I’m Free
(tune: Born Free (Matt Monro))
I’m free, as free as a sneeze blows,
I’m free from my sweat clothes,
I’m free to leave now my home.
Go free, and crowds will surround me,
Their noise will soon drown me
Each time I go out my door.
I’m free with no walls between us.
I'm free with vaccine inside,
I have no need to hide.
I’m free and I can start living
‘Cause I have been given
Shot two to set me free.
If Ever I Must Grow Up
If ever I must grow up,
Who will I finally be?
You may say I’m not a pup
And I need not wait to see.
But despite those bygone years,
I still visit youth in dreams.
When fog of memory clears,
Little time has passed, it seems.
I yet wish I could believe
In many fantastic things:
Peace and love, the tales I weave,
Simple fixes from magic rings.
You too, grandkids, will grow old
And learn much along your way.
But to some dreams try to hold --
Remember it’s fun to play.
Georgia in the News
(tune: Georgia on My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael))
Georgia, Georgia
Oh, what they do.
Those voting rules there
Keep Georgia in the news.
I said Georgia, Georgia,
What can you do?
It seems mighty clear
You do not like it Blue.
Other folks reach out to vote -
Democracy they promote,
Still in grasping hope you wrote
The rules to favor you.
I said Georgia, Oh Georgia,
No peace I find
Those voting rules there
Keep Georgia on my mind.
Swinging in America
(tune: Swinging on a Star)
Would you like to shoot an AR,
Blow away your prey from afar,
And be scarier than you are?
Or would you rather have the vote?
The vote is a right of adult citizenship
‘Though a right many seem to skip.
Our votes should decide who our leaders are,
Although they often follow their own star.
And by the way, if the news you do not note,
They may be now stealing your vote.
Or would you like to shoot an AR,
Blow away your prey from afar,
And be scarier than you are?
Or would you rather have your health?
Healthcare is an issue most of us take to heart,
A reason from our money we part.
We want relief from injury and disease
But who can believe those drug and doctor’s fees?
If you have insurance or lots of wealth
Maybe you can afford your health.
Or would you like to shoot an AR,
Blow away your prey from afar,
And be scarier than you are?
Or would you rather have safety?
Safety is a commodity in short supply,
Telling the good from the bad guy.
Is each for himself the best way to go
Or does control make security grow?
But if sight of policemen makes you chafe,
You may never feel truly safe.
And all the answers aren’t at hand
And not all march to the same band.
So you see it’s all up to us
Can we be better than we are?
Or do we each need our own AR?
If You Meet A Leprechaun
If you meet a leprechaun,
You should treat him with respect.
He is a phenomenon
With an Irish dialect.
Do not be fooled by his size
Nor smile hidden in his beard.
What he said were not quite lies,
But yet not as they appeared.
You see, he lives by himself,
And sees now a bit of fun.
You are his chance for mischief
And a rare encounter won.
He does not mean to harm you,
But your good is not his goal.
Twisting like a crooked screw,
He wants all in his control.
But if you ever trick him,
Beware of his awful rage.
Fun will become hateful whim
And he will go on rampage.
So, when you meet such a soul,
You do best to back away.
Say hi and keep to your stroll
And you’ll never rue the day.
Finding What You Look For
I thought I saw an unicorn
Happily grazing on my lawn.
I’m fairly sure I saw one horn
‘Though it was still dark before dawn.
There are fairies in my garden
Tending flowers that they’re guarding.
When I pick one I ask their pardon,
But I can feel their glares harden.
The gnome living under that tree
Thinks that he is hidden from me.
I admit he is hard to see,
But small footprints hint where he be.
I suspect a troll lives next door --
His unmown yard is an eyesore.
At nights I’m sure I hear him snore.
Despite all, he is my neighbor.
Perhaps it is my fantasy
To see what others do not see.
But such a life often pleases me
To stretch a bit reality.
Happy Pi Day
Throughout the whole world around,
Today is the day we have crowned
To celebrate the ratio
Used by ancients long ago.
March fourteen is three one four,
The first digits of many more.
Archimedes’ constant, pi,
Circle girth by two radii.
Area equals pi r squared,
But round is how pie’s prepared.
Today make the festive pledge
To honor pi with a wedge.
Buttering Up Your Bread
On which side is your bread buttered
Or is it Fluffer-nuttered?
Did you put on the slathered fat
Or need someone else to do that?
Butter is a most tasty treat
Making better all that you eat.
But unless on your friends you snack,
From buttering them up, hold back.
Save your butter for better things -
Use only for the fun it brings.
Buttering up the boss is wrong,
If workers are to get along.
But what when Boss butters the bread
And sees extra to you is fed?
May you accept such a favor
Of a treat which you so savor?
It is hard to see as a debt
When we are pampered as a pet.
Perhaps nothing back will be asked
And you will never feel harassed.
Playing favorites is a game
That is tricky by any name.
But it is one both sides might choose,
Hoping that nobody will lose.
We'll Go Once More A-Roving
(Thank you to Lord Byron)
Soon we'll go once more a roving
Staying out all the night,
Getting economy moving,
And hopes again burning bright.
For COVID outwore its dread,
And vaccine raised up its shield,
And though we must mourn our dead,
Now we can go afield.
Through this pandemic we strove,
But threat may return again,
Yet we'll go once more out to rove --
May loss not be in vain.
COVID Vaccine Dues
(tune: Folsom Prison Blues)
I see the vaccine coming, it’s rolling on her cart
I ain’t seen such a crowd since the COVID start
I’m stuck in my livingroom and it’s losing its charm
But vaccine is rolling near to shoot me in the arm
When COVID was first starting, the governor told me
“Citizens, let’s be smart, let’s lockdown for safety.”
But she shot me once today just so I won’t die,
When I saw that needle coming, I released a long held sigh.
I know there’s still folks waiting in their lonely home
They’re maybe drinking too much and wishing they could roam.
Well, my first turn is coming, I know I’m not quite free,
But those people will too be shot, and then they can see me.
When they shoot me again, and they let me leave the house,
I bet I will go a little farther with my spouse,
Far from my livingroom, maybe some vacations,
Then I will hurry home, back to my TV stations.
Making It Real
We can talk of many concepts,
Debate and even write them down,
But they’re unreal if none accepts
They are rooted in the solid ground.
So it is for Democracy,
That implausible way to live.
In theory it seems near crazy,
To make our neighbors combative.
How simple to be told what’s right
By a wise and God named ruler.
Let the informed say when to fight
And not some offended dueler.
Might you trust in the guy next door
If the adequate rules were made?
To welcome some distant vote more
With careful foundation laid?
It is a challenge to be met
To change theory into nation.
We have not got it quite right yet,
But it’s not imagination.
When you can see and I agree,
The abstract gains reality.
The pure concept may never be,
But we don’t live in fantasy.
Filibustering the Future
The future is coming down the tracks
With little time for us to relax.
Perhaps what will come can be delayed,
But it will go where the tracks were laid.
Will a mighty wind destroy the rails
Or divert destiny on to sails?
To protest your fate is still your right
Although unlikely you win the fight.
Must we listen to your droning plea
If, in my turn, you listen to me?
What protects your rights is my consent
To respect what we each represent.
To clarify:
To respect does not mean we agree -
It means you allow me to be me.
I may not like what you want to do,
But if so you want, then you be you.
But there are limits to be enforced -
Evil thoughts from actions must be divorced.
I may think and say what I desire,
But I may not set your house on fire.
Stir Crazy After This Past Year
(tune: Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon)
I sat in my old chair
In my house last night
It seemed so much the same old
I just whiled
Away watching the same shows
And threw back a few more snacks
Stir crazy after this past year
Stir crazy after this past year
I’m not the kind of man
Who tends to socialize
But I did go out
In those bygone times
‘Though I did not need to bar-hop,
A movie date was okay
Stir crazy after this past year
Stir crazy after this past year
Still under warnings
Masked up
Hiding
Waiting for my vaccine
Give me patience
Hold on now
It’s all gotta end
Now I sit by my TV
And I watch the news
I wonder if I’ll get loose
One fine day
When I would not be infected
By a crowd of my peers
Stir crazy after this past year
Stir crazy
Stir crazy
Stir crazy after this past year
Wilderness Warnings
I know you want to go camping,
In some forest to be tramping.
But before you go, please pay heed,
And I know some things you may need.
You do not want to chase a skunk,
Even one sleeping on your bunk.
Let this advice deeply sink in
Or else you will come home stinking.
It’s awesome to see a wild moose,
Peacefully munching on a spruce.
He (or she) will not bite on you,
But could dismiss you black and blue.
Bears have an active nose for food,
And your knapsack smells mighty good.
You might hang your food in a tree
But if one gets it, let him be.
You cannot hug a porcupine,
So don’t invite him near to dine,
Bring in footwear at night with you,
Or for your sweat he’ll eat your shoe.
Danger does not depend on size -
Beware swarming gnats and biting flies.
Even plants rooted to the ground
Can make you itch and bring a frown.
So, enjoy yourself while out there -
But I will stay safe in my chair.
The great outdoors may delight you -
I prefer critters in a zoo.
