;

War, sex, power, conflict all matter

a lot to audiences, discriminating or not.

Mirrored realities expose our collective lot.

In space or on earth, or in other dimensions,

Humans fight for what’s right, all good intentions.

Knives thrown and auto weapons fired aplenty,

Grit, anger and determination to defeat the enemy!

Streaming videos distract in relentless attacks,

but strong discipline applied yanks attentions back.

Read a paper book and write some lyrical lines down,

that pride of accomplishment brings smiles, not frowns.

=====

The Steelers are fending off another attack by the Chiefs,

but the Chiefs keep scoring and scoring.

Earlier, the Cowboys got defeated by the 49’ers.

The Super Bowl is coming in February:

two teams will enter, one leave victorious.

Yet to be determined who they will be,

the two that will battle for ultimate victory.

They have been slogging and slugging

all season long, to get to the highest level.

Another February fight and trophy hoist.

Player high-fives and mothers’ eyes moist.

Will all the bruises and broken bones be

worth the prize won at such high cost?

Medical bills and therapy agonies balanced

with NFL salaries, bonuses and memoirs galore.

=====

 Politico Embarrassment

We used to read about the famous in the paper,

editorials illuminated their surprising errors;

if we were lucky some big name would

end up on the police beat in the back page,

then we could cluck our tongues and gossip.

Later we would see their faces on TV,

in some grainy lineup photo perhaps,

the mighty again ‘brought low’ by scandal.

The rest of us reassured that even though

we did not have a high station in life,

we surely could not take a fall like that!

Now welcome to the age of instant notoriety.

a tweet or post gets you there in moments!

Your name appears on ten million screens,

spoken aloud by masses of young lips.

Bask in that glow of fame, or infamy...

Because in moments you will be unseated

by the next Internet media sensation.

Sorry, it was fun while it lasted – or not.

Pedestrian Pride in 2022

 

Decorated dogs and babies wrapped in rainbow ribbons,

multicolored socks, shoes, leggings and everything else;

shocking pink hairdos and tank tops,

anything goes in the Pride Parade!

it once all seemed so exotic and brave;

People sticking their necks out – and proud...

Coming out of the closet and into the light,

showing all the others they were not alone.

Now it all seems so pedestrian and commonplace,

whole families are wearing rainbow outfits,

a restaurant features youngsters wearing Trans capes.

The Pride celebrations now just another family outing,

perhaps an excuse for a picnic and getting some sun.

It shows how far we have come as a society,

welcoming those on the fringe into the mainstream.

No more need to be filled with shame or guilt,

those who love their own sex and gender are okay,

officially accepted, and can marry their own kind.

Happy Pride 2022 to One and All.

One Nation of Active Shooters

 

We like to shoot, shoot, shoot,

whether it is ‘the bull’ or ‘the s**t’,

or ‘for the moon’ or even to ‘take our best’ one.

But we profess responsibility and good intentions,

even while espousing our freedom to bear arms.

Our government might turn tyrannical, you know.

And despite a professional army that has everything

from 9MM sidearms to nuclear missiles,

we may need automatic rifles to storm the capitol,

just to knock some sense into those elected officials.

Ridiculous, ludicrous, arguments that just

do not make sense, do not stand up to logic.

Even so, this might not matter if so many

innocent children are ending up dead –

shot in a school – ultimate lesson learned:

It is not safe to be a schoolchild in the USA anymore.

Shoot anything but don’t shoot an innocent child!

Is there a more cowardly, despicable act one can think of?

What have we become?

Not what we once were, or once stood for.

Talk about ‘shooting ourselves in the collective foot’

every shot fired at an innocent child is a

‘shot through the heart’ of our country.

Our enemies have already won when they do not

even have to fire a shot at us.

We are shooting each other down,

in ones, twos, and nineteens.

Primary Time

 

That new leader we thought was a dream come true,

just turned out to be the nightmare we will rue.

This seems to happen in every election cycle too.

Would a country with no leaders at all be cool?

There is never an easy solution at hand,

just endless shades of gray, all partisan.

But our stumbling, inefficient democracy

still seems preferable to a greedy oligarchy.

Another election primary is coming up soon,

new faces in the party to make one swoon.

Go out and cast that party vote this June,

see if the electorate will “dance to a different tune.”

One simple way for a commoner to participate,

See the enthusiasm for change we can generate.

With a Respectful Nod to Shelley

 

Beauty resides in many different forms,

regular symmetry, appealing colors and patterns.

The linear grandeur of glass studded- skyscrapers,

Geometric regularity of streets, curbs, walks or paths.

The radial glory of flower petals that scent the wind,

entice bees to help them achieve ecstasy of reproduction.

Springtime sprinkles of violas and dandelion that reflect

sunshine and pronounce that summertime is coming.

A river shimmers with light and life as it

courses through emerald landscapes.

Wooded areas nearby explode with vitality,

creatures tiny, small and large stir into activity.

Insects blur the air in pursuit of a furry meal,

while the furry ones chase their own dinner,

or potential mates in an endlessly repeating cycle.

Cycles echoed in ever-larger scale, to continental,

or global scale symmetries in regular patterns.

Solar system movements coruscate in shifting paths,

while circling galactic centers in clouds of gaseous plasma.

The galaxies themselves echo patterns of beauty,

pinwheeling, spiraling, or crouching in preparation.

Are any two galaxies the same? Or any grains of sand?

All unique symmetrical expressions of the beauty of nature.

And us little pieces of the universe pause to write about

the whole impossibility, and their own small movements within.

Ceaseless Agonies

 

The efforts continue to clear out a flowerbed,

bare dirt hoed and spaded, over and over.

But those blades of grass keep shooting up,

popping out three inches in a day!

“just try and get us all,” they say.

Like the problems in some relationships;

no matter how much work one puts into them.

Mistakes, gossip and backbiting, rude remarks

just keep popping up to complicate everything.

No matter how many are dealt with, more appear.

A strong weed killer applied would kill them all,

and total isolation would take care of those relationships.

Neither solution is desirable or appropriate!

So my sore and tired limbs keep plucking grass out, and

my wearied brain keeps trying to sort out relationships.

Perhaps there is an island somewhere,

without people or weeds…

But then I’d probably die of boredom.

Another Week Ahead

 

Late April and severe thunderstorms roll on through,

high winds, bending trees, flying sticks, and floods.

Better weather has to be ahead, with no more snow,

Time to lay in summer plans, and forget winter crud.

War rages on overseas in Ukraine,

talking heads keep chattering away;

culture wars flourish here in the USA,

can a pandemic-ravaged society prevail?

Spring peonies and daffodils show determination,

push above last winters detritus to display their beauty;

Perhaps we humans can put aside our recriminations,

unify and confront world problems, as it is our duty.

Hope that people do not move things further back in reverse,

while human-made time ticks down the motions of the universe.

Next Phase of Living

 

So here I am, perched on a high ledge, looking back over a long trail taken up life’s slope. Now I find myself near retirement age, almost there (at the top?). What an eerie feeling. How did I cover all that distance? Where did all those years go? But my memory answers “I did this, and that, and that, went here and there, etc, etc.” Goodness sakes! I got the benefit of all those years, I lived life as well as I could manage. I enjoyed all of the fun times on weekends, and endured the grueling nature of workdays and workweeks. They seemed to crawl by, slow as the rocket crawler that NASA uses for their moon rockets. But now they have all flown by, faster than any X-plane concocted. Here I sit, in the Future that is Now.

Thoughts of the nature of time and experience drift across my mental screen at times, while at work. I eke out my last days with anticipation and dread of what lies ahead. I hope fervently that my health will hold up for a few years at least, so I can travel and have fun in retirement years. Underneath it all is the dread of inflation and economic upheavals, and the knowledge that part-time work may be returning in a future year if things don’t hold up well. There are some unknowns that loom ahead.

But the motivating vision compels one onward: To get up in the morning one day, knowing there will be a check deposited in the bank monthly, even if I do not leave the house to go to any kind of a job. And that will be truly wonderful. I won’t need to live extravagantly or travel all over the place. Just to live and be supported – by 46 years in the working world, and contributions of millions of other wage earners too. Hurrah!

The tinge of sadness that shades the final days at work could be attributed to my amazement at the passing of time. Images of past workplaces will surface at times, with accompanying wonderment at where it all went. Some gratitude too, that I was able to hold my own and experience some of the workplaces I was in.

No, I never rose to any high positions, or invented any world changing gadgets. Bu I also avoided the worst of outcomes, and kept well-fed, clothed, sheltered and at times happy too. Thankfulness that I made it to the endpoint of a working life without any of numerous bad outcomes that could have happened.

Looking forward to this next phase of life. Bring it on, AARP – lol. See you all at the fitness center or on the bike trail. I’ll need to keep the old bones and frame limber. Never know, this old codger might get lucky still ;-) Good health and best wishes to all of you wonderful people who actually took time out of your day to read this.  

Unlimited Space and the View is Fantastic

 

So now the “private” AX-1 mission is at the ISS.

Three passengers each paid 55 million $ for the ride,

and are all going to perform research onboard.

The ultimate altruism in action – commendable!

Shows their total dedication to science and space exploration.

Humanity is moving outward, despite the impediments.

Will it pay off? Will it all be worth it?

People are not likely to stop the outward migrations,

because there is so much free stuff in space!

All around the solar system,

free ores and metals for the taking.

Free energy from the sun all the time.

So much living space that even billions can

have room to move around and own property…

The thought alone is so enticing it is hard to resist

fantasizing about ones’ very own asteroid or planetesimal.

If the world can succeed at not blowing each other up,

these coming decades should prove to be amazing indeed.

Good luck and best wishes to AX-1 and the others that will

follow their path to private space habitats and beyond.

Ukraine State of Mind

 

Blood runs bright in the streets of Kyiv,

War crimes perpetrated against innocents.

Troops ebb and flow as bombs and missiles destroy…

And a mighty country is held at bay by

desperate civilians fighting for their land.

War is never the ultimate solution,

just another problem-generating jolt.

But we keep doing it anyway –

warfighting seems rooted in human hormonal response.

Could we dope our way out of these aggressions?

Perhaps sit around a big table at the UN, and say,

“Okay you dope your country first, we promise to follow!”

Trust is a big part of any real solutions,

but it is amazing how much damage that

one megalomaniac dictator can unleash –

no matter where they happen to live!

At this point a heartfelt prayer might help,

to feel better if nothing else…

Pity the poor Earth, suffering the constant

thrashes and lashes from its unruly human progeny.

Layered Realities

 

During an earlier age we entered data and

manipulated it on a green monochrome screen,

then retreated back into our mental worlds.

At a later time, one keyed stuff into a PC,

watched images and pictures flicker past,

was informed, entertained, enlightened.

Then retreated back into a mental world.

Time passes, the screens get smaller and more colorful.

We jump between things with finger swipes,

message, listen, view, chuckle and giggle.

Middle-aged men sit laughing at TikTok videos

(who would have stood by the watercooler in earlier times),

Then we retreat back into our mental worlds.

Someday there will be implants that will

transmit all of the Internet into our heads via nerves.

Then we will text, view, watch, laugh

and be entertained, but perhaps have to

struggle to retreat into our real mental selves,

so violated by our own technologies by this time.

We will become part of the slipstream of meta-reality,

pure energy entities merged, guided only by patterns.

And who will control those?

And does it even matter?

We probably will not know or care.

See you in the overarching-omni-ultra-metaverse!

Just another Tit for Tat

 

A country in Europe savagely attacked,

but the warning signs were evident.

A huge buildup took place on the border,

before the inevitable air strikes began.

While this is an unjust war against a neighbor,

we have seen similar scenarios play out before.

Civilian casualties including children’s deaths,

schools and hospitals bombed accidentally...

Accusations of war crimes reverberate in the UN,

the head of the Russian state vilified, as he should be.

But there is some eerie familiarity to events that took

place back in 2003, with a different leader held in contempt.

Things look different when the “shoe is on the other foot.”

But now we get to lay blame, heckle and harry the opposition;

Just like they did to us during previous expeditionary adventures.

War is horrific to local populations no matter the reasons,

conflict never solves problems, just re-draws borders

while hatreds are cemented and grudges are codified.

This one will end too, like all the others before it,

ultimate costs measured in dollars and in deaths.

Humanity will never learn the lesson,

just keep repeating mistakes with each generation.

But we will probably form new peacekeeping organizations,

and feel good about things – for a while, at least.

Natural Ascent

 

Who needs opiates, xanax or percocet?

We have an on-board, online 100-billion

neuron entertainment complex with us always.

Reach deep into your mental well,

tug out memories of pop songs, happy times,

pleasant refrains, compliments to yourself,

tug up that favorite tune from

Devo

Tears for Fears

Gary Numan

Green Day

Kurt cobain,

whomever you like.

and mix it with a happy memory of a beautiful time.

There it is:

Free,

yours forever,

feeling happy

costing little effort.

Because who wants to forget beautiful zaps

to your ego, reinforcements to your wonder,

your unique oneness contributing much to the

human race. Yes, you!

Whether crossing a finish line,

completing something for the first time,

mastering it for the fiftieth time,

there is no high so wonderful as a natural high.

Free.

Legal.

Safe.

And always yours.

See you someday,

tripping down memory lane,

were you might see past lovers,

or color-shaded wonders,

but never a jail cell or court of law.

No one can defeat us inside.

Shifting Ground in Uncertain Days

 

A reader could learn

about the awful riots in 1943 Detroit, in the depths of WW II.

They could see the causes and reasons and results,

and gain understanding and insights.

Or read about the leadup to the Vietnam war,

the French at DienBienPhu, the US entry,

governments falling in Saigon, etc.

“Well, that was understandable given the fact that…”

There was that

sudden wonder of our leapfrogging

Space Program, and landing on the Moon.

“Well, they did get a huge amount of funding...”

The end of the Vietnam Conflict,

the stag-flagtion and the miseries,

economic malaise and social disgraces,

sweeping in of a conservative tide,

it’s morning in America again.

“Yeah, that was understandable in light of…”

On and on the historical events parade,

each with their mountain of footnotes and causes.

All comprehensible in the 1000-watt glare of hindsight.

Today, we find ourselves wearied of wars,

yet embroiled in the defense of a beleaguered country.

East and West are lining up opposing each other,

more swift than any sporting contest I can think of.

We watch events unfold, surprise after shocker after stunner.

“How in the heck did that happen?”

“How is this all going to end?”

“Who will ultimately come out on top of this mess?”

A mystery unfolding each day,

uncertainty pervades the mood,

insecurity gnaws at our psyches.

“War in Europe? Didn’t that end very badly last time?”

Historical records will eventually illuminate it all –

for the survivors. Let’s hope that we are among them.

Nazis are the Real Invaders

 

Who let the bear loose?

Thought it was caged in agreements,

soft words and easy blandishments.

Things were quiet for a few years there...

As if we could cage that long-simmering rage.

Now it is out and rampaging across European

lands, wreaking havoc just because it can.

Western “zookeepers” try to slap its paws,

to no effect whatsoever – it just yawns,

then goes on crushing hope in its maw.

How to explain to young people why they

must go overseas to fight for freedom – again?

I don’t hear any more jokes about ‘dumb Ukrainians,’

but I’m waiting for the new cracks about stupid Russians.

It is unfortunate that the world is entering this dangerous era.

Ready, Aim...

 

Now they are moving blood to the border,

Someone is expecting a lot of casualties;

Ukrainian, Belorussian, and Russian too.

War never operates like a chessboard or algorithm!

Terrified teenagers ordered to kill human beings,

fatigued, hungry and thirsty, scared and angry,

being screamed at by their officers, cajoled,

manipulated, lied to, sent to die for stupid reasons.

(remind anyone of previous conflicts?)

When these events come to a conclusion,

we always resolve to never repeat this idiocy.

But people being people, we always do.

The wonder is, what took it so long to repeat?

So now there are blood supplies moved to Ukraine’s border,

and I’m assuming it is not to feed the vampire battalion.

More dead bodies, more lofty oratory pronouncements….

The Bear is coming again – better lock and load.

Springtime is Coming

 

 

Balmy winds surprise and delight us on

February days with lengthening sunshine.

Unfamiliar sounds trigger some memory,

courting owls and doves, early robins sing

as if to say “the worst is over now!”

Cold and snow dip back in at times,

a few last hammer blows to show who is boss.

March is around the corner now, winter’s lost.

Green shoots occur, early buds to follow soon...

The world will explode in color, and reward endurance.

Just a few more weeks and we won’t have to

walk around bundled, and trundle like penguins.

Hoary cold will lose its grip on our tired spirits,

sun and warmth will renew our youthful spring.

We endure this crud every year, and it never gets easier.

So raise a glass and salute the coming spring glories,

that indomitable human spirit will conquer all worries.

Artificial Engagements

 

Are you really that happy to see me,

or is it just shine of nanotechnology?

Could we get together and mate some day,

my interface fits like a Cat6 RJ-45 and stays...

Your IM showed hot flesh and good promise,

when I replied, after you replied to mine!

Set a date and time to actually meet up,

but just like all the others you did not show.

Face-to-face meetups are so passe these days,

no one wants to travel or is afraid of a disease.

Best get together in a virtual setup someplace,

shed our inhibitions, and put our minds at ease.

We can share our fantasies and finish our business,

no obligations or commitments to overshadow us.

In moments or hours at most the relationship ends,

We can discard partners like wrappers, with little fuss.

One has to wonder how this will affect the human race,

when relationships are compressed so, in time and space.

Best not to trouble my tired brain with this deep issue,

Got to make that 3:00 virtual – (but I still miss you.)

Against War

 

The young men charging out across

muddy, cratered fields into bullets,

so willing to go to their deaths – or not.

They get gassed, bombed, peppered with shrapnel,

some are left mangled, others survive,

still alive, yet permanently damaged.

 Their offspring fight across battlefields

European and Asian, leaving death,

despair, carnage and torture across the globe.

The wars keep coming,

one after another.

Compelling reasons spouted by leaders,

populations follow willing or not.

Harsh, cruel, unfair deaths

bestowed on generation after generation.

Most have stopped asking why,

humanity seems determined to

heap misery upon itself,

over and over.

And now, this day,

we are getting ready to do it again.

No surprise, warfare;

no shock, carnage;

just head-shaking sadness.

Too bad we aren’t amoebas,

oblivious to everything,

not feeling the end,

not understanding or caring,

just wiggling and eating.

War, the human offense,

destroys innocent bystander The Earth;

Mother Nature crushed by tank treads,

destroyed by nonsensical human stupidity.

Pity the poor animals,

the only innocents left.

Honor of Experience with Poets

 

That connection with fellow poets is invaluable.

Those local minds that I interact with,

exchange ideas, images and metaphors

are so valuable to experience and enjoy.

I sit there with Pat, Mary, Jeff and Dick,

Lynn, Joyce, Jane, Frank, Virginia, Jim and more.

We read each others work, share our impressions,

and for a brief time, join hands across time with

Emily, Edna, Edgar, Robert, ee, Allen, and all those

voices who speak to us of worlds and feelings near or far,

distant in time and space, or close as a neighboring city yesterday.

Humanity’s collective harmony of thought, feeling, existence

reverberating and reflecting, absorbing and coruscating…

creating new ideas as fast as old ones are consumed.

Us lucky few, able to attach to this deep, vast well of being, and

become at one with it (as much or more than some Internet device.)

Gratitude goes out to my fellow poets,

for all the shared experience

we have enjoyed together throughout the years!

Looking forward to more time spent together,

sharing in the human experience that seems to

encompass galaxies and universes.

The 2020s are here – strap yourselves in,

it should be a great show – to write about!

Don't talk down to people

 

Those in business and want to earn my money

had better not talk down or condescend to me.

Treating someone like a child or incompetent

is a good way to see them vacate the premises.

So many different places default to this standard,

talk to everyone coming in the door as if they

are lesser beings, children, or otherwise deficient.

So you have hordes of people out there with the

impression planted repeatedly that they are lesser

in some fashion or other, just for shopping for something.

It is no wonder our society, our country lags in so many areas.

Large masses of the public get repeated imbecilic messages.

Advertisements full of nonsensical puffery and enticements,

insincere doubletalk and blandishments from public officials,

baby talk and condescension from so many public venues.

What good is a public or private school education,

when it is soon cast away in favor of mindless babble?

No wonder life expectancy is down and suicides are up.

What is the point of doing anything right if it is always

greeted with jealous derision and bitter backbiting?

Crazy effing world out there.  

Stay rational if you can.