Soaked In Surprise

Caught by great surprise

Suddenly darkening skies

Why so unexpected?

Its approach was undetected.

Those weather scientists, Oh Brother! 

Had offered one prediction then another.

But it came with thunder crashing, 

And soon the street was splashing. 

It seemed to pour down steadily

And soaked you thru quite readily.

Some days you just cannot abide

Those said to be AMS Certified

You’ve had events that had to be hurried

Because some met’rolgist had you worried.  

But this time be glad you chose not to postpone,

‘cause then you couldn’t really moan.

Sprinklers Are Wont To Do What They Want

If there were courses on my sprinkler system

I’m sorry to say that I just missed ‘em

I learned last evening standing in my side yard 

Struggling through all the steps can be quite hard

Sweating through each step just to make it work,

I was glad that I was patient lest I go berserk.

I began by setting the date and time OK,

This included the year the month and the day

Next came the start time and the watering time each station .

I might have known this complex path led only to frustration. 

Now which days of the week do we start and run?

It’s one last piece and I’ll be done

I finished it, then mentioned to my wife that to her sorrow,

 Our first watering would be the day after tomorrow. 

I woke to find things hadn’t gone right,

My sprinklers ran—despite my plan,

 By themselves during the night

Days of Wonder

Everything around is shifting, almost as in an earthquake.  There's a pandemic, a social movement or a rebellion, a revolution in thinking.  All we're missing is a hurricane (as I write this, the third named storm of this year is making its way along the gulf coast of Mexico, headed toward Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama (once it makes up its mind, we'll let you know). 

We all agree the pandemic must go--although we vary in how seriously we take the steps recommended to get it to go away.  Still, it has to be taken seriously, whether you are 19 or 90.  There are 105,000 people dead as a result of this pandemic, and we really have no assurance when, or if, it will go away.  We just know that Science will tackle and overcome it.

The social movement is a little harder to get our arms around.  We have been vividly reminded of what young black men have known all their lives.  They are often unfairly singled out by police and abused.  Even worse they die, often at the hands of the very authorities that are assigned the task of protecting and serving all of us.  I don't have to see anything more to know that we have to fix this.  I realize there are some who deny this is happening, but I don't have time for them.  We, as a society, must once and for all pass them by. 

So, I know change has to take place that this has to be fixed.  But the question is--how?  As usual, some of the same old people are coming forward with their prescription.  They might support having the government providing some new or expanded benefit for all.  Others support new forms of training for police officers, or reform of the criminal justice system.  Trouble is, even if these solutions are correct generally, we rely on politicians to put them in place.  It becomes a matter of not what's right, but what their party tells them to support, or what they think will get them  re-elected or what will increase their power--month about what is right or necessary.  I have listened to all this crap for too long to have confidence that this change will take place.  So, when someone demands change, I ask to what?  I can’t tell you I have the answer, I almost surely do not. 

Recently, I've rediscovered the concept of karma--not in the New Age sense of past lives coming forward into our lives to change them--but rather in the sense of being completely responsible for our own actions.  Every time we perform a positive action we add to our "bank" of positive effect.  In the same way, every time we take a negative action, we produce a deficit in this "bank."  Our job is to keep the balance in this account.  So when I condemn the person what says something, it is only myself and my karma that are negatively impacted.  In the same way, when I injure someone physically or emotionally, I reduce the balance in my karmic account.

On the other hand, if I perform an act of kindness, or some other positive action like helping in a cause that aims to benefit others, I am adding to the balance in my karmic account.  It's sometimes difficult to keep this in mind when we feel the urge to strike back at someone who has injured us in some way.  But, with a lot of work, I can restore my karmic balance to the best level possible for me.   At a time like this, when no one seems to have the answer to our challenges all across society or the world, I think it would be easier to find our way if we just try a little kindness instead of condemnation, forgiveness instead of retaliation.  I can't change the world for the better, but I can hope to change my own self.  I'm going to stay satisfied with point of view to get me through all of this and I can only hope that more will join me in moving this way.  We cannot improve this world and society by breaking windows, tearing down buildings, looting the homes and businesses of others, and calling everyone who disagrees with us our enemy.  We have to look for common ground and take positive action to help each other.

  

I’ve Got A Question

Theirs began with a Post-War boom,

And ended with much of Wall Street’s doom

Ours begins in a dark deadly gloom,

And a reeling economy’s busted balloon.

Theirs had rules prohibiting things people’d been doing—

Things like fermenting, aging, distilling and brewing.

Ours disallows many things, like shaking hands, to give you a for instance.  

The rule that stops such things is called keeping social distance.

Gone are gatherings for worship, remembrance or celebration,

Life’s been put on a shelf, and time stands still across the nation.

This movement employs a very different sort of bans— 

Against things like hugging and shaking hands. 

It’s not just bans that are used but also asks—

like “please everybody, start wearing masks.”

Everyone is urged to go home and stay

For a great deal longer than just a day

The fortunate ones can work from home.

The rest sit wishing they could go out and roam  

For without work there is no pay

Which keeps people worried night and day,

Except for EMT’s, police and firefighters,

And other underpaid but essential blighters.

In the Roaring 20’s, life was musical—fun and full of pranksters,

Until bootleggers got greedy and soon became gangsters. 

With short skirts, fast cars and bobs came those flappers

The music was jazz and men became dapper

Nowadays, finding toilet paper’s celebrated,

And really washing our hands can make us elated.

A thrill’s going somewhere in a car. 

So go the 2020’s, at least so far.

The 20^th century had its Roaring 20’s

Will the coming decade be the Boring 20’s?

Where We Are

Where We Are

Now the experts look dumber and dumber,

As COVID Spring crashes into Summer.

The Press keeps asking—when will it end  

The Prez. attacks the questions, his guesses to defend. 

The sad fact is—when or if, no one really can know.

Perhaps the virus may go when the summer winds blow.

There’s a chance it will mutate and this will become the new normal;

Only seeing one another at a distance quite formal.

No kisses no hugs, just sanitizing,

And washing your hands while fantasizjng.

With science in labs will a defense be found 

And will we be able to unmask and rebound 

And the medical people working night and day,

Helping each other across borders gone away.

We’ll reach out and help each other one and all,

But we need a sense of relief before Fall.

Scientists from everywhere look together for the inspiration, 

Examples to all of Interdependence and Cooperation. 

We’re all in this together, that’s for sure,

And only together can we find a cure.

4/12/2020

COVID 19 It’s The Worst That We’ve Seen

COVID 19

It’s The Worst That We’ve Seen

We sit huddled together at home

Warned by authorities not to roam.

With so many people out of work and distraught,

Then for our fractured nation, a fix must be sought   

Congress meets, trying hard to decide

How to be fair to those cast aside.

Will all off its talk bring about a solution

Or will what we hear simply be noise pollution?

Our attention soon turns to one another

But being together so much, “O Brother!”

Now look back to our families, sticking it out,

Not knowing at all how this came about

We can’t go it alone for the most part

We must stay connected to each other’s heart

Knowing togetherness is here to stay

Some search for a new board game to play.

Librarians with whom I have spoken

Tell me they are quite simply heartbroken

To see how many people have only found the will

To open a book since they’ve so much time to kill

We’re social distancing and quarantining,

Until human contact has scarcely any meaning.

We do almost everything all those authorities ask,

Even if it means wearing a home made face mask.

Others sit down to write about this virus

Searching at length for some muse to inspire us.

COVID 19

It’s the worst that we’ve seen

Step Up Or Get Out Of The Way

I’m stepping out from behind the poet’s screen

Just to make sure you know what I mean.

My name is Jim and what I’d like to discuss

Is the unceasing need to call names and fuss

I thought it was “we’re all in this together,” not “them” and “us.”

What we all need to be jumping on’s a fire truck not a bus

If we’re all in this together putting out these fires,

Could we set aside the need to call each other liars? 

Sure what they said was very likely a lie,

But that doesn’t require me to shout it out.

Events will catch up to them, by and by.

And soon by most they’ll be found out.

If it’s really important later on to know fiction from fact,

The fact-checkers will dig it up when we need to be exact.

In the mean time, let’s all get on with doing these things 

And “work together” to remember what peace it brings.

We’ve a lot more to do than just saying our “thank-you’s” 

Let’s start helping others as if we were in their shoes.

Whether you’re a republican or a democrat matters little today,

Just “Lead. Follow or get out of the way,”

4/15/2020