Blow Smoke in Your Eyes

(tune: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,
by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach (1933))

They ask me how I knew the facts were not true
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, Of course I deny
I am just blowing smoke in their eyes
(I-do-do, I-do-do, I-do-do, whoa)

They say, “Someday folks’ll know what you say ain’t so”
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, With my pants on fire
None will realize it’s my smoke in their eyes

So, I blather on and slather my con
So thick who could doubt my truth
And so soon, the facts have gone away
I am just oh so couth (just oh so couth)

Fake news may loudly chide lies I will not hide
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, So I smile and say
“When the True Master lies
Smoke gets in your eyes”
(smoke gets in your eyes)

Blow smoke in your eyes

Wrecked by the One, Big Beauty

(tune: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (1976),
Gordon Lightfoot)

The legislation was long from Congress handed down
Of the act they called the One Big Beauty.
The Act, they said, will be nothing to dread
When voters of November do their duty.
With tax cuts and GOP spree, 6 trillions (for free!),
And offset “fraud cuts” well short of that amount.
Those people it screwed may be rather rude
When the votes of November are counted.

The Act was the pride of the GOP side
Coming from the minds of their moneyed backing.
As Big bamboozles go, it was the Big-ly show
And sent welfare, education, and healthcare packing.
Making sweet deals with a couple of Big Wheels
They set off for their One Big Compromise.
Not a Dem did they heed ‘cause they had no need
‘Though some holdouts gave them a Tiny Surprise.

The talk in the hall caused an occasional stall
For only a few Nays could end the proceeding.
Reps from purple states were in difficult straits
And deficit hawks saw our debts all breeding.
The dusk went by and the amendments did fly
With the fears of November reversals.
But despite protests most all voted with the rest
Unable to perform as well as at rehearsals.

Through the House it squeaked as its foes were piqued,
But now the Senate needed to give its approval.
The Parliamentarian would read and decide if indeed
The Byrd Rule required some House parts’ removal.
The House Leader pled “please don’t change or it’s dead;
I’m not sure how long I can keep so many arms twisted.”
But the Senate has its ways and procedures to obey
And some Senators with problems they had listed.

Does anyone know where politicians’ spines go
When the debates turn from facts to fiction?
The partisans all say you must agree with OUR way
And give new meaning to Men of Conviction.
Many posture and pose and recite well-scripted prose,
Then vote “yea” with well-meaning hesitation.
Though the Act has many a flaw, for now make it law
And we will pledge to fix it in future legislation.

So the Act rolls out and the people shout
At each other as much as their politicians.
The internet streams with the bickering screams
As everyone prepares to defend their positions.
And way down below where less aid will flow
Folks may think the olden days have returned.
The Fifties were “fun” and anyone could be shunned
And our lessons since have all been unlearned.

Did You See The Polls, DeSantis?

(tune: Fernando,
by ABBA (1976))

Did you see the polls, DeSantis?
Remember long ago when you started your campaign.
In Florida, DeSantis,
You were talking to yourself and softly dreaming you had a chance.
You could hear the future cheers
And sound of music for your inaugural dance.

But you’re no closer, DeSantis.
Every hour every minute seems you drop precipitously.
We are so unsure, DeSantis,
You were young and full of it and some of us decided to try.
We are not too ashamed to say
Your rant ‘bout Woke and Disney we almost thought might fly.

There was something on the air that night,
That debate site, DeSantis.
They were staring there at you and them
For some mayhem, DeSantis.
But you never thought to crack a smile;
That’s a mistake.
If you keep doing the same again,
You’ll lose, you stiff, DeSantis.
If you keep doing the same again,
You’ll lose, you stiff, DeSantis.

He’s old and bad news, DeSantis,
And still many points you trail way behind his lead.
Did you see the polls, DeSantis?
Do you still really think more pampering Trump is what we need?
You can yet call out his lies.
How proud you’ll be to fight for truth and not his greed.

Just say something on the air some night
And show your fight, DeSantis.
We are waiting here for you and them
To discard that phlegm, DeSantis.
Though you may think you could lose,
You need a change.
If you keep doing the same again
You lose, and bad, DeSantis.

Yes, if you keep doing the same again
You lose, and bad, DeSantis.

I Don’t Want to Call the World a Liar

(tune: I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire
(Benjamin, Durham, Marcus, and Seilor, 1938))

I don’t really care who’s in power
When I tune in the nightly news hour.
For the facts is what I seek
But what I hear makes me shriek.

“I don’t want to call the world a liar;
I just want to hear that something is true!
In my head, I am in a crossfire --
Whatever they say is denied by you!”

I’ve lost my dreams for worldly unity;
I just want a little peace in my life.
If you agree, I might have some sanity
And I won’t need to scream at the strife,

“I don’t want to call the world a liar;
Just say something you all think is true!”

Kam and Joe Go to the Hill

Kam and Joe, where do you go
To fix our broken nation?
Get a bill passed through the Hill
Oh, such a great frustration

Push to left, the right’s bereft,
Insists on compensation.
Favor right, the left will fight
Without Mitch’s provocation.

Trillions plus trillions,
For reconciliation.
Tricky plan, we hope you can;
Beware retaliation.

Wingless Eagle, Anyone?

Our politics is a flightless bird,
Wings flap in opposite directions.
It is by design odd and absurd,
Leaning in favor of rejection.

Good ideas are trampled under foot
Even by its ardent proponent.
They start the debates to get input,
Soon bicker over each component.

If one wants this, he does not want that;
All want less, except those wanting more.
But despite all furor in the spat,
Party votes when it comes to the floor.

Majority rule isn’t good enough;
With all balance checked and then knocked off.
Getting the House to agree is tough,
But watch for one Senator to scoff.

But perhaps we do not need to fly;
We can limp along to some effect.
Our too winged eagle can still try;
It’s not fully broken, just hen-pecked.

My Stump Speech

You may ask me on what I stand,
Or maybe even how.
I might use any stump at hand
To say what they allow.
But I am lucky most the time,
For I don’t draw a crowd.
I hide my thoughts in silly rhyme
Which I don’t say aloud.

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.

Trump's Leslie Gore Revue

It's My Party
(Trump Victory Song)

It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
You should lie too if I am to like you

Nobody knows where Mitch and Mitt have gone
But Susan left the same time.
Was Nancy holding their hands
When they are supposed to be mine?

It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
You should lie too if I am to like you

They played all the clips about my Big Lie,
Showed the patriots going wild.
But my friends sided with me,
So now I am not exiled

It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
You should lie too if I am to like you

Kamala and Joe just walked through the door
Like a queen and her puppet king
Oh, what an election surprise
She’s wearing my royal ring.

It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
Lie if I want to
You should lie too or I’m coming for you

---

Dems’ Turn to Cry
(Trump Triumphant Trumpetting)

‘Cause now it’s the Dems turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Party has come back to me.

Aww, when Congress impeached with some from my party
And denied my rights as king,
I shut down and almost couldn’t lie;
Now that was a foolish thing.

‘Cause now it’s the Dems turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Party has come back to me.

Well, it hurt me so to see them jumping ship
I felt like making a scene.
All of my lies fell on deaf ears
‘Cause those RINOs were so mean.

But now it’s the Dems turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Party has come back to me.

Oh, when I saw them kissing up to the Dems
Said I can ride in other boats.
The Grand Old Poobahs thought better
‘Cause they know I have the votes.

So now it’s the Dems turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Dems’ turn to cry
The Party has come back to me.

---

Now I Own You
(Trump Unfettered)

Now I own you
I will not ever just go away.
Now I own you
Don’t you ever again go astray.

And don’t tell me what to do
Don’t say what I can’t say
Now I am the one telling you
Don’t try to rein me in ‘cause

Now I own you
I will not ever just go away.
Now I own you
Don’t you ever again go astray.

I will tell you what to say
I will tell you what to do
Stay in line is all I ask
If you know what’s good for you.

I’m strong and I am never wrong
I’m free and you can’t touch me
I live my life the way I want
To lie and cheat with liberty.

I will tell you what to say
I will tell you what to do
Stay in line is all I ask
‘Cause you know now I own you.

Ding Dong! The Trump Has Lost

Americans (at 51% of them):
   Ding Dong! The Trump has lost.
   Which old Trump? All the Trumps!
   Ding Dong! The MAGA Trump has lost.
   Wake up – clear your head, rub your eyes, he has lost.
   Wake up, the Mean Old Trump’s been tossed.
   He's gone, must leave the show, Off to Mar-a-lago.
   Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
   Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
   Let them know -- The Mean Old Trump has lost!
Pelosi (to Biden):
   As Speaker of the House, In the Country of the Land of US,
   I welcome you most regally.
Guiliani:
   But we've got to verify it legally, to see
Pelosi:
   To see?
Guiliani:
   If he
Pelosi:
   If he?
Guiliani:
   Has morally, ethically
Ellis:
   Spiritually, physically
Powell:
   Positively, absolutely
Americans:
   Undeniably and reliably Lost.
SCOTUS:
   As Supreme Arbitrator we must aver, we thoroughly
       examined this.
   And he has not only merely lost, he has really most
       sincerely lost.
Pelosi:
   Then this is a day of Independence
   For all the Americans (at least democrats)
Biden:
   If any.
Pelosi:
   Yes, let the joyous news be known
   The Nasty Old Trump at last is gone!

Trump Concession (?) Speech

(tune: Leaving on a Jet Plane)

All the votes are cast
And I won bigly.
I’m standing here in my victory
I do not have to hate to say goodbye.
But the dawn is breaking
It’s the next morn
They’re still counting,
Margins being shorn.
Already I am so angry
I could sue.

So, stand by and cover me
Tell me that you’ll fight for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go.
I ain’t leaving, you can’t make me,
Won’t go, I’ll be in charge, you’ll see.
Oh, no, I will not go.

There’s so many times you let me down
So many times you called me clown.
I tell you now, I don’t forget a thing.
Every place I go, I’ll get you back,
Every speech I make, you’ll get a smack,
Now I am back, you will kiss my ring.

So stop the count and bow down,
Tell me I will get the crown.
Hold me like you’ll never let me go.
I ain’t leaving, you can’t make me,
Won’t go, I’ll be in charge, you’ll see.
Oh, no, I will not go.

Votes are miscounted against me
All is stolen
You all miss me
Don’t close your eyes
As behind you, I crawl.
Dream of the years I gave us
When I alone could fix the muss
About the times when I ruled it all.

They did not stop, oh disaster,
Too little from the postmaster,
You didn’t hold me, you let me go.
I ain’t leaving, you can’t make me,
Won’t go, I’ll be in charge, you’ll see.
Oh, no, I will not go.

But they’re coming to drag me out
I go with kicking and a shout,
Oh, no, I will not go.

Vesper Flight (& counterpoint)

Vesper Flight

Join with us now on our vesper flight,
To soar aloft to discerning height,
To rise above common earthbound sight,
To average each wrong to choose right.

If voters thought as a flock of birds,
And could perceive beyond the blitz of words,
And reconcile choices of jocks and nerds,
What decision would then lead our herds?

Perhaps that is indeed what we do,
To electively sort so much through,
To together sift from clue to clue,
To reinforce our social glue.

Thanks to Helen Macdonald for the inspiration

---

View From the Ground

All too often it is our sorry plight
That so many wrongs do not make it right.
No math we know works with even just two,
Yet seldom we stop at only a few.

A swing left evokes return to the right,
Past plumb center on its opposite flight;
No pause in the compromising middle,
A leap into fire from the hot griddle.

So why entrust our fate to public vote
And cede our opinions on which we dote?
When herd mentality leads to a cliff,
Won’t you prefer to follow your own riff?

Political Seesaw

I go down when you go up,
But I will rise again.
Now you play with your line-up --
I’ll seek to end your reign.

But when I’m up and you’re down
We will still play the game.
When my promises go aground,
You will take all the blame.

Vaccines Are The Prez' Best Bet

(tune: Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend)

In Wuhan they may die for Mao –
They are very cunning, I say.
But here, so I have heard somewhere,
We prefer to go our own way.

A mask on your face
Is overtly cautionary,
But vaccines are the Prez’ best bet.
Masks are a disgrace
And look so ordinary.
They muss my fine hair
And dull the flare of ties I wear.

Sick grow cold
If they are old
And we all lose our lives in the end.
But reviewed or warp-speed
These shots are what I need.
Vaccines are the Prez’ best bet.

Pfizer
BioNTech
Moderna
‘Zeneca
Talk to me Misters Johnsons
Tell me all about it

There may come a time
When a Prez needs a lawyer,
Then pardons may be a good bet.
There may come a time
When enough angry voters
Think I’m not-so-hot,
But with the shot, then they will not.

I’m your guy
When stocks are high,
But pay no heed to growing debt.
When hardship arouses
And some lose their houses,
Vaccines are the Prez’ best bet.

I’ve heard of measures
That are safely science-based,
But a Prez needs to trust his guts
I can take pleasures
In those doctors I abased,
I know more so,
To end sorrow, give them chloro.

Time rolls on –
Many are gone
But all will vanish eventually.
But bad cold
Or bad flu
Vote for me or I will sue.
Vaccines are the Prez’ best bet.

Vaccines
Vaccines
I don’t mean lockdowns
‘Cause vaccines are the Prez’ best bet.

Frozen in Time

Oh, woe to the statue frozen in time,
No way to answer now for a past crime.
Perhaps it was legal when you did live,
But by today’s laws, some will not forgive.

You, living citizen, may speak your mind –
Our rights are the same, you truly should find.
You may offend me, and perhaps enrage,
But if so, no gripe, if I too engage.

Majority may rule, but not suppress
Ideals of others they need to express.
You need not replace my ideas with yours –
We should resolve this without starting wars.

History of conquest is that of crime –
Both winners and losers harmed for all time.
Bloodied by evils never to erase;
Peace halts the action, but not the disgrace.

And later they may try to reconcile,
After years and regrets build a sorry pile.
Victors offer losers some platitudes
And ask both to change their old attitudes.
.
They ask to be forgiven their success
And past mutual vengeance to excess.
Let bygones be gone and go on from here –
May not be what the others want to hear.

I have seen statues, silent in the park,
With no idea of their long deceased spark.
Perhaps a plaque to tell me their name,
Maybe a few words about their past fame.

I have never seen their worst faults proclaimed;
Virtues are extolled and vices left unnamed.
But if you know enough of history,
You can launch into angry sophistry.

You may argue with that cold block of stone,
But it will not answer, never atone.
It is not a he (or she) anymore,
Just an expression, inert on the floor.

That’s right, it is an idea, just not your own –
You may object and request to dethrone.
But tolerance of your thought and ideal
Arise from your caring how others feel.

If you strike out with angry destruction,
Some understand frustration’s seduction.
But the mob’s cheer isn’t the vote of support
To persuade in public opinion’s court.

So, let’s you and I talk and decide this
And leave the statues in their uncaring bliss.
We might forgive what we may not forget,
And reform a future, with the past set.

Deadly Farce

He would rather be wrong than uncertain
As he leads us through future’s dark curtain.
So he practices wanton imperfections
Loudly broadcasting his misperceptions.

Some say he is an obsessive liar,
Cannot speak truth even with pants on fire.
He allows no facts to cloud his vision,
He gets it wrong with pinpoint precision.

And yet some still cheer, “He has spit and spunk.
We do not care if he spews so much junk.”
They too see everything as so wrong –
They are so angry they will go along.

Perhaps it might be treated as a joke --
Roll with the laughs (and ire) his words provoke.
Do not drink bleach or pop unproven drugs –
Ignore the nonsense with dismissive shrugs.

But when his words make America grate
And when lives are lost and risks elevate –
It is hard to laugh at or ignore it –
What he breaks – will we ever restore it?

When Rooster Refused to Crow

For so very long, he would greet the dawn
With his boisterous bellow to the sky.
Many the farm folk awoke with a yawn
And would set to chores that ever were nigh.

But new neighbors, who did not rise with the sun,
Converted farms with their housing expansions.
Late nights they prefer and mornings they shun,
As they sleep late in condos and mansions.

The new folks thought to make it their mission
To have no alarms ere seven A.M.
Some said, "'Tis against long held traditions,"
But the newcomers soon overruled them.

And so it was the law, none could call out
From midnight until seven each morning.
The rooster was told to stifle his shout
And let the sun appear without warning.

"If I cannot do as my nature calls,"
Said the Rooster in his bold defiance,
"Then not all day, nor after night falls,
Shall I utter a sound in compliance."

With that, Rooster went silent as a stone,
In his pledged vow to his higher power.
And every fowl and beast on its own
Grew quiet too beneath Rooster's glower.

But the newfangled clocks buzzed, beeped, and rang
In the modern homes of those late risers.
They woke heedless to their caused sturm und drang,
Staring through their rosy, one-way visors.

The farmers too bought new clocks to wake them
So they may still do their so early work.
They secretly set theirs for five A.M.
With volume low, their neighbors to not irk.

And the silent Rooster stands at his post
To set the example for all to see.
At least until he becomes Sunday's roast,
The price, it seems, to fight for liberty.

When Titans Clash

This poem was recently found on a repaired vase, perhaps of ancient origin. Or maybe written yesterday.
Beware when Titans clash
If you live on land below.
They stomp about most rash
And seldom watch where they go.

They seek more distant goals
With their heads above the clouds.
Their passions drive their souls;
Self-purpose their vision shrouds.

All focused on campaign,
They answer the challenge's call.
They will rule their domain,
Or, with all foes, they will fall.

Who they were ere the fight
Is lost in fog of battle.
The thought to do what's right
Gone in combative prattle.

Urge to win overwhelms,
Knocking over reasons why.
Power lust for the realms
Blinds the more foresighted eye.

What victory is won
In this heedless ruins' wake?
All that was is undone --
No prize left intact to take.

Oh, Titans, be at peace
Within that you now possess,
And leave our bits of Greece
Unflattened by your excess.

Nothing to Lose

What greater vote of confidence could the American public have given a President at the midterm election. Frustrated with his patience in waiting for and compromising with alllies and bickering hopelessly with recalcitrant opponents, the American electorate at last have taken advantage of the last election in the Obama administration to cut him loose.

With no more elections to lose (or win) and scant likelihood for congressional help, the President may now drop his search for tepid (at best) support and mine the authority he has on his own to achieve his goals. He has many changes to the stale politics in Washington pledged years ago which the American voters were eager to see made. But he has spent six years working within the very system he (and they) hope to change. In seeking the political consensus, he traded away control for concessions from others.

But in their wisdom, the Americans have realized their error in providing the President with the potential to think Congress will act in accordance with his promises. Decades of their scattered compromising legislation to serve conflicting interests has resulted in the dysfunctional and directionless system we all find reasons to resent. Now reminded if you want something done, you should do it yourself, Obama is freed of the political distractions that have thwarted his dreams. You go, Prez.

The Pols Go Matching

THE POLS GO MARCHING

The pols go marching 1 by 1, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 1 by 1, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 1 by 1,
The poor voter stops to load his gun
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 2 by 2, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 2 by 2, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 2 by 2,
The poor voter stops to sigh a whew
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 3 by 3, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 3 by 3, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 3 by 3,
The poor voter hopes they will agree
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 4 by 4, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 4 by 4, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 4 by 4,
The poor voter stops to mop the gore
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 5 by 5, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 5 by 5, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 5 by 5,
The poor voter hopes they end their jive
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 6 by 6, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 6 by 6, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 6 by 6,
The poor voter says “Now no more tricks”
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 7 by 7, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 7 by 7, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 7 by 7,
The poor voter stops to pray to heaven
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 8 by 8, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 8 by 8, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 8 by 8,
The poor voter watches them fill their plate
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 9 by 9, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 9 by 9, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 9 by 9,
The poor voter sees his hopes unwind
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pols go marching 10 by 10, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 10 by 10, hurrah, hurrah
The pols go marching 10 by 10,
The poor voter says "IT’LL NEVER END"
And they all go marching to Washington
To fix up the country, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!