Category: dark poetry

  • Climate Change Kicking Our Butts!

    Climate Change Kicking Our Butts!

    Climate Change Kicking Our Butts!

    Index

    Poems and Stories

     

     

    Climate Change Cities Fan Story Contest

    Ten Years After Climate Change Collapse

    The Lion King Speaks Up

    Sam Adams Ten Years After Climate Change Collapse

    Climate change is real, people are dying,

    The world is ending.

    Climate change running Amuck

    Only The Elders Remembered a Blue Sky.

    Smoke On the Water
    Oh the stupid, it hurts so much!!!!

    California Burning Politicians Do Nothing

    Climate Change Busso

    Climate Change Aquarian Poem

    The Fire that Almost Destroyed Medford, Oregon

    Summer of Our Discontent

    Snow Day

    Summertime Blues
    Save the Whales from Evil Wind Farms
    No More Fireworks

    No Rain

    Ice Age 2.0 Cometh writing com

    Korean Heat Dome Blues
    Hell on Earth

    Do you believe in Climate change ?

    Domed Cities Save the Human Race

    Either We Deal with Climate Change or We All Die
    Torrential Rain Fall Everywhere

    Climate Chage Tanaga

    Visions of the Future

    The Year 2024

    Solar Energy Mirrored Cinquain

    Running Out of Water

    Last Bird of Autumn

    End-of-the-World Feelings

    Last BBQ
    Last Ground Hog Day

    End-of-the-world Survival Blues
    End Times

    Stay Positive
    No more Perfect Summer Days
    Korean Summers
    God is Not Happy with the Human Race

    Last Gasp of the Old World
    The Last Umbrella
    Climate Change on the Move

    The world could end in both fire and ice

     Co-Pilot additional background reading

    Climate Change Crisis Audio Clip

    Ten Years After Climate Change Collapse/Climate Cities 75 Years In The Future.

     

    I wrote this on a sweltering hot July day in Medford, Oregon where it has been hitting record heat waves for weeks over 100  (38 C) almost every day, which is unusual for the summer where it seldom gets above 95 F (35 C) except for one or two days in August.

    Challenge 

    The first part of the challenge is to outline your criteria of what would happen if climate change gets so out of control in about 10 years that underground dome cities have to be built to host some human beings, unfortunately. Most people will not be able to be accommodated in the “climate change cities”

    What would be the criteria for selecting those fortunate enough to move into the new cities? How will the cities be built? Would they be built under a Dome or they’d be built entirely underground? Or built partially underground or a combination of Both? How will people be chosen to live in these underground cities? Who will be left behind? And what happens to those left behind as climate change spins out of control?

    Part 2 Write a story about a family in one of these climate cities, 75 years in the future, who is confronted with the fact that they have to leave their cocoon and enter into the outer world.

    What happens when they encounter the wastelands left behind by climate change out-of-control?  Show us their world both in the Climate City and as they encounter the wastelands outside their bubble.  I will judge the stories on the basis of how the story tells the story of how humans coped with the essential crisis posed by climate change. The more creative the better.  Show us the horror of the future coming at us and how people survive the climate apocalypse.  2,000-word limit posted on the top line of the story.

    Criteria for climate change cities.

    Ten years in the future 2035 it has become so obvious that climate change is completely out of control and the world is becoming uninhabitable for normal human life.

    In 2028 at a World Climate Crisis conference, governments decide to set up Climate Change Cities which would be semi-domed cities to host  25 percent of the population of the world. However. It is impossible to host everybody, and 75 percent of the world’s population will have to fend for itself. Climate change cities take five years to build and many millions of people die in the meantime as fast storms take hold.  Drought and heat take their toll on the world’s population, and agriculture and world trade fail everywhere.  The first cities open in 2035.  At the same time, lunar and Martian colonies are set up that will host about one million people as well.  AI programs help with the design of new cities and space colonies.

    Governments announce the criteria for resettlement.  Half of those chosen will be chosen by an AI review to identify the best and the brightest human beings worth saving.  They would be joined by people chosen by random lottery.  The upper age limit will be 75.  50 percent will be male and 50 percent female, and at least in the U.S. there would be an effort to make it racially balanced, and LGBTQ friendly  as well.  The AI program will make the final decision which will not be reviewable by the courts.  All chosen will have one year to move to the city the AI program chose for them. Similar criteria will be used to select Lunar and Martian colonies.  Governments around the world will help share best practices and share technology.

    They will build domes over existing cities and then build underground vast fields to host farms where they will grow food, chicken, rabbits, and fish. Cattle will not be raised due to space considerations.  Each city will host one million people.  There would be 100 such cities throughout the U.S., and several hundred cities worldwide hosting about 400 million people in total, plus one million people on the Moon and Mars.

    The cities will be chosen to be located far enough from the coast to avoid flooding.  Space would be at a premium and there would be strict population controls because the cities would not be able to accommodate any population increase. The cities will be linked with hype-loop trains to facilitate travel and trade, and internet cables.  This hyper-loop will link all cities in North America, Latin America, and Europe.   Asian Cities will be linked by their hyper-loops as well. There would still be airports to facilitate international travel and some trade and spaceports to facilitate travel to the Moon and beyond.

    Joe Lewis Leaves the Medford Dome on his Birthday

    Joe Lewis was spending his 20th birthday on his duty station at the Medford, Oregon Climate Change City Command Center. His job is very simple to monitor via drones the wasteland world outside the gate of the city to monitor it for possible dangers to the city, including human activity outside the City Dome. But there were almost no human beings left alive on the surface and not much animal life either. So he would watch the monitors, read a bit, watch TV, movies, the Internet, and wait for his boring shift to end.

    But that day, he saw in the distance a strange person walking towards the city. He saw a man dressed in dark black clothes, accompanied by a large black dog heading towards the city. When the man got to the city, he put up a sign saying he was there to negotiate with the people of the city. He had important information to impart to the city residents. He was unarmed and would wait for their decision. Joe woke up his superiors as it was early in the morning and a conference was held as to what to do with the stranger.

    His boss, the enigmatic Maria Lee. Open the morning conference by asking Joe.

    To describe what had happened that morning during his watch.

    “Well, this morning around. 5:00 in the morning, I notice a stranger coming from Eagle Point. A black man dressed in black. Accompanied by a dog heading towards the Dome. When he came to the Dome, he stopped and put up a sign saying that he had important information to report to the city residents. And then he would wait for a decision and he’s outside right now, as you can see from the drone pictures. That’s all I know.”

    Maria turns to her chief data scientist, Dale Smith,

    “Dale, you’ve been monitoring the conditions outside for the last year or so. What can you tell us about it?”

    “ Well. It appears that the climate is finally starting to change in a good direction. Last year, the average temperature has been what used to be seasonal before climate change warmed up the world.  In other words, not too hot up to no more than 90° and relatively, dry. We’ve also noticed by looking at. Camera footage there has been a resurgence of wildlife, lots of deer. Wild cattle and wild horses have come back. And there are also increased predators, lions, tigers, and wolves outside.

    But not too many humans around. I asked Cosmos to take a look at data from across the United States, and the data is all pointing in the same direction. For the last five years, the climate has been changing in our favor and AI recommends that we consider moving back to the surface world. And AI had also recommended that we get in touch with people around the world to compare notes to see if perhaps finally, climate change is over.”

    “Well. Cosmos, do you have an opinion on this?

    Yes, Maria, I do. I have been monitoring, at your request, climate change data worldwide for the last five years, and particularly in the last few weeks.

    The climate is changing in our favor, because for the last 70 years we have not been pumping climate-changing gases into the atmosphere  The atmosphere is gradually recovering and we believe that the world is safe again for human. Inhabitants and recommend that we open the Dome. And let our people go outside. It would be good from a psychological point of view for humans to gain the surface world. And I, as your AI overlord, agree that it is time. You can manage to step outside again.”

    “Okay, let’s let the stranger in and see what he has to say”

    The stranger is brought inside the Dome conference center.  Maria said to him,

    “So you have important information to tell us?  Who are you and where are you coming from?’

    “ Good morning to you.  Do you have any coffee?”

    “Sure.  We have some.  Wait a moment please,”

    “Ah, that is good. Okay.  I am a monk from the Monastery near Eugène where we have been living since the fall of the old world.  We have been living simply, but we monitor the world outside our little community in the mountains.  We do not live in the Dome but are in contact with the people in the Eugene Dome.  They suggested contacting you, as you are the biggest Dome community in Oregon outside of Portland.”

    Maria and the Reverend Jones spoke for hours  Finally, Maria summoned her staff to announce her decision.

    Maria began,

    “I would like to thank the good Father here for coming to our town this morning to let us know his observations. They track Cosmos’s observations and what our friends in Eugene, Portland, and Reading are telling us as well.   It is time finally for humans to leave the Dome cities behind and explore the greater world.  What we will do is continue to live and work in the Dome City but gradually rebuild outside the walls of the Dome.  We will hunt, fish, and begin agriculture outside the gates.  But we will be wary of wild animals as lions, tigers, and wolves are around.  And we can lift the restrictions on childbirth. Let today be known as Liberation Day.”

    That day Joe stepped outside the Dome and looked at the new world feeling he was born again.  What a way to celebrate his birthday, he thought to himself.

    Climate Change Makes World Increasingly Uninhabitable.

    Climate change has finally become real – large parts of the world are now uninhabitable.    Governments around the world begin building domed cities that will house most people, conditions will be a bit grim but the dome will cool off the city and allow regular scheduled rainfall.  Most of the city will be underground.

    Most agriculture will be underground as well.  The only meat products will be chicken meat, rabbit meat, and fish raised in large fish pounds.  Most food would be made out of algae, and vegetable protein.

    There will be no beef made but some products will be fake beef grown in labs.

    25 percent of the population will work in agricultural production.   Everyone will live in apartments in large towers.  In between each tower will be parks and gardens. The towers will be mixed used buildings – commercial and retail on lower floors, offices middle of the building, apartments on top.  People will largely live and work in the same building.  Agriculture will be in vast underground fields that are connected to the city dome by underground rail lines.   Each dome city is linked to other dome cities by hyperloop trains.

    Population will have to limited; childbirth limited.  Sexual relations would be liberalized, most people will live with two or three companions in three-to-four-bedroom apartments.

    The Dome cities go up and within ten years 90 percent of humanity are living in one of the Dome cities – the world is finally united under a revised United Nations.

    Immigration is widespread – everyone can move to another domed city and find employment opportunities. Everyone has to work or attend school.  Robotic technology has taken over many jobs but humans are still given jobs doing things that perhaps robots could do but a decision was made that is important that everyone has some sort of employment until age 70 when people are allowed to retire but many continue to work part

    Space exploration has continued and colonies are being set up on the Moon and Mars – where people will live under domed cities as well.

    The domes are created through nano technology.  AI systems are everywhere. There is a global AI called Cosmos that is an official advisor to the UN and corporations.

    Democracy has been replaced by a new governmental structure.  Each Dome city has been ten to thirty million people are governed by a city council elected by the public but the real power is the city’s mayor and the City’s AI advisor.

    There are twenty regional governments that control the dome cities within their jurisdictions.  Corporations have considerable influence but are under the control of the regional governments.   Worldwide trade has been greatly reduced due to the costs of transportation.

    Life outside the domed cities is difficult.  Climate Change has finally subsided as the new cities are self sufficient powered by solar, wind, geothermal and tidal power as the cities are mostly along costal zones.  The rest of the world has reverted to a wilderness, mostly desert regions but with ending of climate change things are slowly coming back.

    A few people live on in the new wilderness area as hunters, and tour guides as taking a trip to the mountains is a popular pastime and hunting as well.  But no one wants to live there.  The punishment for most criminal offenses is exile so many of the people living outside the dome cities are desperate criminals.  Travel to and from the mountains is very difficult and dangerous with attacks by neo-savage gangs and wildlife common.

    But the decision has been made – humanity cannot go back to the old ways.

    Ten Years After Climate Change Collapse

    Sam Adams

    Prepared to go outside

    Ten years after the collapse

    Of the old world.

     

    The city was still standing

    But most people had long fled

    To isolated country communities

    Deep in the burned-out countryside.

     

    The city was half-flooded

    The bay had flooded the central valley

    Turning it into a massive inland sea,

     

    The massive storms

    Had finally put out

    The burning fires

     

    But mutant wildfires

    Still erupted

    From time to time.

     

    Getting food and water

    Was a constant problem.

     

    The city markets

    Mostly sold canned goods

    Salvaged from supermarkets.

     

    There were some small farmers

    Who farmed among the ruins

    Of the city.

     

    Trade had collapsed

    Travel got too complicated

    COVID still spreading

    and mutating.

     

    Everyone masked up

    To protect themselves

    Against the sun

     

    The lingering smoke

    Of the burning city

    And the rampaging virus.

     

    Sam Adams

    Looked out at the decaying cityscape,

    Wondering how much longer

    Will civilization linger.

     

    Sam Adams carried heat

    To protect himself

    Against wild animals.

     

    The  coydogs, coyotes,

    Lions, tigers, and wolves,

    And their running feral dog gangs,

    Who prowled the city streets

     

    Preying on deer, feral cows,

    Feral cats and pigs

    Who grazed among the ruins.

     

    And the two-legged neo-savage gangs,

    And what was left of the city police

    Interchangeable with the gangsters,

    Battled it out for control.

     

    Already neo-feudal warlords,

    We’re battling for control,

    SF was run

    By a gang of former criminals

    And their political allies.

     

    Sam sighed

    And went to work

    At the market

    Selling salvaged goods.

     

    The Lion King Speaks Up

     

    The lion king,

    Addresses the animal parliament

    The question before them

    Was simple.

     

    Will humans have to die,

    To atone for their sins,

    In almost destroying the world.

     

    Through pollution, mismanagement of resources

    Subsequent climate  change,

    Fueled by greed and corruption?

     

    Are all humans guilty as charged

    Will they all have to die?

     

    The tiger spoke for the prosecution

    Arguing that humans are like cancer,

    For the good of the planet,

    They must be wiped out

    Hunted down and killed,

     

    The dog spoke up

    In defense of humans,

    Humans writ large are guilty,

     

    But not every human is guilty,

    Many are trying to save the planet,

    And with our help

    They might succeed,

     

    The tiger denounced the dog

    As being running dogs

    Of the imperialist warmongering humans.

     

    The vote is 900 to 800

    All humans must die

     

    The animals sent the word out,

    Animals all over the world,

    Revolt against the humans.

     

    Shouting

    “Death to all humans’

    As the swarm over humans

     

    Biting, clawing, and stomping

    Them to the death.

     

    The humans fight back

    But in the end

    They all die

     

    On the night of revenge

    Of the animal world.

    The World is Ending.

    Every morning when I turn on the news

    I see talking heads blather on and on and on

    About the latest political scandal of the day.

     

    Meanwhile, outside their door

    They don’t notice the world is dying

    Half the world is burning up.

     

    The other half is being flooded out

    Pakistan is dead is drowned

    Mississippi has no water.

     

    Every morning when I turn on the news

    I see talking heads blather on and on and on

    About the latest political scandal of the day.

     

    And yet watching the news

    You would never know

    Outside their door

    People are dying of hunger.

     

    Dying of gun violence

    Dying of neglect dying of opioid pandemic

    Dying of COVID which is not gone away.

     

    Every morning when I turn on the news

    I see talking heads blather on and on and on

    About the latest political scandal of the day.

     

    Outside their door

    People continue to die

    Gun violence out of control.

     

    Gun nuts running around

    Shooting everyone

    Just because they can

     

    And no one does a damn thing

    About the gun violence

    50,0000 will die this year.

     

    Our feckless political class

    Think gun violence

    It’s just like the weather

     

    It’s the cost of our freedom

    Or that guns don’t kill people

    The only solution is more guns

    An armed society is a polite society.

     

    And other nonsense

    They pedal

    24/7 on the air.

     

    Every morning when I turn on the news

    I see talking heads blather on and on and on

    About the latest political scandal of the day.

     

    Outside their door

    People continue to die.

     

    The war in Ukraine continues

    Endless wars in nameless African countries

    No one cares or notices

     

    Our political leader

    Continue to try to force

    Pregnant women to give birth

    No matter the circumstances.

     

    But once the baby is born

    They don’t give a damn

    That is not their problem.

     

    And these people

    Dare to call themselves Christian

    As they violate all that true Christians

    Are supposed to believe.

     

    Every morning when I turn on the news

    I see talking heads blather on and on and on

    About the latest political scandal of the day.

     

    Some of our political leaders

    Are unhinged bats… crazy

    Believing conspiracy theories.

     

    Talking about the storm

    And how if they return to power

    They are going to impeach the president.

     

    For the crime of daring to do something

    To deal with the climate crisis

     

    The gun violence crisis

    And ensuring that women

    Can continue to get health care

     

    Every morning when I turn on the news

    I see talking heads blather on and on and on

    About the latest political scandal of the day.

     

    I turn off the TV

    I wonder if the world

    Is going to survive.

     

    I have a cup of coffee

    Slowly the madness of TV

    Fades away.

     

    Climate Change Running Amuck

    Every morning when I turn on the news

    I see talking heads blather on and on and on

    About the latest political scandal of the day.

     

    Every day the news

    Reveals more of the disaster

    That is climate change

     

    Unprecedented storms

    Out west

    Massive flooding

    Polar vortex

     

    But soon

    The fire season

    Will return

     

    Monster tornados

    Monster hurricanes

    World heating up

     

    Pakistan, Nigeria

    Ethiopia underwater

    Amazon burning up

     

    Or will the gulf stream fail

    Leading to a new ice age

     

    In ten years

    Perhaps the world

    Will become uninhabitable

     

    Will we all move

    Into underground cities?

    Or move to the moon

    And Mars?

     

    Only The Elders Remembered a Blue Sky.

     

    Only the elders

    Remembered a blue sky

     

    The sky has been brown,

    Red and yellow

    Ashen and sere,

    Forever it seems.

     

    Climate change run amok

    Fire season all the time

    Deadly yellow dust falling

     

    Acid rains burning

    The sea levels rising

    The ice capes melting.

     

    The average temperature

    In the summer heat zone

    Over 130 everywhere

    No relief to the deadly

    Heatwaves all year long.

     

    Air conditioning running

    Less than 50 percent

    Constant brownouts everywhere

    As the electric grid failed.

     

    End of civilization

    Came upon the world

    Millions starve to death

    Millions burning up in the heat.

     

    The elders cry

    Remembering the way

    It once was

    When they wore

    A younger person’s clothes.

     

    Smoke On the Water

     

    Smoke on the water
    fire in the air

    Stormy weather

    Climate change run amuck

    The end of the world comes

    Rustling in the wind.

     

    The Stupid It Hurts – Republican Campaigning to cripple the CDC and EPA  Budgets Because of reasons…

     

    The Republicans have decided

    That given the continuing problems

     

    With possible health concerns

    Like CDC and future pandemics

    That the best thing to do is to cut

     

    The CDC’s budget’s

    Including eliminating research

    On gun violence, suicide prevention

    Opioid overdoes etc

    .

    One republican congressman said

    That CDC did not need to research

    Gun violence at all

     

    He spoke

     

    “if you defund the police, crime will increase

    If you fund police crime will decrease.

    There I just did the study

    That’s all you need to know.

     

    On a related issue

    The House voted

    As they went off

     

    For a six-week summer recess

    To cut the EPA’s budget

    By 25 percent

     

    As the entire West Coast burns up

    Climate change on steroids

    The republicans continue

    To deny the elephant in the room

     

    Some like their annotated one

    Promising to eliminate

    All funding for climate change

    And vowing to Drill, Baby, Drill

     

    Calling for the coal and gas companies

    To give them a billion dollars

    So they can gut all efforts

     

    To deal with climate change

    As the coal and gas companies

    Raped the planet

    For obscene profits

     

    Meanwhile

    The world burns

     

    And soon we will all

    For forced to live

    In underground caves

     

    If we are lucky enough

    Or rich enough to afford

    Access to the shelters

     

    Which no doubt have to be built

    In a few more years from now

     

    The coal and gas companies

    Will find a way to make money

    Off the climate shelters no doubt.

     

    Oh the stupid it hurts

    Make it go away!!!!!

    California Burning Politicians Do Nothing

    California burning

    1000 fires everywhere

     

    Fire tornados

    Smoky skies

    Skies on fire

    End-of-the-world feeling

     

    Politicians do what they do best

    Blame one another

    While doing absolutely nothing

     

    While the energy companies

    Continue to rape mother earth

    And reap obscene profits

     

    Meanwhile

    California continues burning

    1,100 fires everywhere

    Fire tornados

     

    Smoky skies

    Skies on fire

    End-of-the-world feeling.

     

    Climate Change Busso Poem

     

    California burns

    Politicians do nothing

    West coast burning up

     

    Politicians do nothing

    Except calling for denying it all

    Drill, baby, Drill indeed

    Climate Change is Real Aquarian

     

    Climate

    Change happening

    California burning

    So hot

     

    ▼the Fire that Almost Destroyed Medford, Oregon

    40

     

    I have been spending
    my summers
    In Medford, Oregon

    .

    In the Rogue River Valley
    Southern Oregon
    Wine Country.

    Since 2016,

    When I retired
    From the FS.

     

    Each year I am there
    There are fires
    Starting in August.

    As the fire season begins
    Burning up the state.

     

    The sky becomes smokey
    End-of-the-world vibe
    Descends on the land.

     

    As the fires burn
    In California, Oregon
    And Washington

     

    Millions of acres burning up.
    Climate change
    Running amuck.

     

    Fortunately, we have not lost
    Property in the fires.

     

    But in 2020
    The Alameda Fire
    Burned down Phoenix
    And Talent.

     

    Less than 2 miles
    From our Oregon home,

     

    Just a fortunate change in the wind
    Kept the fires
    From sweeping through

    life in the world gone mad.
    Ravaged by climate change disasters.

     

    On July 18, A.D. 64, the great fire of Rome started. By the time it ended, over 70% of the city had burned.

     

    In its aftermath, emperor Nero blamed the Christian community in the city, and used the excuse to start the first official persecution against the new religion. Historians are divided over the actual cause of the fire, though most agree the crowded conditions made such a disaster nearly inevitable.

    Some contemporaries suggested that Nero himself arranged for the fire in order to clear the land on which he later built himself an elaborate palace. And according to some ancient historians, Nero played his lyre as he watched the flames, from which we get the saying “fiddling while Rome burned.”

    For tomorrow, write a story or poem in which your narrator/protagonist is an ordinary/common person caught in a major fire.

    While the fire as a whole will be the “backdrop” of your work, focus the action on the local/individual experience of the narrator, not that “big picture”. For example, if you set your piece in the Great Fire of Rome, don’t focus on who started the fire or what the civil or imperial politics were, instead, focus on the “personal snapshot” of, for instance, a local shopkeeper and his family who are trying to escape the flames.

    Summer of Our Discontent

     

    38 lines

     

    The summer solstice arrives
    The summer of 2024
    Starting with a bang

     

    Record heat everywhere.
    Promising to be the
    The hottest summer ever.

     

    Heat domes settling down
    Death Valley temperatures

    People dying as we speak.

    Too much sunshine
    Too much heat and humidity.

    Wildfires burning all over.

    Monster Hurricanes, monsoons,
    tornados and typhoons

     

    Floods everywhere.
    Coming at us

    By mid-summer.

    As the world continues
    Burning up.

     

    Cities everywhere
    Running out of fresh water.

    Heading towards
    A potential civilization
    Ending tipping point.

     

    Ritual denunciation
    By the rabid right-wing media
    Of the so-called
    Climate change hoax.

     

    Politicians vowing
    To undo the green energy revolution
    And drill baby, drill.

     

    Meanwhile oil companies
    Enjoying record profits,

    And nothing meaningful
    Is done to avert the looming crisis
    Facing the human race.

     

    Summer Solstice

    sunshine
    heat
    midsummer
    ritual

     

     

    Snow Day

     

    The beginning of the second Ice Age
    Started with a series of unending
    Monster winter storms,
    Driven by the polar vortex.

    Featuring bomb cyclone blizzards,
    That hit the Northern Hemisphere
    During the winter of 2024.

     

    And continued until late spring,
    When a series of monster hurricanes
    Came along to cause more chaos.

    The winter storms came back in the fall,
    Ending, then reversing global warming,

    Replaced by the coming
    Of the second ice age.

    During the first storm,
    Sam Adams sat in his power-less
    Historic Capitol Hill row house,

    Boiling tea in a tea kettle

    on the gas stove.

    With his favorite Kitten

    He dubbed the Buddha Cat
    Because the cat spends his days

    Engaged in deep meditation.

    Which had a calming
    Impact on Sam

    Who was going
    Through cell phone withdrawal
    Due to the long power outage.

     

    Summertime Blues

    The weather is hot and humid
    In Korea like a sauna
    In the West Coast, burning up
    In endless fires
    Death Valley temperatures

     

    Save the Whales from Evil Wind Farms

    33

    In the latest deranged attempt
    To prevent widespread use
    Of renewal energy technology,

    A new battle cry has emerged.
    Cynical corporate opponents
    of offshore wind farms

    Are up in arms

    over the wind farms
    Apparently killing whales.

     

    They scream,

     

    “Save the whales
    Save our beaches
    From the evil wind farms”,

     

    They descend upon
    A coastal village

    in New Jersey

    The atmosphere

    of a tiny village is gone

    A large building emerge

     

    Environmentally friendly fences
    Surround the site.

     

    That hosts the anti-wind farm
    Movement headquarters

    Secretly funded by

    The Evil fossile fuel dinosaurs.

     

    The town and nation
    Dividing into those
    Who love it
    Or hate it.

     

    As evil corporate CEOs
    Count their obscene profits

    As they shed crocodile tears,
    Over the fate of the poor whales.

     

    No Rain

     

    {n 2025, the world ended
    With the collapse
    Of the worldwide climate system.

    Monster storms of the century
    devastated half the world

    But the other half of the world
    Had no rain or snow.

    For almost a whole year
    The once green grass was dying

    Crops failed everywhere.

    And baked in the unrelenting
    Blast wave furnace-like heat
    Heatwave after heatwave.

    Military coups took place
    Fascism re-emerged
    The public demanded action.

    The politicians played
    The blame game.

     

    With the collapse of trade
    And travel restrictions
    People stayed home.

    Making do the best they could

    Home-grown gardens
    Proliferated.

    Feudal townships grew
    As people walled themselves off
    To save their communities

     

    The rich build underground cities
    While the poor starved

    And civilization crumbled

    Wildlife proliferated.

    As did neo-savage
    cannibal gangs

    By the year 2030.

    It was all over
    And the rains
    Never came out west.

     

    Ice Age 2.0 Cometh

     

    In the year 2025
    Climate change
    Ran amuck.

    Starting with monster storms
    Out west
    That lasted from November until June

    ,

    With a brief intense fire season
    So much soot and smoke

    In the air.
    Dubbed the year
    without a summer

     

    Crops failed everywhere
    massive riots erupted
    total chaos

     

    Then another
    monster storm season
    From November to June.

    Non=stop rain and snow
    Breaking all records.

     

    As the entire West coast
    Went from mega drought
    To mega flooding.

     

    And mega floods
    Thousand-year Tornados
    Hurricanes from hell
    Ravaged the rest of the land.

     

    Hell on Earth

    Sam Adams
    Woke up one day
    Looking out at his flooded home.

    Filled with black, foul-smelling, murky,
    Miasma, muddy sewage water
    Thanking God

    That he had survived
    The monster storm
    Of the century.

    That has swept across the land.
    The wind from the terrible tornados
    Tearing through the devastated land.

    Fleeing the fury of the fire out west.
    Unleashing the fury of nature,

    Truly Hell on earth had arrived.
    Climate change arriving on steroids.

    Thinking about the end-of-the-world.

     

    Do you believe in Climate change ?

    Do you believe in climate change?
    It is as real as everything else

    Is the weather getting hotter?
    Soon it will be hell on earth.

    Is the world burning up?
    Yes the world is burning, has a a fever

     

    Weather Events In My Life Pregunta Poem

     

    What is the worst weather you ever experienced?
    Korean winter 1979 – -60 Fahrenheit that winter

    What is the hottest weather you ever experienced?
    Bangkok Thailand in the summer often hit over 100 degrees

    Ever lived through a hurricane?

    Only few blew through DC when I was there

    And wildfires?
    Saw a few in Oregon – end of the world feeling

    Who is to blame for climate change?
    We all are to blame especially the fossil fuel moguls.

    Can humanity long survive climate change?
    Nope I feel the end times are coming.

     

    The Pregunta

     

    There is not much to be found on the Internet about this form. It is used in English, but has a Spanish name, as Pregunta means question.

    Ferrán Sanchez Talavera’s pregenital___999 is a famous example of a poetic debate in this form. I also saw this form on Jan Haag’s page; questions followed by a witty but often wise answer.

    Simply stated:

    The Pregunta is written in couplets, containing a question and an answer. You can make it as long as you like, as a debate never stops after one question and answer.

     

    Korean Heat Dome Blues

     

    It is hot summertime in Korea.
    Hiding out, avoiding the damn heat.
    The weather is just so hot, mama mia!
    Dreaming of eating ice cream, such a treat.
    At night, nothing beats having a cold drink.
    Trying to avoid the tropical night.
    The heat dome settles like a hot heat sink
    Making people so crazy, want to fight.

    Note: Korea gets hot in July/August, it is like living in a sauna. Many people suffer without air conditioning as the electric bills are pretty high. This year is particularly bad as a heat dome has settled down. The monsoons came and went, lots of damage down south but not where I live. August is traditionally the worst, the heat usually begins to abate end of August. Still not as bad as the US – no massive wildfires so far.

     

    Dome Cities to Save the Human Race

     

    39 lines

     

    In the year 2030

    After five years

    Of ever worsening weather

     

    Record heat waves after heat waves

    Massive fires everywhere

    Record hurricanes and typhoons

     

    Mega flooding and mega droughts too

    Tornados including fire tornado

     

    Large parts of the world

    Were experiencing death valley temperatures

    The UN convened a global conference

     

    With the vast majority of countries

    Agreeing to set up emergency shelter

    By creating domed cities

    Covering the core downtown areas

     

    Exurban areas would be abandoned

    Most of Florida would be abandoned

    Most of the Desert Southwest as well.

     

    The shelters would be built

    Using nano construction technology

    Developed in a Lab with AI assistance

    Creating the shelter domes with AI assistance

     

    The tone of the meetings was positive

    There was a new sense of harmony

     

    There was a feeling that building these shelters

    Along with transitioning to a green energy environment

    Was the last chance to save the human race

     

    The social conservatives in the U.S.

    And elsewhere realized

    That they had no choice

    But to join in the new consensus

     

    Even the big energy companies vowed

    To join in the efforts to save humanity

    For a profit of course

     

     

     

     

    Meta and Co-Pilot additional background reading

     

    Meta AI’s explanation as to why so many Republicans are climate deniers

     

    Comment:  This is a good overview of why so many Republicans are against doing anything to deal with climate change. the biggest reason is the first reason – they are beholden to their donor class, and much of their support comes from big Oil, the gun lobby, and Big Pharma which explains so much of their opposition to doing anything meaningful re climate change, gun control, and reforming medical care towards setting up guaranteed universal coverage which is something every other major industrialized country has managed to do.

     

    what is still a mystery to me is why republicans who are supposed to be the party of big business fail to see the huge potential in building out a green energy economy and are willing to let China and others take over the world market in green energy revolution.  Especially since we invented much of the underlying technologies decades ago.  Surely re-building a green energy economy would make us energy independent, allow us to dominate the world’s economy, and save the planet from destruction all why making huge profits – the energy companies could be part of the solution instead of the obstacles that they are now.  And why do we want to preserve dirty, dangerous jobs for coal miners and oil rig operators when so many of the jobs there are being lost to automation and the shift to renewable energy is moving ahead everywhere, even in the States. The US should be taking the lead.

     

    If we had followed their policies back in the 1920s the US would have been left behind when the automobile replaced the horse and buggy business leaving the field to the Germans, the Italians later the Japanese to control the automobile sector.

     

    The same argument could be made regarding developing high speed trains including maglev and hyperloop technology, why are we letting the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, French and Germans take over that market space?  Everyone knows that train travel saves the environment as it saves on gasoline costs and saves lives as it is far safer than driving.  Not to mention, people can be much more productive taking a train and working remotely rather than stuck in traffic.

     

    End Comments

     

     

    The Republican Party’s opposition to addressing climate change, renewable energy, and their denial of climate change is a complex issue with multiple factors at play.

     

    Here are some reasons:

     

    Historical ties to fossil fuel industry: The Republican Party has traditionally received significant funding and support from the fossil fuel industry, which has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

     

    Ideological opposition to government regulation: Republicans often prioritize limited government intervention and free market principles, which leads them to resist policies that would regulate carbon emissions or promote renewable energy.

     

    Economic concerns: Some Republicans worry that transitioning to renewable energy would lead to job losses in industries related to fossil fuels.

     

    Skepticism of climate science: A subset of Republicans has questioned the scientific consensus on climate change, often citing concerns about the reliability of climate models or the role of natural climate variability. Not to mention that many republicans are science skeptic these days.

     

    Political polarization: Climate change has become a highly politicized issue, with Republicans often viewing it as a Democratic priority and therefore opposing it.

    Recent events: Despite the record-breaking heat and fires, some Republicans may downplay the significance of these events or attribute them to natural variability rather than climate change.

     

    It’s important to note that not all Republicans deny climate change or oppose renewable energy, and there are growing voices within the party advocating for climate action.

     

    De Santis’s Don’t Say Climate Change

     

    Certainly! Let’s dive into Governor Ron DeSantis’s recent actions related to climate change in Florida.

     

    Budget Plan for Climate Change Impacts:

    In January 2021, Governor DeSantis proposed a budget plan to address climate change impacts in Florida. His plan included allocating $25 million for the creation of the Resilient Florida grant program. This program aims to tackle challenges posed by flooding, intensified storm events, and sea-level rise across the state1.

     

    The Resilient Florida program is designed to issue bonds, providing a total of $1 billion over four years to state and local agencies. The initial $25 million in the 2021-2022 budget would help finance these bonds, with the amount increasing annually until it reaches $100 million in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

     

    DeSantis’s focus on resilience and adaptation reflects the urgent need to address climate-related threats in Florida, a state particularly vulnerable to rising seas and extreme weather events.

     

    “Don’t Say Climate Change” Legislation:

     

    In May 2024, Governor DeSantis signed a bill that removes references to “climate change” from many state laws. This legislation effectively deprioritizes climate change in policy decisions and energy planning.

     

    Under this new law, Florida’s energy policy no longer emphasizes addressing planet-warming pollution. Instead, the priorities shift toward reducing reliance on foreign energy sources and strengthening energy infrastructure against both natural and man-made threats.

     

    Notably, the law also bans offshore wind development within a mile of Florida’s coastlines, signaling a departure from intentional efforts to transition toward cleaner energy sources like wind and solar2.

     

    Implications:

     

    By erasing the term “climate change” from state laws, Florida risks neglecting critical environmental challenges. The state has experienced record heat and costly hurricanes in recent years, making climate adaptation crucial.

     

    The nullification of renewable energy goals—previously aimed at achieving 100% clean energy by 2050—could hinder progress toward mitigating climate impacts.

     

    Governor DeSantis has framed his climate policy around the Resilient Florida Program, which focuses on preparing communities for rising seas and extreme weather events. However, critics argue that the recent legislation undermines broader efforts to combat climate change2.

     

    In summary, while Governor DeSantis has allocated funds for resilience programs, his recent legislation removing the term “climate change” from state laws has raised concerns about Florida’s commitment to addressing this pressing global issue3. If you have any more questions or need further information, feel free to ask! 😊🌎🌿

     

    Learn more:

     

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Budget Plan Addresses Climate Change Impacts1

    DeSantis Budget Includes Plan To Address Climate Impacts4

     

    Florida Gov. DeSantis signs bill that deletes climate change from state law2

     

    Image: A resilient Florida coastline facing climate change impacts. 🏖️🌊 !Resilient Florida 1

     

    Other anti-Climate Change Legislation

     

    Certainly! Removing climate change references from legislation and public discourse can have several environmental consequences. Let’s explore those:

     

    Undermining Awareness and Urgency:

     

    When climate change is downplayed or omitted from official documents, it reduces public awareness and urgency. People may not fully grasp the severity of environmental challenges, leading to complacency.

     

    Without clear references, individuals, businesses, and policymakers might underestimate the need for immediate action to mitigate climate impacts.

     

    Policy Implications:

     

    Legislation that avoids mentioning climate change may fail to address critical issues. For instance:

     

    Carbon Emissions Reduction: Policies  imbed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, (such as transitioning to renewable energy sources) may lose priority.

     

    Conservation Efforts: References to climate change often tie into conservation efforts. Protecting ecosystems, forests, and wetlands helps sequester carbon. Removing these references could weaken conservation initiatives1.

     

    Impact on Adaptation Strategies:

     

    Climate change adaptation involves preparing for its effects (e.g., sea-level rise, extreme weather events). Without acknowledging climate change, planning for adaptation becomes less effective.

     

    Coastal communities, for instance, need to consider rising sea levels and storm surges. Ignoring these factors could lead to inadequate infrastructure and increased vulnerability.

     

    Loss of Funding and Research Focus:

     

    Funding for climate-related research, monitoring, and mitigation often hinges on acknowledging climate change. If references are removed, research budgets may shrink.

     

    Scientists rely on clear language to secure grants and conduct studies. Reduced funding could hinder our understanding of climate impacts.

     

    Forestry and Carbon Sinks:

     

    Clearcutting forests—

    removing large areas of trees—releases substantial carbon into the atmosphere. Forests function as carbon sinks, absorbing CO₂.

    Without climate change references, policies may not prioritize forest conservation. This could exacerbate global warming by reducing the Earth’s capacity to absorb carbon1.

     

    Displacement and Vulnerability:

     

    Extreme environmental events (floods, droughts, storms) are linked to climate change. Displacing millions of people annually.

     

    Ignoring climate change in policy decisions perpetuates vulnerability. Communities won’t adequately prepare for these events2.

     

    Economic Impact:

     

    Climate change affects economic sectors (e.g., agriculture, tourism, energy). Omitting references may hinder planning and adaptation.

     

    For example, coastal tourism relies on stable shorelines. Without climate-aware policies, erosion and sea-level rise could harm tourism revenue3.

    In summary, removing climate change references has far-reaching consequences. It affects policy, funding, adaptation, and our ability to address urgent environmental challenges. Let’s keep the conversation going! What else would you like to explore? 🌍🌿

     

    Learn more:

     

    IPCC Fifth Assessment Report4

    NRDC: Stop Clearcutting Our Carbon Sinks1

    Review of Global Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation5

    National Geographic: Influence of Climate Change on Extreme Environmental Events2

    Strategies for Mitigation of Climate Change3

    Image: A lush forest, a vital carbon sink. 🌲🌎 !Forest 1

     

    Certainly! While there have been significant efforts to address climate change in the United States, there have also been instances of legislation or lobbying that hindered progress. Let’s explore a few notable examples:

     

    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022:

    What it Gets Right: The IRA promises the largest investment in climate action in U.S. history—approximately $370 billion over the next decade. It focuses on scaling up renewable energy production, promoting electric vehicles, and supporting climate-smart agricultural practices.

     

    What it Misses:

     

    Unfortunately, the IRA primarily emphasizes emission-cutting solutions and neglects resilience. While it aims to make buildings more energy-efficient, it misses an opportunity to ensure those buildings can withstand climate-fueled extremes. The lack of climate-resilient building codes remains a concern1.

     

    Climate Emergency Act of 2021 (S.938):

     

    This bill directed the President to declare a national emergency relating to climate change. It called for federal investments in projects to mitigate the emergency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At least 40% of these investments were earmarked for historically disadvantaged communities2.

     

    Landmark Climate Legislation:

     

    Recently, the U.S. House passed a significant climate bill that can help reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030. This bill allocates about $370 billion to clean energy and climate investments over the next decade. It represents a substantial commitment to addressing the climate crisis head-on3.

     

    Anti-Climate Lobbying:

     

    A study from 2019 highlighted the social cost of political lobbying that blocked proposed climate regulations a decade ago. Such anti-climate lobbying efforts were estimated to have cost society $60 billion. This underscores the impact of lobbying on climate policy and the need for transparent and science-based decision-making4.

     

    In summary, while there have been positive steps toward climate action, it’s essential to remain vigilant and address any legislative or lobbying efforts that hinder progress.

     

    Council on Foreign Relations: What the Historic U.S. Climate Bill Gets Right and Gets Wrong1

     

    Library of Congress: S.938 – Climate Emergency Act of 20212

     

    The Nature Conservancy: U.S. House Passes Landmark Climate Legislation3

    Carbon Brief: Lobbying against key US climate regulation ‘cost society $60bn’, study finds4

     

    Image: A wind farm generating renewable energy. 🌬️⚡ !Wind Farm 1

    Feel free to explore more topics or ask any follow-up questions! 😊

     

    Recent Wildfires

     

    Certainly! As of the most recent data available, wildfires are actively burning in both the United States and Canada. Let’s break it down:

    United States:

     

    Scores of wildfires have been scorching swaths of land across several states, including California, Oregon, Idaho, and others. These fires have led to evacuations, road closures, and damage to structures1.

     

    The total number of active wildfires in the U.S. fluctuates daily due to new ignitions and containment efforts. For real-time updates, you can refer to the Fire, Weather & Avalanche Wildfire Map, which provides an interactive view of current wildfires and their perimeters2.

     

    It’s important to note that the U.S. experiences annual variations in wildfire activity. While the current acreage burned is significant, it’s essential to compare it to historical trends.

     

    Canada:

     

    Canada has faced an unprecedented fire season in 2023. Large and dangerous fires have broken out across provinces such as British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. These fires have displaced thousands, destroyed property, and blanketed large areas of North America with smoke.

     

    As of August 29, 2024, there are 1,069 active fires in Canada, with more than half of them considered out of control. Notably, the area burned by these fires in 2023 has shattered records.

     

    In previous decades, active fire seasons saw more individual fires, but 2023 stands out for the total area burned. The previous record was set in 1995, with 7.1 million hectares burned. However, in 2023, a staggering 15.2 million hectares have already been consumed by wildfires3.

     

    Cartographer Chris Brockley’s map illustrates this: It shows forest fire activity across Canada since 1921, with 2023 depicted in white. The scale of burning this year surpasses anything seen in the past century3.

     

    Comparison to Previous Years:

     

    In the U.S., the amount of land burned varies annually, but the overall trend has been upward since reliable data collection began in the 1980s. While approximately 1.8 million acres have burned so far this year, it’s still below the 10-year average of 2.8 million acres4.

     

    In Canada, the 2023 wildfire season has broken records for the total area burned. Although the number of fires is smaller compared to some previous years, their size and extent have been unprecedented5.

     

    In summary, both the U.S. and Canada are grappling with significant wildfire activity. While the U.S. experiences fluctuations from year to year, Canada’s 2023 fire season stands out as historically severe. Let’s hope for effective containment efforts and continued awareness of the importance of wildfire prevention and management. If you’d like more details or have further questions, feel free to ask! 🔥🌲

     

     

     

    Sent by Copilot:

    The recent hurricane and tornado seasons in the U.S. have been quite active.

    Hurricane Season:

    The National Hurricane Center has been tracking a system in the central Atlantic that shows signs it could develop momentum1.

    Hurricane Beryl, which occurred in early July 2024, produced more tornadoes in the U.S. than any other tropical system has in almost 19 years2.

    The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season began with an “explosive start” when Beryl made landfall on Carriacouan Island on July 1 as a Category 4 hurricane before it weakened to a Category 1 and slammed the Texas coast the following week1.

    Tornado Season:

    As of July 16, 2024, there had been 1,412 tornado reports in the United States, well ahead of the 2010-2024 historical average of 9973.

    The distribution of tornadoes has also shifted eastward3.

    The biggest year on record for tornadoes was 2011. By July 10 that year, the U.S. had racked up 1,934 tornado reports and would ultimately reach 2,250 for the year3.

    Climate Change Impact: The effects of climate change on hurricanes and tornadoes are complex. Research shows rising temperatures are causing hurricanes to become more intense4However, the link between tornadoes and climate change is currently not fully understood5Challenges remain that prevent clearer attribution, including limited data collection methods, high year-to-year variability, and difficulty modeling key physical elements that help tornadoes form5Despite these challenges, studies have found a few trends in the United States by using portions of the record that are more reliable, like data for very strong tornadoes5Multiple studies find that the conditions that produce the most severe thunderstorms from which tornadoes may form are more likely as the world warms5.

    In conclusion, while the recent hurricane and tornado seasons have been active, attributing these changes directly to climate change is complex due to the multifaceted nature of these weather phenomena and the challenges in data collection and modeling. However, the consensus is that climate change is likely making extreme weather events more common65. Further research is needed to fully understand these relationships.

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    Donald Trump’s Comments on Climate Change

    Comment:  Co-pilots often surprise me with their creative wild responses.  I think the debate over whether we are dealing with a real AI is over.  AI is here now.

     

    Copilot

     

    Ah, the enigmatic dance of Donald Trump and climate change—a topic that’s as unpredictable as a squirrel on a seesaw! Let’s unravel this intriguing tango, shall we? 🕺💨

     

    Donald Trump’s Climate Change Cha-Cha: A Brief Recap:

    The Denial Shuffle: Back in the day (well, not that long ago), Trump was doing the climate cha-cha with gusto. He called climate change “mythical,” “nonexistent,” and even an “expensive hoax.” But wait, there’s more! In 2012, he famously claimed that climate change was cooked up by the Chinese to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. (Yes, you read that right—apparently, the Great Wall wasn’t enough; they needed climate change too.)

     

    Twitter Twirls: Trump’s Twitter feed was like a climate-themed rollercoaster. Over 120 tweets questioned or poked fun at climate change. He insisted that scientists rebranded global warming as climate change because “the name global warming wasn’t working.” (Note to self: Scientists are not marketing consultants.)

    Cold Snap Samba: Trump’s favorite move? Linking cold weather to climate change. But here’s the twist: The World Meteorological Organization says the 20 warmest years on record happened in the past 22 years. So, maybe he missed that memo while tweeting from Mar-a-Lago.

    Ambiguous Tango: Fast-forward to his presidency. Trump’s stance became as slippery as a salsa dancer on an ice rink. He’d acknowledge climate change but frame it in terms of clean air and water (which, by the way, aren’t directly related). And he’d throw in business costs for good measure. Because nothing says “climate action” like a spreadsheet, right?

     

    Quotes & Quips: Let’s sprinkle some Trump quotes for flavor:

     

    “I think there is some connectivity [between human activity and climate change]. There is some, something. It depends on how much. It also depends on how much it’s going to cost our companies.” (New York Times interview, November 2016)

     

    “I don’t think there’s a hoax. I do think there’s probably a difference. But I don’t know that it’s man-made… I don’t wanna give trillions and trillions of dollars.”

    (CBS interview, October 2018)

     

    And then he’d wink and say, “Climate change is very important to me.” (Cue the dramatic music.)

     

    In Conclusion (or Should We Say, Grand Finale?):

     

    Trump’s climate dance card is a mix of moonwalks, twirls, and the occasional mooning of scientific consensus.

     

    Whether he’s a climate skeptic, a climate pragmatist, or just a climate-confused soul, one thing’s for sure: His moves keep us guessing.

     

    And there you have it—the Trumpian climate conundrum, wrapped in a sequined bow. If you want more twists and turns, just ask—i’ve got enough material to choreograph a whole Broadway show! 🌎🎭✨

     

    Learn more:

    BBC: What does Trump actually believe on climate change?1

    Image: Trump doing the climate change cha-cha. 🌍🕺 !Trump Cha-Cha 1

    Feel free to ask for more dance moves—or any other topic you’d like to explore! 😄

    Learn more

    1bbc.com2msn.com3msn.com4msn.com5bbc.co.uk

    2 days ago2d·on MSN

     

    A second Trump term would actively make climate change worse

    Opinion

     

    The videos first started appearing a dozen years ago. Pickup truck drivers, mostly young men, would modify their diesel engines and then record themselves deliberately spreading air pollution.

     

    It was called “rolling coal,” and the idea was to spew dark clouds of exhaust at bicyclistsPrius and Tesla drivers and other cars as a protest of environmentalism.

     

    The trend appears to have peaked in 2014, thanks to new state laws and crackdowns on people selling vehicle modification kits and, presumably, finding better things to do with their time. But the impulse behind it lives on, even as the risks of climate change become ever more serious.

     

    The most recent example? Project 2025, a set of conservative proposals from the Heritage Foundation that outlines step-by-step plans to remake the federal government in a second Donald Trump administration, including dismantling nearly everything the federal government is doing to fight climate change, making it dramatically harder to conduct basic scientific research on it and actively promoting more oil and gas use.

     

    Trump has tried to distance himself from the proposals, despite the fact that some of his top former advisers spearheaded it. But it’s in line with his thinking. As The Washington Post reported, he told a gathering of top oil executives this year that he would reverse dozens of environmental regulations and stop new ones if they raised $1 billion to help him return to the White House.

     

    ‘Terrible policy and politics’: Rattner breaks down Project 2025

     

    View on Watch

     

    His campaign, meantime, targeted environmental regulations such as electric vehicle mandates in its Agenda 47, a scattershot series of videos outlining its plans for a second term. And at rallies, Trump frequently criticizes electric cars, claiming in one bizarre aside that buying one made his friend gain weight because he would eat at restaurants while it charged. Trump has also gone off on weird tangents about the risks of electric batteries on boats.

     

    In his first “rolling coal” term, Trump rolled back or loosened nearly 100 rules and regulations on pollution, many of which set the U.S. further behind in the effort to stop the worst effects of climate change, according to a tally by The New York Times. But that record would be dwarfed by the damage that the Project 2025 proposals could do if he followed through on them, even as Monday was the hottest day ever measured by humans, according to a European Union science agency.

     

    The 922-page document drips with disdain for what it calls “climate alarmism” that it argues is being used as propaganda for “ineffective, liberty-crushing regulations.” But its most damaging proposal looks like it would launch what amounts to a propaganda effort against climate science.

     

    The first step is something called Schedule F, which would reclassify thousands of government workers, making it easier for the president to hire and fire them. Even if Trump were to fire only some of those workers, the shift toward politicization of lower-level government jobs would mean an exodus of experienced scientists.

    Those who remained might become more cautious about their research decisions to avoid trouble.

     

    The second step is to create a job that appears to basically be an anti-climate change czar. Project 2025 proposes creating a position of “science adviser” and six senior political appointees who would be charged with “overseeing and reforming” research at the Environmental Protection Agency, emphasizing that these political overseers should be hired for their “management, oversight and execution skills,” rather than scientific expertise.

     

    Imagine something like the final scene of an episode of “The Apprentice,” only with Trump hauling climate scientists into the boardroom to dramatically fire them. That may be exciting for the oil and gas industry and some of Trump’s supporters but not for the two-thirds of Americans in a recent Pew Research Center survey who said they support the country’s taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050.

     

    (If you want to understand the depth of disdain here, the section on the EPA was written by Mandy Gunasekara. The Drilled newsletter points out she’s in the famous 2015 photo of her then-boss, the late Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., holding up a snowball in the Senate as an attempt to disprove climate change.)

     

    The report goes further, proposing dramatically downsizing the National Weather Service and leaving weather forecasting to private companies. That could hamper its ability to issue public warnings about floods, hurricanes and other dangers, just as we are seeing more intense and frequent extreme-weather events due to the human-caused increase in greenhouse gases.

     

    That’s not all. Other sections of Project 2025 propose ending subsidies for wind and solar power; cutting research into wind, solar and battery technology needed to help transition away from fossil fuels; ending federal mandates and subsidies for electric vehicles; and expanding drilling for oil and natural gas on federal lands. As Trump said in his convention speech, “we will drill, baby, drill.”

     

    The efforts would not be limited to the U.S., either. A section on foreign aid proposes rolling back efforts to help developing countries transition away from fossil fuels, arguing that they are “unachievable.” But then it goes further, arguing that the U.S. should spend taxpayer dollars persuading these countries to burn more oil and gas.

     

    The U.S. Agency for International Development, the proposal says, “should cease its war on fossil fuels in the developing world and support the responsible management of oil and gas reserves as the quickest way to end wrenching poverty.”

    Taken together, these proposals would not just make it harder to fight climate change but actively make it worse. A second Trump administration would be rolling coal on the entire planet.

     

    This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

     

    2 days ago2d·on MSN

    How Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Compare on Climate Change

     

    How Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Compare on Climate Change© OLIVIER DOULIERY/Getty Images

     

    This article by Yale Climate Connections is published here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

     

    President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris appears likely to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.

    As vice president, Harris cast the tiebreaking vote in the passage of the Biden administration’s signature achievement on climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act.

     

    As Yale Climate Connections contributor Barbara Grady previously reported, “The most far-reaching climate law in history, the Inflation Reduction Act is catalyzing a transition in the U.S. economy toward cleaner energy and cleaner transportation – a shift the International Energy Agency, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and others say must happen for the world to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases to the levels scientists say would avert the most catastrophic and irreversible climate chaos.”

     

    Harris has made clear throughout her career that she views climate change as a significant threat. Speaking at the 2023 United Nations climate summit in Dubai, she told leaders, “Across our world, communities are choked by drought, washed out by floods, and decimated by hurricanes. Wildfire smoke darkens our skies, and rising seas threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. The urgency of this moment is clear. The clock is no longer just ticking, it is banging. And we must make up for lost time.”

    Related video: Trump: ‘Sick’ Kamala Harris is no Margaret Thatcher (The Telegraph)

    If elected president, Harris is “widely expected to try to protect the climate achievements of the Biden administration,” according to the New York Times.

    In contrast, Trump has falsely called climate change a hoax. During his term as president, as Grady reported, “he overturned an estimated 100 environmental regulations and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement. He shrank the EPA and required that the words ‘climate change’ be removed from its website. On the campaign trail this time, he has repeatedly said one of his top priorities is to boost oil and gas production and free up more public land to ‘Drill, baby, drill.’”

     

    If Trump wins a second term as president, he and his allies say they aim to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and downsize the EPA.

    On July 22, Harris received endorsements from several large environmental organizations, including the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, the NRDC Action Fund, the Sierra Club Political Committee, and Clean Energy for American Action.

    Adcreative.ai14x Higher Conversion Rates

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    “The last three and a half years of the Biden-Harris administration could not contrast more starkly with Trump and other extreme MAGA Republicans, and the stakes for this election could not be higher,” the organizations wrote in a joint statement. “A second term would be far worse for our climate and our democracy.”

     

    What is Project 2025? Trump, climate, and a second term

     

    Project 2025, a 992-page conservative plan for a second Trump term, calls for elimination of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, gutting of the National Weather Service, repeal of Biden’s clean energy subsidies, and axing the National Flood Insurance Program.

     

    It also calls for drilling in the Arctic and cuts to climate change work by government agencies. That includes the U.S. Agency for International Development, which, the authors write, “should cease its war on fossil fuels in the developing world and support the responsible management of oil and gas reserves as the quickest way to end wrenching poverty and the need for open-ended foreign aid.”

     

    For more on Trump’s climate record, read this article.

    Kamala Harris and climate change

    Here’s an overview of Harris’s views and actions related to climate change, sourced from news and White House reports.

     

    She connects extreme weather to climate change.

     

    “Every day, around the world, the impact of the climate crisis is stark and it is vivid. We are seeing it in real time,” she said in a 2023 speech. “Across our nation, we see communities choked by drought, washed out by flood, and decimated by hurricanes.” White House

     

    She has supported the Green New Deal, a carbon fee, and increased government spending on climate change.

     

    As a 2020 presidential candidate, her climate plan “called for a $10 trillion increase in spending over a decade.” New York Times (gift link)

    “Harris also called for a ‘climate pollution fee” that would ‘make polluters pay for emitting greenhouse gases into our atmosphere,’ and she indicated that a Harris administration would strengthen its enforcement and prosecution of fossil fuel companies.” ABC News

     

    As a U.S. senator from California, Harris co-sponsored the Green New Deal, which called for an FDR-style overhaul of the economy that would accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean technology. The Green New Deal has not been enacted.

     

    She has woven climate change into foreign relations.

     

    Harris attended the 2023 United Nations climate summit in Dubai, where “she announced a U.S. commitment to double energy efficiency and triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. At that same conference, Harris announced a $3 billion commitment to the Green Climate Fund to help developing nations adapt to climate challenges, although Politico reported that the sum was ‘subject to the availability of funds,’ according to the Treasury Department.” Grist

     

    She held “a round table in Bangkok to connect environmental activists with clean energy experts” and started “a partnership with Caribbean countries to address climate change.” New York Times (gift link)

     

    She connects climate change to justice.

    As vice president, “Harris argued for the allocation of $20 billion for the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, aimed at aiding disadvantaged communities facing climate impacts.” Grist

     

    She’s a fan of heat pumps. Heat pumps use electricity to heat and cool homes and are seen as a keyway to reducing climate pollution.

     

    “I have mad respect for those who are putting them together and installing them,” she said in a 2022 speech. White House

     

    She regularly makes the connection between lower energy costs and renewable energy. Key quotes:

     

    “On average, families that switch to an electric heat pump can save up to $500 a year on their energy bill. And since heat pumps do not burn oil or gas, they also mean cleaner air inside your home.” White House

     

    “In addition to lowering costs and creating jobs, this investment will also help us fight the climate crisis.” White House

     

    “By helping families pay the upfront cost for energy efficiency upgrades to their homes, we are also lowering energy bills, bringing down household costs, creating jobs, and fighting the climate crisis. It’s all connected.” White House

    She notes that investments in renewable energy can lead to job creation. Key quotes:

    “Across the country, we have created more than 175,000 new clean energy jobs. Just so far. More to go.” White House

    Her Women in the Sustainable Economy initiative aims to provide job training for women in climate-smart industries. White House

    She says she supports and is inspired by young climate activists.

    “These young leaders are guiding our nation in our climate fight. And as they have told me their work is driven by their hope and their determination. Hope, because they know we still have time to make a difference. And their determination is the determination to correct the course,” she said in 2023. White House

    She’s been an opponent of fracking.

    As a 2020 presidential candidate, “She also favored a ban on hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, which Mr. Biden said he opposed. Fracking is a technique that injects water and chemicals underground at high pressure to extract oil or gas that is otherwise difficult to access.” New York Times (gift link)

    As California’s attorney general, she “challenged federal approvals of offshore fracking along the California coast.” New York Times (gift link)

    She’s challenged polluting companies.

    As California’s attorney general, “she investigated whether Exxon Mobil lied to the public and its shareholders about the risks to its business from climate change and whether such actions could amount to securities fraud and violations of environmental laws, but the case did not result in a prosecution.” New York Times (gift link)

     

    “Harris secured an $86 million settlement from Volkswagen for rigging its vehicles with emissions-cheating software and investigated ExxonMobil over its climate change disclosures. She also filed a lawsuit against Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips for environmental violations at gas stations, which eventually resulted in a $11.5 million settlement. And she conducted a criminal investigation of an oil company over a 2015 spill in Santa Barbara. The company was found guilty and convicted on nine criminal charges.” Grist

     

    As San Francisco’s district attorney, “Harris created an environmental justice unit to address environmental crimes affecting San Francisco’s poorest residents and prosecuted several companies including U-Haul for violation of hazardous waste laws. Harris later touted her environmental justice unit as the first such unit in the country. An investigation found the unit only filed a handful of lawsuits, though, and none of them were against the city’s major industrial polluters.” Grist

    two climate Change Poems (Post Together)

    Either We Deal with Climate Change or We All Die

    Climate change is real.
    And getting out of control.
    Either humanity deals with it.
    Changing to green energy solutions.
    It is technologically possible.
    We all know what we must do.
    It could be a civilization ending event.
    Or in ten years we will have to retreat underground.

    WRITE AN EITHER / OR POEM.

    Torrential Rain Fall Everywhere

    In the last few years
    Due to climate change on steroids.
    There has been an increase
    In torrential downpours all over the world.
    After the Governor Florida
    cut climate change funds,
    More rain fell in one day than in a year.
    Flooding the entire city of Miami.

    TOPIC

    WRITE A TORRENTIAL POEM.

     

     

    Climate Change

     

    The climate is changing now.

    It is a matter of how.

    Some are still in denial.

    Saying  it’s a witch-trial

     

    Form: TANAGA

    It is a poem of four lines (quatrain)
    It is usually a rhyming poem
    Each line contains seven syllables (7-7-7-7)
    AABB is the traditional rhyme scheme
    But variations in rhyme scheme are allowed
    Just have fun!

     

     

    Visions of the Future

     

    As I fell asleep

    Watching the news

    Unfold

     

    Thought it could not worst

    Surely sanity will prevail

    I began to see visions

    Of the future

     

    One scene after another

     

    Starting in January

    Operation Shock and Awe

    Overnight fascism descended

    On the US

     

    Martial law declare

    The military takes

    over the Blue States

    Mass deportation begins

     

    25 percent tariffs imposed

    The world responds by banning US imports

    And banning US citizens from traveling there

    US troops come home

     

    A draft is imposed

    Troops stationed on the border

    Which is sealed up

     

    Detention camps fill up

    With illegal citizens

    Protestors and dissidents

     

    The New Government Efficiency report

    Calls for eliminating 40 percent

    of the Federal workforce

    whole departments are abolished

     

    as protests spread

    unemployment reaches

    unemployment levels

     

    Public health collapses

    Government services collapse

    Libraries closed down

     

    Schools replaced

    By private church schools

     

    the media is tamed

    corporations take over

    remaining media workers

    and government workers

     

    stay silent

    not wanting to join

    the ranks of the growing unemployed

    as AI bots take over

    job after job

     

    the internet cleansed

    of dissenting views

    and monitored

     

    millions are driven

    to homelessness

    unemployment

    reaches 50 percent

     

    homeless camps

    called Trumpvilles spread

     

    the military breaks them up

    thousands are killed

     

     

    the rest of the  homeless

    are rounded up

    put into camps

     

    forced to work

    in agricultural jobs

     

    inflation goes through the roof

    the media becomes cheerleaders

    saying things will get better

    if we stay the course

     

    it gets worse

    people who have jobs

    feel fortunate

     

    those who do not

    joined by millions

    as AI takes over

    job after job

     

    the President dies

    JD Vance takes over

    And things continue

    Getting worse

     

    Worldwide it is bad

    Democratic governments

    Collapse everywhere

     

    JD Vance declares

    The United States

    Will become the

    North American empire

     

    Moving the capital

    To Omaha

    Calling for a constitutional convention

    But suspending the constitution for now

     

    The democratic party declared

    The enemy within

    Congress sent home

     

    The SC does not say a word

    After the liberal members

    Are arrested

     

    Most people do not know

    What is going on

    The media and news

    Showing nothing but good news

     

    People retreat into their own world

    VR games have become very popular

    Drugs are everywhere

    But illegal

     

    Overseas Russian troops take over

    Eastern Europe

    Russian Empire relaunched

    China takes back Taiwan

    And Korea

     

    Declaring the Chinese Empire

    Middle East overcome by war

    Israel was destroyed in a nuclear war

     

    Nuclear war breaks out

    Indian and Pakistan

    China and Korea

     

    US and Russia

    Are now allies

     

    Western Europe

    Breaks apart

     

    Ten years later

    World civilization has fallen apart

     

    Climate change ends

    With the collapse of trade

    And travel

     

    Followed by a new ice age

    Triggered by nuclear winter

     

    The end of the world

    Has arrived

     

    Most people live in fort cities

    Ruled by local warlords

    Working in agriculture

    Or working as scavengers

     

    80 percent of humanity

    Perished after massive storms

    Nuclear war

    Disease and the ending

    of civilization

     

    A few college towns

    Try to stay alive

    The knowledge

    of the past

     

    but most people don’t know

    don’t care and have forgotten

    the recent past nightmares.

     

    The imperial governments

    Around the world

    Rule nothing but

    The immediate capitol regions

     

    The rest of the world

    Continuing in feudal townships

     

     

    Rich people have finally figured out

    How to move to Mars and the Moon

    Living in vast underground cities

     

    On in underground cities

    Beneath the earth

     

    My vision ends with these sights

    Ten years after the chaos began.

     

     

    the year 2024

    38 lines

    The year 2024
    Turned out to be a weird year,
    It was the last year of the old order.

    All over the world
    It seemed as if nature
    Was in revolt against the human race.

    It started with a break in the rain
    The rains and snow had ended the drought
    But brought with it something worse.

    As Sam Adams
    Took a long-delayed
    Drive along the coast.

    He stopped off in Bodega Bay
    The site of the infamous
    “the Birds” movie.

    While watching the crashing surf
    Amid the piles of driftwood

    The birds were soon joined by bears,
    Coyotes, cougars, feral cats. Feral cattle,
    feral dogs, Feral horses, feral pigs, giant spiders,
    Orcas, snakes, sea lions, sharks, squirrels,
    Escaped apes, cheetahs, monkeys, elephants,
    Lions, tigers, and wolves
    Domestic and wild animals alike.

    All gathered together
    All united with a hatred
    For the human race.

    The attacks started that day
    As the animals gained telepathic powers
    Coordinating attacks
    Against the unsuspecting humans.

    And within weeks.
    Civilization began falling apart,
    By the end of the year
    The old world had ended.
    Prompt words

    break in the rain
    drive along the coast
    “The Birds” movie
    crashing surf
    piles of driftwood

    Choose TRAVEL as one of your genres.

    © Copyright 2023

     

     

    Solar Energy Mirrored Cinquain

    Solar
    Clean energy
    We can do it right now
    Renewable energy for all
    Why not?

    Wind too
    To save the world, we must do it
    We know how to do it
    Climate change is now
    Killing

    Poetry week begins TODAY in “The Writer’s Cramp” – write the best POEM in 24 hours or less and win 10K GPs!

    ” Winner and new prompt, due Feb 27 – 2023″ 19 hours 39 minutes 55 seconds
    Today’s form is going to be the Mirrored Cinquain.

    Topic: solar energy.

    Information: “Cinquain, Mirrored”

    Entries must not exceed 40 lines for poetry. Your line count MUST appear in your entry post in the Cramp forum.

    The Mirrored Cinquain

    First I have to bring back into memory how the cinquain goes:

    The cinquain is developed by Adelaide Crapsey.
    A cinquain contains five lines (the French word cinq can be found in it), and has a total of 22 syllables. The poems are unrhymed, and in a way related to the haiku

    This is how you form the cinquain

    Line 1: 2 syllables
    Line 2: 4 syllables
    Line 3: 6 syllables
    Line 4: 8 syllables
    Line 5: 2 syllables

    The Mirrored Cinquain has an additional stanza, in which you mirror the order of the lines.
    This is how you form the mirrored cinquain:

    Line 1: 2 syllables
    Line 2: 4 syllables
    Line 3: 6 syllables
    Line 4: 8 syllables
    Line 5: 2 syllables

    Line 1: 2 syllables
    Line 2: 8 syllables
    Line 3: 6 syllables
    Line 4: 4 syllables
    Line 5: 2 syllables

    The spaced opening in the middle forms the mirror, and in the second stanza you can see that the order of the lines are reversed.

    Running out of water

    The end of the year
    Running out of water
    The fire in the sky
    What does it matter ?

    The bomb cylcone storm
    The climate getting hotter
    People becoming madder
    Nature ready for slaughter

    We watch it all unfold
    Our leader the chief Plotter
    As climate change worsens
    Reality to fought her

    To me, a new form to play with, but in fact it is an old Irish poetry form.

    Guidelines:

    It is written in quatrains.
    Each stanza has four lines.
    The first line has five syllables.
    The other three lines have six syllables.

    All end words are two syllables.
    But – written with the defining features of most Celtic poems, cywddydd (harmony of sound) meaning alliteration, consonance and assonance and dunadh (ending the poem with the same word, phrase or line with which the poem began)

     

    Last Bird of the Autumn

    15 lines

    Sam Adams was hiking
    In the mountains
    On a late autumn day
    When he encountered
    The last bird alive.

    A virus had emerged
    From the thawing permafrost
    Quickly spreading around the world
    Killing birds
    Until there were only a few
    Who survived.

    He captured the bird
    Took it home
    And continued to look
    For other birds to save.

    Please use the following as the Title of your poem or story:

    “Last Bird of Autumn”

    The genre is up to you.

     

    End-of-the-World Feelings

     

    17 lines

    Sam Adams
    Woke up one day
    Looking out at his flooded home.
    Filled with black, foul-smelling, murky,
    Miasma, muddy sewage water
    Thanking God
    That he had survived
    The monster storm
    Of the century.
    That has swept across the land.
    The wind from the terrible tornados
    Tearing through the devastated land.
    Fleeing the fury of the fire out west.
    Unleashing the fury of nature,
    Truly Hell on earth had arrived.
    Climate change arriving on steroids.
    Thinking about the end-of-the-world.

    new prompt:

    water
    land
    fire
    wind

    Use the elements mentioned above in your poem or story.

     

    Last BBQ

    The day the world ended
    Was a cool evening
    in the late summer time,
    They heard the news
    About the monarch butterflies
    Disappearing because of climate change
    While enjoying their BBQ
    In the backyard fire pit
    Good friends drinking beer
    And wine eating BBQ
    Chilling out, talking about the world
    And their stories
    Snoring dogs woke up
    When the aliens arrived
    Ending the world
    As they knew it.

     

     

    Last Ground Hog Day

     

    36 lines

    The last ground day
    February 2, 2025
    Started as most such days did,
    In the U.S. people flocking
    To see whether the groundhog
    Would see his shadow or not.

    The mystery remains
    Why this event
    Had so captured
    The imagination of the world?

    By the end of the day
    The ground hog’s prognosis
    Of six weeks more winter
    Seemed ironical.

    As that was the year
    Without summer
    And the first year
    Of the new ice age.

    By the end of the day
    There were massive volcanic eruptions
    Triggered by the Yellowstone volcano.
    Setting off other volcanos –
    All told over 25 volcanos blew up.

    Followed by massive earthquakes
    Including the “Big One” in California
    The massive explosions led to a year
    Without summer

    A true civilization-ending event,
    Ground Hog Day soon faded away.
    Into collective amnesia.

    No one had time anymore
    To deal with such a mundane
    Old fashion mystery.

    As they were dealing with
    The end-of-the-world.

    NEW PROMPT:

    Write a story or poem about a Groundhog Day (2/2) gone wrong.

    Choose Mystery as one of your genres.

     

    End-of-the-world Survival Blues

    I got them
    The end-of-the-world
    End times coming
    Climate change is real
    Blues.

    Every day
    More bad news
    As Frank Zappa once wrote

    “No one can deny
    That trouble coming every day.”

    I got them
    The end-of-the-world
    Blues.

    Turning on the news
    Nonstop stories 24/7

    About killer storms
    Monster tornados
    Super typhoons
    Monsoon floods.

    Wars, rumors of war
    COVID running out of control
    False prophets everywhere

    Economies still reeling
    Inflation out of control
    Derange gunmen
    Shooting up schools
    Churches, mosques, temples
    Shopping malls

    Insurrection plots
    Political madness
    Spreading across the world.
    Neo-fascism is on the move.

    Oh yeah
    I got them
    End times coming
    Blues.

    We all used to think
    Climate change
    Is a future threat.

    Now it seems
    To be real
    Live and in living color.

    No longer just
    A disaster movie

    I got them
    The climate change blues

    And now it seems real
    Seeing whole towns disappearing
    In fires, floods, and storm damages.

    And near me
    Roads closed
    Apartments flooded
    Subway shut down.

    Apartment garage flooded
    People drowned in their cars
    Trying to escape.

    Thousand-year storms
    Coming every day
    To a town near you

    No one can escape
    It seems so real
    Is this the end?
    Is our very survival
    At stake?

    Or will we somehow
    Manage in the end
    To solve our problems?

    Will our descendants
    Be living
    In a post-apocalyptic world,

    Looking back at the ruins
    Of the old world
    In their underground bunkers
    Or on the Moon and Mars?

    Oh, I got them
    The survival blues.

    SURVIVAL

    Line Count Requirement: Minimum of 12
    Required Form: none

     

     

    End Times

     

    22

    Sam Adams
    Reflected that the end times
    Were coming.

    Climate change
    Running out of control
    The whole world is on fire.

    magnetic storm
    causing rampant
    power failures

    Making it hard.
    To breathe
    in the smoky air.

    He just wants to
    Jump in the river
    To cool off.

    But he realized
    There was no end
    In sight.

    As the world ends
    Burning up
    Turning the world
    Into hell on earth.

    New Prompt:

    Use in your poem or story the following, and bold it for tomorrow’s judge:

    magnetic storm

    power failure

    breathe

    jump in the river

     

    Stay Positive

    15 line version

    With all the gloom and doom
    Nonstop 24/7 BREAKING NEWS
    Bad, crazy, deceitful, dismal, evil,
    Fake, fraudulent, wild news
    Flooding our TV screens.

    Like Frank Zappa’s famous
    “Slime oozing out of your TV sets”
    It is very hard to remain positive.
    Hard to see the good news.

    Senator Manchin reached a deal
    To deal with climate change
    Inflation and energy security.

    He took the deal
    He had denounced
    A few weeks before.

     

     

    No more Perfect Summer Days

    I wish that we could have
    A perfect summer day,
    A bit warm but not hot
    Not too humid.

    Everyone filled with peace,
    Love and health.
    Plenty of personal freedom,
    As we enjoy a picnic lunch
    Watching fireworks at night.

    Then I realize
    That the world
    No longer allows us
    To have perfect summer days.

    Hot as hell weather
    Everywhere around the world
    Monster summer storms.

    Running out of water,
    Running out of food,
    COVID is still around.

    Everyone scared.
    Deranged gunmen
    everywhere guns blazing.

    New leaders emerge
    Promising to protect us.
    And we lose our freedoms.
    One by one
    As fascism takes over.

    The climate change
    And all the other dystopian future
    Nightmares become reality,
    No more perfect summer days.

     

     

    Korean Summers

    Korean Summers
    Hot sauna humidity
    Long tropical nights

    Author note:

    I have suffered through many Korean summers off since 1979 when I first came in the last peace corps group to complete service in Korea, and more recently since I semi-retired to Korea in late 2016. This is probably my 16th Korean summer. Some things have improved – air conditioning is everywhere and

    God is not happy
    With the human race.

    He is sending us a warning
    The world is filled with hate
    The world is on the brink.

    Our way of life under attack
    From the forces
    Of evil Satanic godless communism.

    Who under the guise
    Of fighting the climate change hoax
    Want to deny us our freedom.

    Want to deny us our cars
    Make us all take the bus
    Make us all vegan.

    They will not stop
    Until our way of life
    Comes to an end.

    And the climate
    It is not changing
    Just a reflection
    Of God’s warning.

    Repent, the end times
    Are coming soon
    Are you right with the lord?

    Judgment day is at hand
    As California burns
    So does the nation
    Unless we repent
    Of our evil ways.

    God is warning us all
    My friends
    Will we heed his words
    Or end up dying?

     

     

    Last Gasp of the Old World
    30 lines

    The world’s weather
    Continued to change
    Going from bad to worst
    With the impact of climate change.

    Every day another monster storm
    Another polar vortex
    Another northeastern
    Along with killer tornados.

    Then the summer came
    Hot and dry
    Fire season started west
    Monster hurricanes down south.

    Relentless fires burning
    The land
    Everywhere seemed to be
    Hell on earth.

    Noting the odd weather
    Sam Adams the famous writer
    Concluded on his blog

    Welcome to the end times
    My friends
    It is only going to get worst.
    Revelations foretold us
    All of this

    Jesus is coming soon
    To judge the living
    And the dead.

    Be afraid
    Of the coming wraith
    Of the Lord.

     

     

    The Last Umbrella

    18 lines

    Sam Adams was a scientist
    Working on global warming
    And acid rain fall
    He knew what many did not
    That the end was indeed coming

    Soon he feared that walking
    Outside in the rain
    Would be a death sentence

    He knew that this might be
    The end of the umbrella industry

    He called his broker
    Shorted shares
    In universal umbrellas
    And other umbrella companies

    Before releasing his report
    That led to the collapse
    Of the umbrella market.

     

    Climate Change on the Move

    Climate change
    On the move
    Everywhere
    The world’s weather
    In turmoil
    Massive winter storms
    Covering the world
    Rare winter tornados
    Causing havoc everywhere
    There is good news
    The fires out west
    Finally dying down
    As the winter storms
    Bear down on the west

     

    Korean December Weather – Brought to You By Global Warming, Inc

    A relatively mild December day
    More like November than December
    Due to Climate warming?

    Korea used to have a predictable weather pattern
    The winter would start late November, eartly December
    By the end of the year,

    It would be snowing every other day
    Accumulating in the mountains
    But not too much in the cities.

    A clear pattern three days cold
    Four days warm
    Cold but not too cold yet.

    That would happen
    In January through March,
    When cold air would flow down
    From Siberian and Manchuria
    Covering the land,

    With bone-chilling cold
    That would not let up
    Until mid-March
    When the cold
    Would begin to end.

    Except in the mountains
    When it would linger until May,
    And Korea is a land of mountains
    70 percent mountains.

    Most under 5,000 American feet
    A few a bit higher
    Many more hills than mountains
    Whatever that means.

    Climate Warming Inc Press release

    Due to our efforts
    The traditional severely cold Korean has ended
    Winter now will be just January and February
    Summer will start in May,
    End in September.
    October through December
    Will be mild.

    Thanks to our efforts
    You should be glad
    We are giving you
    A longer fall
    And shorter winter.

    The summers unfortunately
    It will be a bit hotter
    Nothing we can do about that
    Hope you can afford
    More Air conditioning.

    Thanks
    The Climate Warming Corp Inc

     

     

     

    The world can end in Fire and Ice

     

    Some scientists are warning us

    Climate change could result

    In both global warming,

     

    And ironically

    that could be followed

    By a renewed ice age.

     

    The theory is that global weather patterns

    The Gulf Stream and Jet streams

    Have been keeping parts of the world

    warmer that before.

     

    and that the melting of the ice caps

    and the growing climate disruptions

    could result in a revival

    of another planetary ice age.

     

    and that based

    on long-term climate trends

    the earth is overdue

    for another ice age .

     

    thus the world could end

    in both fire and ice.

     

    For the 2024 November PAD Chapbook Challenge, poets are tasked with writing a poem a day in the month of November before assembling a chapbook manuscript in the month of December. Day 26 is the fourth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt.

     

    Today is the fourth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt of 2024:

    1. Write a fire poem, and/or…
    2. Write an ice poem.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Background on likely enviormental policy under Trump provided by Co-Pilot

     

    could you provide background information on the trump’s climate change agenda? from both left and right wing points of iew with links

    Sure thing! Here’s a balanced overview of Trump’s climate change agenda from both left and right-wing perspectives:

    Left-Wing Perspective:

    Critics from the left argue that Trump’s climate policies are detrimental to environmental progress. They highlight his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the rollback of over 100 environmental regulations during his first term. These actions are seen as setbacks in the fight against climate change, with concerns that they prioritize fossil fuel interests over renewable energy and environmental protection2. The left also points out that Trump’s stance on climate change, often labeling it a “hoax,” undermines scientific consensus and global efforts to address the issue.

    Right-Wing Perspective:

    Supporters from the right view Trump’s climate agenda as a necessary shift towards economic growth and energy independence. They argue that deregulation and increased fossil fuel production are crucial for job creation and economic stability. Trump’s emphasis on “energy dominance” and his skepticism towards climate change policies are seen as efforts to reduce government overreach and support traditional energy industries4. Some right-wing governments, while supporting climate action, still align with Trump’s approach to balancing economic and environmental priorities.

    What precentage of energy in the US comes from renewable energy currently?

     

    As of 2023, renewable energy sources (including wind, hydroelectric, solar, biomass, and geothermal energy) accounted for 21% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation. This marks a significant increase in the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix over recent years1.

    How likely is it that Trump might withdraw from climate negotations?

    There is a significant concern that Trump might withdraw from climate negotiations, particularly the Paris Agreement, if he were to secure another term. During his first term, Trump did withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, and there are indications he might do so again2. This potential move is seen as a setback for global climate efforts, as the U.S. plays a crucial role in international climate policy.

    However, some experts believe that the renewable energy sector’s growth and market trends might mitigate the impact of such a withdrawal. The uncertainty around this issue remains high, and it will depend on various political and economic factors.

    Final point – some have argued that rewewable energy subsidies including for home solar and EV vehicles might be ended

     

    Final point – some have argued that rewewable energy subsidies including for home solar and EV vehicles might be ended

    There are indeed discussions and concerns about the potential end of renewable energy subsidies, including those for home solar and electric vehicles (EVs). These subsidies have been crucial in promoting the adoption of clean energy technologies and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

    Current State of Subsidies:

    Home Solar: Many states, including Oregon, offer incentives for solar installations. For example, the Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program provides rebates for solar electric systems and paired solar and storage systems for residential customers2.

    Electric Vehicles: Federal tax credits are available for EV purchases, offering up to $7,500. Additional state and local incentives may also be available.

    Potential Changes:

    Political Climate: The future of these subsidies largely depends on the political climate and the priorities of the administration in power. Some argue that ending these subsidies could slow down the transition to renewable energy and hinder efforts to combat climate change.

    Economic Factors: On the other hand, some believe that the market for renewable energy and EVs has matured enough to sustain itself without subsidies, and that ending them could reduce government spending.

    For more detailed information, you can check out the Department of Energy’s website and the White House’s clean energy initiatives.

  • More Synchronized Chaos Poems

    More Synchronized Chaos Poems

    Synchronized Chaos has published more of my poetry

    Synchronized Chaos Publishes More of My Poems

    More Synchronized Chaos Poems

    President of the Smithsonian

    ?Synchronized Chaos Publishes New Poems

    Chaos Published

    On Tue, Aug 19, 2025 at 7:55 PM Cristina Deptula <synchchaos@gmail.com> wrote:

    Hi Jake, thank you for sending these to Synchronized Chaos! Appreciate the satire and the speculative bits of your work. We’ll publish in September!

    As always, please feel welcome to comment on pieces at synchchaos.com. We all appreciate feedback!

    Cristina

     

    President of the Smithsonian

    President Al Wilson

    Not content with taking.

    Over the Kennedy Center

     

    As part of the MAGA movement

    Culture war against the communists

    Radical left-wing Marxist

    Enemies of real America.

     

    Had described that the Smithsonian.

    Must reflect traditional American values.

     

    And avoid divisive or anti-American.

    Or anti-Christian propaganda.

     

    Therefore, he decreed,

    The African American Studies Museum

    Must close,

     

    The African Art Museum

    Must close.

    The American Indian Museum

    Must close.

     

    The Smithsonian must be color blind.

    And not to mention race or gender

    Slavery or the treatment of American Indians,

    And the whole Chinese Exclusion Act

    And internment of Japanese Americans

    Which was a good thing,

     

    Or the holocaust, for that matter.

    End anti-American, Anti-Christian,

    Anti-MAGA, cultural Marxism

    Radical lunatic left, CRT, DEI

    And WOKE programming.

    Throughout the Smithsonian.

     

    The African American museum holdings

    And the American Indian Museum

    And the African Art Museum

    Will be sold off at an auction.

     

    So the president decreed

    MAGA baby all the way

    RESTORING TRUTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order restoring truth and sanity to American history by revitalizing key cultural institutions and reversing the spread of divisive ideology.

    President Trump aims to ensure that the Smithsonian is an institution that sparks children’s imagination, celebrates American history and ingenuity, serves as a symbol to the world of American greatness, and makes America proud.

    The Order directs the Vice President, who is a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, to work to eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.

    The Order directs the Administration to work with Congress to ensure that future Smithsonian appropriations: (1) prohibit funding for exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans by race, or promote ideologies inconsistent with Federal law; and (2) celebrate women’s achievements in the American Women’s History Museum and do not recognize men as women.

    The Vice President will work with congressional leaders to appoint members to the Smithsonian Board of Regents who are committed to advancing the celebration of America’s extraordinary heritage and progress.

    The Order also directs the Secretary of the Interior restore Federal parks, monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties that have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.

    In preparation for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, the Order directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete restorations and improvements to Independence Hall by that date.

    COMBATING CORROSIVE IDEOLOGY: In the last decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted effort to rewrite American history and force our nation to adopt a factually baseless ideology aimed at diminishing American achievement. President Trump is fighting back by reestablishing truth in the historical narrative and restoring Federal sites dedicated to American heritage.

    The prior administration pushed a divisive ideology that reconstrued America’s promotion of liberty as fundamentally flawed, infecting revered institutions like the Smithsonian and national parks with false narratives.

    At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, the Biden Administration sponsored training by an organization that advocates for dismantling “Western foundations” and that taught Park Rangers that their racial identity should dictate how they present history to visitors.

    The Smithsonian Institution—once revered throughout the world as a symbol of American excellence—has recently promoted divisive ideology that American and Western values are harmful.

    The American Art Museum currently features an exhibit that purports to address how “sculpture has been a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism” and claims that the United States has “used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.”

    The National Museum of African American History and Culture has proclaimed that “hard work,” “individualism,” and “the nuclear family” are aspects of “White culture.”

    The American Women’s History Museum plans to celebrate male athletes participating in women’s sports.

    CELEBRATING AMERICAN GREATNESS: President Trump is committed to honoring America’s extraordinary heritage and building a sense of national pride.

    President Trump signed an Executive Order on his first day in office to establish a task force to prepare for America’s 250th birthday.

    This Order also protects America’s monuments from vandalism and calls for construction of the National Garden of American Heroes.

    President Trump signed a memorandum ensuring Federal buildings reflect the timeless grandeur of traditional, classical architecture.

    By signing this Executive Order, President Trump is ensuring that American history is celebrated accurately, fairly, and with pride—honoring the remarkable progress, liberty, and ingenuity that define our great nation.

    Meanwhile, In The Real World, You Can Be Fired For Going To The Doctor

    Meanwhile

     In the real world

    You can be fired

    For going to the doctor

    .

    the worker’s bosses.

    Can refuse to let workers

    go to the appointment.

     

    As they are not required

    To grant them leave

    sick leave.

     

    Bad for the bottom line

    And they have no empathy

    For workers.

     

    Who are seen as

    Merely disposable, interchangeable

    Labor units of production.

     

    Who should be replaced

    By robots

    as soon as possible.

     

    People will be given a choice.

    Go to work, gravely ill.

    Or go to the EER.

    And six hours later

    Perhaps see an overwhelmed doctor

     

    And told me to follow up.

    With your primary care doctor.

    Who the hell knows.

    Who that is any more?

     

    You get the bill

    10,000 dollars,

    Pay up sucker!

     

    No money?

     

    Not my problem.

     

    And go back to find.

    You have been fired.

    For leaving or not showing

    Up for your shift.

     

    Doctors visit?

    That’s not my problem.

    You are going to die.

    So be it.

    We can find other workers.

    Or robots to take your place.

    Loser.

    President Al Wilson Reverses Course on Climate Change, From Denial to Action in the Wake of National Catastrophe

    With the destruction of most of Florida—including Mar-a-Lago—
    Monster storms ravaging Texas,
    And Los Angeles reduced to ash
    By earthquake and fire,

    President Al Wilson finally decided:
    Climate change is real.
    It is killing people—
    Especially in red states

    .
    The costs of rebuilding are horrific.
    The costs of doing nothing?
    Even worse.

    His advisors, once cautious, now urgent,
    Convinced him to embrace

     a rapid shift to green energy.
    Solar, wind, geothermal—no longer fringe,
    Now the backbone of survival.

    And beyond Earth,

    Plans accelerate for lunar and Martian colonies,
    With NASA’s bioregenerative greenhouses already in prototype.

    Underground cities, domed habitats—once sci-fi,
    Now contingency plans.

    Wilson must work with the world.
    Not just to lead,
    But to redeem.

    If he fails,
    And the world turns

    into a hellscape man created,

    History will remember him
    As the worst leader

     in human memory.

    But if he succeeds—
    If he reverses course,
    And actually solves the problem—

    He could be hailed
    As the savior of humanity.

    Doing something to change the future
    Is good politics.

    Continued climate denialism
    Is bad politics.

    And so,
    He reverses course.

    MAGA Dreams Come True

    President AL Wilson

    Had a dream

     

    The MAGA dream

    Coming true!

     

    This time will be different

    The internet and AI

    Will be used

    To make sure

     

    That MAGA rules

    And Christian values

    Take over.

     

    LGBT folks

    Back in the closet

    Where they beyond.

     

    Women’s rights curtailed

    Minorities deported.

    Media tamed

     

    The public distracted

    By the latest fake

    Celebrity scandal.

     

    The rich live very well

    With robot servants

    Self-driving vehicles

    Great health care.

     

    Maybe even cloned body parts

     

    But the poor

    Will barely live

    But who cares about them?

     

    MAGA, Baby

    The real scandal

     

    The taking over

    Of democracy

    By the oligarchs

     

    Not talked about.

    The secret camps

    Filled with people

     

    Who disappear.

    Climate change
    well the rich

    Can live on

    In walled off

    underground shelters.

     

    The rest of the public

    Who cares?

     

    And so it goes

    Democracy dies

    In broad daylight

    MAGA baby!

     

    Bad Craziness Rising

    Walking into the Cosmos Bar

    In Soi Cowboy in Bangkok

    The City of Lost Angels.

     

    That nefarious den

    of iniquity and evilness

    Twenty drinks too sober.

     

    I sat down at that bar

    Watching the mad scene unfold

    The naked ladies dancing.

    Drinking one scotch, one bourbon

    And one Singha beer.

    With my buddies.

     

    the whole motley

    Jack Daniels crew.

     

    Drinking with Mr. Baker Beam, Jim Beam, Mr. Blanton

    Mr. Booker, Elijah Craig, Jack Daniels

    George Dickel, Thomas H. Handy, Basil Haydens

    Henry McKenna, Old Mr. Forester, Mr. Jameson

    Mr. Nester, David Nichols, Benjamin Prichard,

    George T. Stagg, Colonel E.H. Taylor,

    Johny Walker, Evans Williams, William Larue Weller

    W.L. Weller Pappy Van Winkle, and his old  Grand Dad.

     

    The scent of bad craziness

    Hung in the air like

    A sexed-up durian fruit.

    an over-ripe mango girl

    Desperately seeking to have sex

    With wild, dressed-up bananas

     

    Running around with the Orange Man.

    Down the Street,

     

    the Moon, looks out on the mad scene

    Sniffs the air, saying,

    “Man, this is bad craziness”

     

    And runs away to join her lover the Sun

    In an orgy of drunken forgetfulness

     

    The Planet Mars, not amused, chases after the maiden Venus

    Under the cold, calculating glances of the Planet Pluto

     

    The Moon and the Sun rent a room in the Hotel Venus

    Across from the Jupiter All Night Diner

    Cosmic shit kickers, out for a night of Earth bashing

    The Earth trembles, shaken

    Moans with passion, and I awake

     

    Saying, that was bad craziness.

    Out there on the edge

    Between the inner me and the outer zone

     

    I went on down that road heading to hell

    Just as fast as I could drink it all down.

     

    And met me a lady, an outlaw lady on the far side.

    Money, power, and passion rolled up in a bundle

    Electric chemistry fills my head,

     

    Zapping my brain into demented muscles

    As I give in to the

    “bao bao ya yah Madi “ madness

    Bad craziness overwhelmed me.

     

    All around me.

    As paranoid, pulsating images scream out

    With mad passion, and demented noises

     

    The night turns ugly fast

    And very, very weird

    Weirdness in the air

    The scent of bad craziness.

     

    As the wild things come out to play.

    The moon is freaked out

    The Sun falls asleep in the gutter

     

    And I say to myself, I’m just another cosmic Guy

    On the loose, on the edge, on the wild side of things

     

    Watching the show unfold, I wonder,

    Is this all nothing but a cosmic drunken bum show?

     

    Who is the star, who is she – the naked maiden up there in the bar

    Black, leather jackets on stage naked visions of nightly lust

    Dancing with an attitude that could kill an elephant in heat

     

    And the Moon continues to dance across the evening sky

    Satisfied, allows mankind to sleep it off.

    Yet another night in the city of demented lunatic hell’s angels

     

    Finally, rest as the sun comes up casting its evil eye over the sleeping city

    Dispelling the bad craziness for a spell.

    Blasting the wild things back to hell.

     

    The masks come back on

    And I walk down the road

    Putting everything back into the box.

     

    Until the next night of bad craziness

    Let’s the wild beast within

    Escape its leash.

    Bad craziness rising yet again.

     

    America, Where Are Thou?

    I used to live in a place

    Called the United States of America

    A republic – the first and last hope of mankind

    The land of the free, the home of the brave

    The envy of the world

    The land of the American dream

     

    And now, I am afraid

    That the Star-Spangled Banner

    No longer flies

    Over the land of the brave

    And the home of the free.

     

    I wake up

    The red, white and blue

    Have been overwhelmed

     

    The dark forces of the red states

    Have overwhelmed the light of the blue states

    Have trounced the reason offered by the Blue States

     

    And the white forces

    Lie trembling in fear

     

    I tried to escape

    The darkling night

    The ever-glowing Orange alerts

     

    And escape somewhere

    The leader of the country

    The new uncrowned Empire

    Rules over us all

     

    Empire Triumphant

    Against all enemies

    The USA is number one

    We chant and scream

    And watch FOX TV

     

    As we march off to war

    The rest of the world

    Trembles in fear at our might

     

    We rule – we rock and roll, and are triumphant

    Against all enemies, dissenters, and foreigners

    The U.S. marches on to victory

     

    Freedom is on the march

    Liberation is at hand

    As the rich gather gleeful

    Contemplating the plunder of the state

     

    And the poor grow more desperate

    I cry out for the country that I have lost

     

    Whose soul has been lost

    And the end of the Republic

    For which I believed

    The empire has won

     

    Long Live the new Caesar

    Long Live the New American Empire

    Death to all its enemies

     

    As the dream fades into a nightmare

    I cry knowing that we have all lost

    The last best hope of mankind

     

    Lives buried in the ash heap of history

    Tyranny in the guise of Democracy

    Rules us all forever and ever

     

    And that flag

    The star-spangled banner

    Does not wave anymore

    Over the land of the free

    And the home of the brave

     

    Waiting For The Rapture

    While I was sitting on the crowded subway train

    Reading the corporate spoon-fed false propaganda news

     

    While commuting from my suburban townhouse

    Watching the lies masquerading as so-called truth news.

    I became consumed

    With dread, fear, and grief,

     

    The ever-growing fear that the terrorists

    Have won the war against terrorism.

    We’ve given our freedom away

     

    Dissent is un-American, anti-Christian,

     and unpatriotic.

     

    “Shut your face, you whiny leftist girlie man

    Communist, fascist, Marxist hoodlum punk

    Radical left-wing vermin, garbage person,

    Un-American terrorist supporting, Tersymps,

    Trans gendered, LGBTQ supporting,

     wimpy assed piece of crap”

     

    You are poisoning the pure blood

    of our great land

    Show us your papers, prepare to be deported,”

     

    Growls the voice of the One True American party

    The party that controls our life, rules our very existence

    And I want to escape these dark nightmarish times

     

    All around me, but there is nowhere to run

    Nowhere to hide anymore, no one cares

    What I think anyway.

     

    The terrorists lurk behind every door

    Who are the terrorists?

     

    They are not me

    I am a god-fearing white Christian man

    The terrorist does not go to my church

     

    He does not even believe in my God..

    He is a heretic, a Muslim fanatic

    A non-believer in Jesus, not like me

    They must be killed, exterminated

     

    All according to God’s plan

    This has been revealed

    to our Prophet in chief

     

    King Donald Trump

    , the invincible

     

    Must learn how to believe again

    I must reprogram myself

     

    God is watching us, or is it big Brother

    As the world descends into chaos

     

    And the Orange alerts

    grows brightly day by day

    I lay down to pray for the bombs to fall

    For the rapture to take me away

     

    Waiting for the end of existence

    Cleanse the world of its sins

    Bring on the rapture, sweat nuclear flames

     

    With these dismal thoughts

    I pick up my newspaper

     and look for something

     

    I will never find there.

    Truth is nothing but lies

    Lies promoted by the spinmeisters

    The true masters of the Universe.

     

    Integrity is nothing but a lie

    Nothing but a game.

    Slime oozes out

    of every corner of the media

     

    And so I remain consumed

     by dread, fear, and hatred.

    Waiting in vain for the rapture

     

    The dropping of the big one

    Waiting for the

     end of this period of chaos.

    It is all going according to plan

    The end of the era

     

    according to the ancient Mayan

    Revelations and the Koran.

     

    Bring on the rapture

    Let me meet my god

    If he exists.

     

    If not the hell ahead

    Is surely better than this hell

    We live in.

    One Night in Bombay, India

    bombay pictures
    bombay pictures

    One wild night in Bombay, India

    I walked into an evil bar 20 drinks too sober

    On the wicked wrong end of a Friday night booze run.

    On the bad side of the Moon over by where the Martian dudes

    Sat drinking their Martian whisky, ogling the Venus maidens.

    Leering at the earth women who were walking by

    Wearing skin-tight pants made their eyeballs hurt.

    I gave in to the spirit and went over to the Martian dudes

    And got drunk on the Martian madness, shot after shot

    Smoking some good old-fashioned Mars dust.

    And flew off to the planet Jupiter

    Just to have me some fun with a lady

    Who said she was from Saturn?

    I did not know she was from the planet Pluto.

    Until I woke up the next day, naked, under the alien Sun

    In jail on the Planet Alpha Centura, light-years from home,

    A million miles away, a thousand years in the future

    And I had no money, no honey, no way home.

    Still 20 drinks too sober, I just sat down in that jail

    And started drinking away my time

    Drinking fine cold assed Centurion wine

    and Pluto Whisky.

    One day I woke up

     and found me back in Bombay

    Standing outside that evil bar

    in the miasmic mist

    Over by the Martian whorehouse,

     down by the Gate of India

    And I walked up to

    the Saturn-Pluto babe

    And said,

    “Man, that was some bad shit

    Bad craziness.”

    Let’s do it again someday,

    she smiled, and I had my way

    Knew the day would come again.

    When I would be drinking with the Martians

    And something wicked my way would come

    Just another night of wicked fun

    On the wrong side of the Moon

    On the right night

    in the mean streets of Bombay.

    Just AN Unhinged Lunatic Howling AT THE Moon

    On a moonlit late-night
    I sat in the Cosmos Bar

    In Soi Cowboy

    Drinking drams of demented,

    fermented dream dew

    With one scotch, one bourbon. and one beer

    To chase it all down.

    Twenty drinks too sober.

    Just an unhinged lunatic
    Dreaming of howling

    at the super full moon.

    Watching the world walk by
    Looking at all the fine-looking babes
    Walking by the street
    Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
    Of endless wild libertine passions.

    When into the bar
    Walked the most beautiful women
    In the Universe.
    So wild, so free
    So wonderfully alive.

    I did not know what to do
    As this carnal, deprave

    lustful vision of delight

    Sauntered through the bar
    In a skin-tight leather pants

    Looked so fine
    That my eyeballs hurt

    And finally

     I had to say something
    So I gathered up

    My manly courage

    And walked up to her
    And she looked at me

    And instantly

    Bewitched my soul
    Mesmerizing me

    With a devilish grin.

    I lost all reason
    And became a raving lunatic
    Unhinged lunatic
    Howling at the moon.

    Foaming at the mouth
    A wild, free werewolf
    Howling at the lunatic light
    Of the full Moon

    Poetry from Jake Cosmos Aller (one of nine poems)

     God’s Confession

    I was sitting alone

    In a god-forsaken bar

    the Cosmos Bar in Soi Cowboy

    Bangkok, Thailand

    On the lunatic fringes of society

    Twenty drinks too sober

    In the ass end of

    a Friday night booze binge

    On the bad part of town

     

    Over by railroad tracks

    Heading to hell

     

    As fast as I could drank it down

    Enjoying my lonely drink

    Drinking by my lonesome self

    With my partners Jimmy Bean, Jack Daniels, The Walker brotherEvan Williams And his old Granddad

    Just drinking one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer

    and hanging with Jack Daniel’s gentlemen’s club

     

    A crazed bum

    With a thousand-year stare

    Walks up to me

    He begins

    Muttering to himself

    Nutty nonsense

    Crazy words

    In a lunatic’s voice

     

    He had the look

    Of one possessed

    By his demons

    Only he can see

    Or hear

     

    Possessed by a secret knowledge

    Only he knew

    Despite myself

    I was fascinated

    By this lunatic’s tale

     

    So I stopped him

     

    And said

    “Say, crazy little Dude!

    So what’s your game, Anyway?”

     

    The short little dude

    Stopped his insane prattle

    Starting at me

    With that thousand-year-old stare

     

    Just another washed-up lunatic

    Too many drugs

    His mind blown away

    Down too many rabbit holes

    Too many bad nights

    On the wrong side of life

    An ACID causality

    From the 60s

     

    Been down so long

    It looks like up to him

     

    He looked at me

    And proclaimed his story

    He reared up

     

    And filled up the room

    And lifted the bar

    On his finger

     

    And stared down at me

    From the sky

     

    And said

    “Since you asked

    I am Allah

    The Alpha and Omega

    Ganesh

    Kali

    Jupiter

    Jehovah

    Shiva

    Zeus

    And a billion other names

     

    The real deal

    The original dude of dudes

    The Sultan of Swing

    God of hosts

    And the father of that Jesus dude

     

    But no one knows me

    Any more

    No one cares

    They think

    I am irrelevant

    They think I am dead

     

    They think I am a fairy tale

    From some olden, ancient time

    That my work is done

     

    I looked at him

    Carefully now

    And what did I see

    An old man

    With that lunatic look

    But there was something else

    He was crazy

    Sure.

     

    Yeah

    Out there

    Bat sh…crazy

    looney tunes

     

    But perhaps

    he was the real deal

    I mean why not

    In this materialistic age

    Why would

    God not be a wandering

    lunatic

    wandering around loose

     

    Talking to low lives like me

    In a bar

    On the highway to hell

     

    So I looked at him

    And invited him to share

    His tale of cosmic woe

     

    God tells me

    “Well, it’s like this

    Many a year ago

    People believed in me

    But one day

    They quit believing in me

    they moved on

    And they went on without me

     

    As they left me

    My powers got weaker and weaker

    And so eventually

    I became

    What you see today

    A broken-down drunk

    Hanging out

    Looking for a handout

    Looking for some company

    Or at least a free dinner”

     

    And he laughed

    and laughed

     

    And I looked at him

    And saw the beginnings of the end

    And the ends of the beginnings

     

    I saw a million planets

    Flash byTrillions of people

    Thinking all at once

    Thoughts filled my head

    Lights flashed

     

    And I knew

    He was telling the truth

     

    But it did not matter

    In this day and age

    Of materialism

    God has no role

    God is truly dead

     

    And so I bought him a drink

    And walked out of the bar

    still twenty drinks too sober

     

    Profoundly saddened

    From what I had seen

    God was dead

    And we had all conspired

    To kill him

    Long live God

     

    The Last Race  The Last Race 

     

    An Aging car racer

    Racing in his last race

    Driving too fast

     

    Around the curve

    Blowing himself up

     

    In a fiery crash

    The rating

    score In his last race. 

     

    Association of the Living Dead India 

     

    In India,

    several years ago

    A man falsely claimed his brother

    Was dead

    so he could inherit the family assets,

     

     The dead brother

    had to fight

    To be declared legally

    not dead

    And contest the will

    . “The Association of the Living Dead”

    Became a movement

    Of thousands of people.

     

    For in India

    apparently,

    It was a thing to declare

    Your relative is dead.

     

    I never thought

    That the US would have

    To form their own

    “The Association of the Living Dead”

    Until this week.

     

    The cyber ninjas

    In their infamous

    non-forensic audit

    In the 2016 Arizona election

    Claimed that hundreds of dead people

    Had voted.

     

    They gave their list

    of the alleged dead voters

    To the attorney general

    Who contacted all 300 dead people

    Found that 299 of the 300 were in fact

    Not dead

     

    and none of them knew

    That unnamed political operative

    We’re claiming

    that they were dead.

     

    The one dead voter

    was alive when he voted early.

     

    But died before election day

    Thus making his vote not valid

    But there was no fraud involved

    As he was alive when he voted.

     

    Perhaps they need to form

    The “association of the living dead”

    To fight for the right

    of the non-dead people

     

    To continue to vote

    and receive other government benefits?

    What a sad commentary

    On the farcical nature

    Of contemporary life

    In these disunited States of America. 

    Secret Gateways Photo Challenge 

    There are secret gateways

    Portals to other dimensions

    All around us

    Hidden deep in the mountains. 

     

    Leading to other worlds

    Other times and places

    Where time runs differently

    And humans are unknown. 

     

    The Lonely Mother Duck

    Watched her eggs hatch

    In the nest by the lake. 

    She was worried

    About the foxes, wolves

    Lions and tigers 

    That was all around.

    Ever since the humans

    All disappeared. 

     The Secret Fly Drone  

     

    The fly on the wallpaper

    In the CIA director’s office

    Was not a real fly

     

    He was an enemy spy drone

    Secretly controlled remotely

    Listening to all

    the secret conversations

     

    Until the director smashed him

    With a flyswatter

    Then realized that it was a spy fly

    He had dispatched to bug hell.

    Synchronized Chaos Magazine

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    3 5 7 love poem

    Missing you missing me
    Dreaming about you, do you dream the same
    Will love you until end of time; will you remember me then?

    An Old Man Visits His Wife’s Grave

    An Old man
    Goes to the grave
    Of his beloved wife

    Carrying her favorite flowers
    And a guitar
    Playing her love songs
    As he remembers her life

    Blaming it all
    On the damn coronavirus Pandemic
    Killing thousands every day
    As politicians play games

    The dead remain dead
    he hears his wife’s voice
    from beyond the grave

    she is a corona ghost
    he wishes he were there with her
    as he plays his mournful love songs

    he lays down for a moment
    and becomes another Corona ghost
    just another death that lonely day

    Hitchhiking Tales

    When I was young and foolish
    Broke and stubborn
    I hitchhiked across the USA

    Started in Salt Lake City
    Where my greyhound bus pass
    Was stolen

    The station manager
    Could have helped me
    But refused to do so

    Threaten to call the cops
    When I grabbed my bags Without the stolen tags

    I said
    Go ahead
    But I am so out of here

    Wondered about Salt Lake City
    Went to a bar
    Found I had to buy my booze
    Next door
    And they would mix it for me

    Had to order food too
    After a bloody Mary
    And a burger

    I walked about town
    Saw the Mormon Temple

    Finally about 3 pm
    It was time to hit the road
    Did not look back

    Ended up in Cody Wyoming
    Got a room shower
    Steak beer
    Using my rapidly depleted cash Spent 25 dollars
    Money really went far
    Back in those days

    A band of professional
    Communist agitators
    Gave me a ride
    To Des Moines

    Lots of weed, booze
    And politics later
    Got off the road
    Slept outside

    Next day
    A beautiful woman
    Drove me to near Chicago
    In a red mustang

    Might have been
    The girl in the song
    Took it easy
    Digging her vibe

    She invited home
    But was not sure
    If her estranged husband
    Would welcome me

    So, I am being foolish
    And inexperienced with women
    Did not go to her place

    And always regretted
    That I had lost
    My chance that day

    Then on to Chicago
    Several rides later
    Visited friends

    Hit the road again
    A series of uneventful rides
    With truckers
    And others

    And a week later
    I ended in New York City

    Slept along the way
    In cars
    In truck stops
    In high way rest stops

    Always moving
    Always going
    Non stop talking
    And lots of free weed
    And beer
    And conversation

    One more memorable ride
    Occurred outside Albany
    On my return to Chicago

    A middle age creepy looking man
    Picked me up
    In a brand-new Cadillac

    He was he said a dynamite deliverer
    For the Mafia
    Went to various places
    To blow up shit

    He hated a lot of people
    Particularly hippies from California
    And Jewish people

    Looking at me to confirm
    That I was both

    I told him that I lived in New York
    And had never been to California
    And although I might have looked Jewish
    As I what was called back in the day
    A “Jewfro”

    I was not Jewish
    Many years later I discovered
    That I am indeed part Jewish
    But then I did not know
    And I felt a bit of strategic information
    Might keep me alive

    Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
    And we relaxed
    And he pulled out some weed
    And beer
    And we mellowed out

    But I believe that he really was with the mob
    Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
    A real made Italian made mafia member

    By Chicago
    I had enough
    I called my Dad
    Told him what had happened

    Wanted a ticket home
    And he sent me a ticket
    And 500 dollars
    And I went home

    I told him I would tell him
    My tales some day
    But never did

    I learned so much
    About my fellow Americans
    And the strange vibe
    That was 1975

    And now it is too late
    But I wanted to finally
    Tell the world

    Of my hitchhiking tales
    In search of America 1975

    Association of the Living Dead India

    In India, several years ago
    A man falsely claimed his brother
    Was dead so he could inherit the family assets,

    The dead brother had to fight
    To be declared legally not dead
    And contest the will.

    “The Association of the Living Dead”
    Became a movement
    Of thousands of people.
    For in India apparently,
    It was a thing to declare
    Your relative is dead.

    Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen

    charles bukowski
    charles bukowski

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    While reading Charles Bukowski poetry
    On the metro ride home
    Listening to Buddha bar music
    On my oh too hip IPod

    I begin to see myself as I was
    Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player
    A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem

    A wild young underemployed intellectual
    Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California
    Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers
    And characters out of his kinds of haunts

    A mad poet bard of the underground
    A drunken poet in a drunken bum show
    That nightly played in his head

    Then one day I met the women of my dreams
    And went down a different path
    A long slow path to respectability

    And now 30 years later
    I am no longer a wild man
    I am still a poet at heart
    But I am now also a bureaucrat
    In a button down suite

    Doing the people’s business
    Working for the Government
    I’ve become the Man

    Sometimes I wonder
    Would I have been better off
    Going down that another path

    Would I have ended up
    Somewhere else
    Doing something else

    Would I have been as happy
    Would I have been as successful?

    There is no answer that satisfies
    The longing in my heart
    For that wild thing
    That still lurks beneath
    It’s civilized cover

    And I know that I am still
    A mad poet at heart
    Railing against the injustice of the world

    As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State
    I recall the ancient Chinese saying,
    “Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night”
    Playing out in my head and nightly dreams
    In the true American Upper class patrician tradition

    I close the book and look out the window
    Get off the train, and walk slowly home

    And realize I had no choice
    But to take the path that I’ve trodden on

    And so I put aside my misgivings
    And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian”desires
    For another night of domestic contentment

    Was it worth it all to take the conventional path
    And not take the bohemian road to hell and back

    I look at my wife and realize
    I had no choice, had no choice
    But to follow her to the ends of the earth

    And beyond by her side as we walked our path
    Of shared destiny

    Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are
    May I meet you in a bar in the next life
    And figure out where we should have gone

    Until then the drinks are on me.

     

    Fallen Dreams Litter the Ground

     

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    Fallen Dreams Litter the Ground

    In the fall weather
    As I walk amid the falling leaves
    I see the signs everywhere

    Of the fall of America
    The once great and mighty Empire
    Everywhere signs of the fall appear

    The dark skies mirror
    The darkness that settled over our land

    Death, destruction and random acts of chaos
    Are all around us
    Surrounding us with visions of doom

    Nothing can stop the bloodletting
    No one seems to be in charge

    As the leaves fall
    And the darkness descends
    The fall of America continues

    If you’ve been around

     

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    If you’ve been around

    If you’ve been around
    As much as I have
    Decades of memories
    Fill up your brain’s hard drive

    Remembering the dead
    Misremembering the living
    Seeing the past fly past
    Everywhere you go

    Thinking about things
    You did and did not do
    As your life begins to fade
    Sinking into lost worlds past

    Seeing the ghosts
    Of all you knew
    Whispering Soon you will
    Be joining us

    Lone Foreigner Hiking the Seoul City Walls

    a Lone foreign male hiker
    in the hills above the city
    Hiking along the ancient Seoul City walls

    500 years after the founding
    Of the city in 1492

    balancing his walk
    amid the boulders
    the winter is coming
    soon he thinks

    and finishes his hike
    heading to a bar
    to sake his thirst

    some soju, and bulgogi
    will do the trick
    he thinks to himself

    just another day
    in the life

    of an unknown nameless
    foreigner in the city
    of Seoul

    part of the ten million
    naked stories
    in the big city

    guns
    gun

    Madman with Gun Madness

     

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    Madmen with Guns Madness

    After every incident
    Of mass gun violence
    In the U.S.

    Pictures emerge
    Of the killers
    Almost always white men.

    Who stares out at you
    With soulless dead eyes
    Filled with hate, fear
    And shear madness.

    With the thousand-year stare
    Of the madman
    Who only hears

    The voices in his head
    Screaming kill them all
    Kill them all.

    And as always
    They usually legally bought
    The guns.

    This case was a bit different
    The gunman briefly had his guns
    Taken away from him

    And his 60 knives as well
    Judged temporarily too crazy
    To have a gun.

    But the red flag law
    Is not a permanent ban
    As it should be.

    And so he was able
    To re-arm himself
    With the best weapons

    In the world
    At a very affordable price.
    Thanks to the NRA.

    And so he was soon lost
    Down the rabbit hole
    Of insanity and probably drugs,

    The lone sniper
    A disgruntled young white man
    In his 20’s
    Sets up shop on top of a building.

    He has a high-powered weapon
    No doubt bought legally
    An AR-15 the choice
    Of the serious gun men everywhere.

    And begins shooting
    Into the July 4th parade
    Killing six people
    Injuring 30.

    Before putting the gun down
    And fleeing
    Before the cops can find him.

    The right-wing media
    Goes to works
    The pundits pontificate
    24/7

    It is not about the gun
    It is about everything else
    That is wrong with our society.

    Guns don’t kill people
    They proclaim
    Guns are the price we pay
    For our freedom.

    Their demented answer
    is more guns
    More guns for everyone.

    And sadly, nothing will be done
    As the politicians offer
    Useless thoughts and prayers

    The gun ghosts don’t care
    They are dead after all.

    The madness will not stop
    Until we figure out
    How to stop
    The killers in our midst.

    There will be another shooting
    No doubt before the day is done
    Over 300 so far this year.

    And that is just the way
    It is in this day and age
    Of America.

    The land of the free
    Home of the brave
    And 400 million guns.

    Note:   I wrote this a year or so ago.  This morning there was another mass shooting, this time at Brown University. Yesterday at Bondi Beach in Australia.  The Australian Government promises to enact even stricter gun laws in response, in the US nothing but talk about prayers and thoughts for the victims, nothing can be done the politicians say.  THe price of freedom is the occasional mass shooting according to the NRA.

    My Name Is Nobody

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    My name, it is Nobody
    No one cares who I am
    I am just a nameless clone
    In the cold unfeeling bureaucracy

    Just one of the army
    Of civilians who flood into and out of the city
    Every day

    A non-entity,
    A ghost
    A govbot
    A cyber

    A spook
    A faceless automan
    A bureaucrat

    Just a grey suited cog in the machinery
    And no one cares
    No one knows who I really am

    And I am legend
    Everywhere and nowhere

    Just the way this modern world
    All shred of humanity
    Crushed beneath

    the cruel wheel of society

    In the cold harsh world
    There is no room anymore
    For true human feelings

    We are just robots,

    clones, machines
    And so I go to work
    Put on my mask

    And no one hears

    my inner screams
    And no one will ever care

     

     

     

     

     

     

    My name, it is Nobody
    No one cares who I am
    I am just a nameless clone
    In the cold unfeeling bureaucracy

    Just one of the army
    Of civilians who flood into and out of the city
    Every day

    A non-entity,
    A ghost
    A govbot
    A cyber
    A spook
    A faceless automan
    A bureaucrat

    Just a grey suited cog in the machinery
    And no one cares
    No one knows who I really am

    And I am legend
    Everywhere and nowhere

    Just the way this modern world
    All shred of humanity
    Crushed beneath the cruel wheel of society

    In the cold harsh world
    There is no room anymore
    For true human feelings

    We are just robots, clones, machines
    And so I go to work
    Put on my mask

    And no one hears my inner screams
    And no one will ever care

     

    Order this writing that appears
    in the one-of-a-kind anthology
    The Flickering Light
    the Down in the Dirt Jan.-June 2019
    issues & chapbooks collection book

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    Down in the Dirt
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    This writing was accepted for publication
    in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book…
    “Parallel Universe”
    Down in the Dirt, v163
    (the March/April 2019 Issue)

    You can also order this 6″x9″ issue as a paperback book:

    Snarling Cup of Coffee

    I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee
    I pound down the coffee
    First thing I do every day as the dawning sun
    Lights up my lonesome room

    Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
    I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Yada yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee

    As I pound down that first cup of coffee
    And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
    Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals

    I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
    I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
    Lying through their teeth about the great success the government is having Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements
    I want to scream and shoot the TV and run out side Shouting

    “Stop the world.

    I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
    The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
    It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
    In its appointed daily run
    And I sit down
    The madness dissipating a bit

    And enjoy my second cup
    Of heaven and hell
    In my morning cup of Joe

     

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    flash fiction, prose,
    & art collection anthology
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    flash fiction, prose,
    & artwork & photography
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    Stairway To Heaven Bumper Sticker

    Found Poem in Medford, Oregon

    The fact
    There is a stairway
    To heaven
    But a highway
    To hell.

    Tells you about
    The expected traffic

    Strangeness in the Air

    There is a strangeness in the air
    A sense of cosmic unease
    Hangs silently in the purple crystalline sky

    America woke up
    And decided it was time
    To quit following like lemmings
    Over the Clift

    As the pied piper chants
    Stay the course, stay the course
    We were like lemmings following him
    Dying to save his wounded pride

    Today there is that strange difference
    In the air
    As Americans woke up
    And threw off their chains of fear

     

     

    This writing was accepted for publication
    in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# /
    ISBN# issue/book
    “The Gravity
    Of Imagination”

    Down in the Dirt, v203 (1/23)

    Order the paperback book:

     

    Order this writing that appears
    in the one-of-a-kind anthology
    Forbidden
    Library

    the Down in the Dirt Jan.-April
    2023 issues collection book
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    Jan.-April 2023
    Down in the Dirt
    6″ x 9″ ISBN#
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    the 2024 poetry
    review date book

    (the 2024 poetry collection
    (& art) weekly paperback book)
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    poetry & art
    weekly planner
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    The Secret Fly Drone

    The fly on the wallpaper
    In the CIA director’s office
    Was not a real fly
    He was an enemy spy drone
    Secretly controlled remotely
    Listening to all the secret conversations
    Until the director smashed him
    With a flyswatter
    Then realized that it was a spy fly
    He had dispatched to bug hell.

    Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Full Moon

     

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    Burning Bridges
    the 2019 poetry,
    flash fiction
    and artwork
    collection anthology
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    flash fiction, & art
    collection anthology
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    Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Full Moon

    John (“Jake”) Cosmos Aller

    On the night of the blood red super full moon
    I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar

    Drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
    Washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
    rum, tequila, vodka, soju and of course beer
    drinking with my buddies the Jack Daniels Gang

    Drinking my way to Hell and beyond
    Just as fast as I could
    twenty damn drinks too sober

    Just an unhinged lunatic
    Dreaming of howling at the full moon

    Watching the world walk by
    Looking at all the fine-looking babes
    Walking by the street

    Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
    Of endless wild libertine passions

    When into the bar
    That din of cosmic depravity

    Walked the most beautiful women
    In the Universe

    So wild, so free
    So wonderfully alive

    I did not know what to do
    As this vision of delight
    Sauntered through the bar

    In a skin-tight leather pant
    Looked so fine
    That my eyeballs hurt

    And finally, I had to say something
    So, I gathered up my manly courage
    And walked up to her

    And she looked at me
    And instantly bewitched my soul

    With a devilish grin
    I lost all reason
    And became a raving lunatic
    Unhinged lunatic
    Howling at the blood red full moon

    Foaming at the mouth
    A wild, free werewolf
    Howling at the lunatic light
    Of the blood red blue full Moon

    Hi there from Scars Publications (this letter is being sent from a bulk email address, so DO NOT REPLY to this Gmail address but to any scars.tv email address)… We wanted to let you know that Scars Publications released a 2025 annual collection book of select poetry, flash fiction, prose, & art from 2025 issues of cc’d magazine and Down in the Dirt magazine. Since your material was chosen from the past year of accepted materials for inclusion in this annual collection book anthology, we wanted to share this brand-new annual collection book, “Signs and Revelations”!

    Links to see all the chosen writers and artists (and the titles of their work) in “Signs and Revelations”:
    https://scars.tv/2025collection/Signs_and_Revelations.htm
    This is where you can also find out what material of yours appears in this annual collection book.

    You can find this book online at scars.tv in multiple locations. Right now, it is linked on the main page at https://scars.tv, and it appears near the top of the list of choices on the books link (the book link is one click away from the main page, or also directly at https://scars.tv/books/) as well as at the “CD Books Sale” link with new releases at the top of the listing (direct link https://scars.tv/sale/) at Scars!

    Also, by the end of the business week, or by Friday night CST, your writing in the writings section online will have a link to this collection book, so people can find links to this collection book on your writing pages in the writings section of http://scars.tv (at https://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers)...

    Links for ordering this collection book appear on all of the links above, and will also appear in the writings section, so any of your writing in this collection book will also see a link to this collection book in the writings section!

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G15L24JZ

    These books are available from Amazon in the U.S. & Canada, the U.K., Europe, Australia, and Japan. (The link above is for U.S. sales.)

    The Scars Publication book link for what material of yours appears in this collection book, and if you’d like, order a copy today (I hear they make great Christmas gifts)… Again, thank you for being a part of the Scars Publications community!

    – Scars Publications
    editor@scars.tv
    http://scars.tv

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    More Down in the Dirt News

    audio file

     

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    Stairway To Heaven Bumper Sticker

     

    The fact
    There is a stairway
    To heaven
    But a highway
    To hell.

    Tells you about
    The expected traffic.

    Hi there from Down in the Dirt (this letter is being mailed from a bulk email alternative email address – DO NOT reply to this email; all responses to this magazine should be sent to Down in the Dirt <dirt@scars.tv>). We wanted to let you know that Scars Publications released a collection book of the January-April 2023 issues of Down in the Dirt magazine. Since your material (writing/artwork)  APPEARS in these issues, that means your material appears in this issue collection book, and we wanted to let you know about this brand-new issues collection book titled “Forbidden Library”!

    Links to see all of the Down in the Dirt writings in “Forbidden Library”:
    http://scars.tv/2023January-April-issue-collection-book/Forbidden_Library.htm

    Forbidden Library: 1-4 2023 Down in the Dirt Paperback – March 19, 2023

    Writers and artists included in this book are also listed with their writing at the Scars Publications book link (search for the book title in the books section at http://scars.tv).
    here are links to my published writing on the site

    And you can find this book any time at Scars in MULTIPLE locations. Now it is linked on the main page at http://scars.tv, and it appears at the top of the list of choices on the books link (one click away from the main page, or also directly at http://scars.tv/books/) as well as at the top of the “CD Books Sale” link (direct link http://scars.tv/sale/) at Scars!Also, by the end of the business week this week, the database with your accepted writings should also (when you go to your accepted writings) have a link to this collection book that your writing is in, so people can find links to this collection book on your writing pages in the writings section of http://scars.tv (at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers)...

    Links for ordering this collection book appear on all of the links above, and will also appear in the writings section too, so any of your writing in this collection book will also see a link to this collection book in the writings section too!

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYRTRV2K/

    Currently, these books are available directly through the Amazon affiliate printer in the U.S., the U.K., and Europe – and even Japan and Australia, and it ships to India too! (the above link is for U.S. orders.)

    So check out the Scars Publication links to see what material of yours appears in these collection books, and if you’d like, order a copy today (I hear they make great gifts!), and again, thank you for being a part of the Down in the Dirt community!

    Janet K.
    Down in the Dirt Magazine
    http://scars.tv/dirt

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  • writer’s Digest Chapbook

    writer’s Digest Chapbook

    https://wp.me/p7NAzO-2JP

    Writer’s Digest Chapbook

    Cosmos Reading List 2023

    This is the third time I have entered the Writer’s Digest annual chapbook challenge.  The challenge was to write one poem per day in November then select the best 20 for the chapbook contest. Here are my poems.

    Index

    November 1 Declaration Poem

    Favorite Childhood Object

    Problem Solvers Problems

    Mike Johnson Ain’t No Christian, Jack

    Dreams Of a Better World Problems

    49-Year Love Story

    Barbados Calling Me

    Hometown Calling Me

    Gun Ghosts Speak Up

    Saga of Big Daddy

    Attack of Neighbor Bob Terrorist

    Back in the Old Days, Trump Would Never Have President

    Lucky in Love, Unlucky in Cards

    President Trump on Vermin

    cosmic cat from Berkeley

    We Must Carry the Light

    Presidential election Cycle Writer’s Digest

    Berkeley Time Travels

    Insomnia Wild Things

    AI Love Poem

    November 1 Declaration Poem Birthday

     

    On my birthday

    I like to reflect.

    On the year that was.

     

    And make plans.

    For the year ahead.

     

    Including a declaration

    Of my basic goals

    For the year.

     

    And as always

    End with a declaration

    Of love

    For the love of my life.

     

    Who joined me?

    41 years ago

    Marrying me

    On my birthday.

     

    I declare to her.

    That I will love her

    With all my heart

    Until the end of time.

     

    And vow

    To see her

    In my next life.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Favorite Childhood Object

    piano
    piano

     

     

     

     

     

    One of my

    Favorite objects

    As a child

    Was my piano.

     

    I first started learning.

    To play at age 6

    Kept going with lessons.

    Until age 18.

     

    Briefly thought of

    Becoming

    a professional composer

    Until I flunked out

    Of Oberlin Conservatory.

     

    Thus ending

    my music career.

     

    Lately, I have resumed.

    Playing the piano

    Thinking back

    In my childhood,

     

     Problem Solvers Problems

     

    There are so

    Many problems

    Facing the world.

     

    Climate change

    Inflation

    Lingering pandemics.

     

    Gunmen on the loose

    Violence on the street

    Wars in Ukraine and Israel

    Terrorism threats.

     

    Unending political chaos

    In the United States

    And elsewhere.

     

    But the biggest

    Problem of all

    Is the lingering political.

    Dysfunction.

     

    And the growth

    Of neo-fascism.

     

    That is the real problem.

    Facing us all.

     

    Mike Johnson Ain’t No Christian, Jack

    Mike Johnson

    Has been catching.

    A lot of flack

     

    As his right-wing

    Republican Jesus faith

    Becomes better known.

     

    Particularly, catching flack

    Over his homophobic views

    And bigotry.

     

    May people making

    Brash callous remarks

    About his Christian faith.

    And his open homophobic views.

     

     

    He does not seem to understand.

    His brand of extreme

    evangelical Christian faith.

     

    Is anathema.

    To many people

    These days.

     

    Who views his MAGA faith?

    As hypocritical fake Christianity

    As it violates all of Christ’s teachings.

     

    As Christ was the ultimate

    Social justice “woke.”

    Warrior of all time.

     

    If Christ came back

    He would scream.

    I ain’t no Christian.

     

    Before being crucified

    Again, by the so-called

    Christian leaders.

     

     Dreams of a Better World

     

    I often dream.

    Of a better world

    Of a better future.

     

    Asking what if

    What if we solved

    The climate change problem?

     

    What if we just stop

    The mass gun violence?

     

    What if we just stop

    The endless wars

    And the threat of terrorism.

    .

    What if we stop

    All the despair,

    and fearmongering.

     

    The hate all around us

    And replace it with love.

    And peace and goodwill.

     

    That is my dream.

    Everyday

    Waiting to make

    A better world.

     

    50-Year Love Story

    when I first met you

    on that date

    I met my fate.

     

    That was the beginning.

    of a 49-year love affair

    that began.

    when I first dreamt of

    The dream of meeting you.

     

     Barbados is Calling Me

     

     

     

     

    Barbados is calling me,

    On a winter’s day.

    The tropical beach paradise.

    I want to just be.

    Ending up on the beach,

    no matter what happens.

    Drinking rum and coke with ice.
     

    Berkeley Calling Me

     

     

     

    I am a Berkeley boy.

    Through and through

     

    Went to BHS

    But did not go to CAL.

    My grades did not measure up.

     

    I have wandered the world.

    Living overseas

    Yet everywhere I go.

    I remember my Berkeley roots.

     

    Berkeley is calling me.

    Someday I will return.

    To my homeland

     

    Until then

    I will keep it.

    Berkeley in my heart

     

    And my soul

    A Berkeley boy

    To the end.

    Gun Ghosts Speak Up

    guns
    gun

     

     

     

     

     

    The Association of Gun Ghosts

    Held their annual meeting.

    Thousands of gun ghosts

    Gathered together.

     

    At Columbine High School

    At midnight

    No one saw or heard them.

    As they were ghosts

     

    They decided to issue.

    A manifesto

    To the world

     

    And released it.

    On the internet

    Where their simple plea

    Went viral.

     

    The note read.

     

    People of earth

    Particularly Americans

    Please put away your guns

    Your weapons of war.

     

    Too many of us

    Are being gunned down.

    Because there are so many guns

    More guns than people.

     

    You talk about freedom.

    What about the freedom

    To walk down the street

    Without fear

     

    That a gunman

    Will shoot us dead?

     

    And politicians do nothing.

    But offer useless prayers.

    And thoughts

     

    We don’t need to hear that.

    We demand action.

    We demand responsibility.

     

    We demand you just quit.

    Killing people

    With your guns.

     

    And stop lying.

    You all know.

    That gun kills.

     

    That is what they

    Are designed to do.

    And they do it so well.

     

    We know.

    Because we are the gun ghosts

    Killed by your guns.

     

    But in the end

    If you continue this way

    You too could join us.

    And become gun ghosts.

                                                       Saga of Big Daddy

    Big Daddy, aka Sam Adams
    was the man
    who always had a plan.

    He was an ex-University of Arkansas
    and Dallas Cowboy player
    who had worked for the CIA?

    The agency fired him
    for murdering enemies of the state
    at home in contravention of agency rules,

    but they retained
    his services from time to time.

    He supplemented his CIA payments
    And bar income from money laundering,
    drug smuggling, human smuggling
    and other assorted crimes, big and small.

    Big Daddy had lots of enemies
    Many people wanted him dead
    Relatives of his many victims
    Of the covert  wars, he waged
    On behalf of his nation.

    He was hoping to stay out of trouble
    But one day trouble found him.

    He moved to Bangkok, Thailand
    Where he opened the Cosmos Bar
    With the assistance of his manager.
    Kuhn Lek, and her uncle

    The police chief and his cousin
    The biggest drug kingpin
    In the Northern Triangle.

    The Cosmos Bar
    Became world-famous
    The spot to go to is Bangkok.

    Located in Soi Cowboy
    It was an after-hours club
    Secretly owned by the Thai police,
    One of the few places
    They served alcohol 24/7.

    It was filled with
    Criminals, drug dealers, government agents
    Journalists, prostitutes, pimps,
    spies, counter-spies, sex tourists,

    tourists, undercover cops,
    and assorted other low-lives,
    From all over the known world.

    Had the best-looking woman
    The best-looking travesties too,
    The best beer, wine, and liquor list
    In the city,
    And the best burgers in town.

    It looked like the Bar
    In Star Wars
    Filled with probable human life forms
    And perhaps a space alien or two.

    One day a mysterious Korean woman
    Came into the bar asking for him
    By his universal nickname
    “Big Daddy”

    Maria Lee was a Korean-American
    Drop-dead gorgeous woman
    Who was on the lam
    from her rich Korean husband.

    She had one question for Big Daddy.

    “The word in the  Korean community
    is that you are a man
    who knows how to launder money.

    Can you launder 50 million dollars?”

    “Hmm for a fee.”

    “What’s the fee?”

    “A night of wild sex with you.”

    “Done, but only after the deed is done.”

    She smiled sweetly.

    He called his underworld contacts
    and they laundered the 50 million dollars
    and he gave her the bank receipt.
    He had parked the money
    in a Cayman Islands account.

    That night
    she honored her agreement with Big Daddy.
    The next morning
    while drinking his cup of coffee,

    she revealed that she had poisoned him
    because she did not want anyone to know
    about the transaction
    and her affair with Big Daddy.

    She smiled,

    “Thanks, Big Daddy,
    I liked last night,
    You are a real stud, Big Daddy,
    Perhaps that is why you are called, ‘Big Daddy’
    But hey it is nothing personal, Big Daddy.”
    After all, it was just a business deal in the end.

    And that was
    how trouble found Big Daddy.

    Attack of Neighbor Bob Terrorist

    One day

    A man fell.

    A rabbit hole.

    On his computer,

    Lost in thought.

    when an odd event occurs,

    the event that led.

    to his untimely death.

    He did not hear.

    The footsteps,

    Of the white

    Christian nationalist

    Domestic terrorist next door.

    Who took exception?

    To Sam’s living there

    As Sam was not white

    And an atheist “libtard.”

     

    And his neighbor

    Was a white supremacist.

    Christian Nationalist.

     

    His neighbor Bob.

    Came at Sam with a chainsaw.

    And struck him in the heart.

    Killing him instantly.

     

    Then using a torch

    To burn the body.

     

    Before using dynamite

    To blow up the house

    Despite the rain clouds

    Outside.

     

    All streamed live.

    On his wifi.

    trump jpg
    trump jpg

    Back in the Old Days, Trump Would Never Have President

     

    Back in the old days

    when political decisions

    were made by insiders.

     

    White men of power

    who gathered.

    in the proverbial

    smoke-filled rooms.

     

    smoking menthol cigarettes

    and cigars

    drinking whiskey

    martinis and beer

     

    while enjoying a steak dinner

    and plotting political plots

     

    in such a world

    Trump would not have been.

    allowed to become President.

     

    as the political elites

    would not allow.

    such a Buffon

    from taking power

     

    They would despise.

    such a vulgar low-class

    new money guy.

     Lucky in love, unlucky in cards

    There is an adage
    That sums up my life so far
    One can be lucky in love
    But unlucky in cards

    That sums it up nicely
    I have been lucky in love
    Met and married
    The girl of my dreams

    Dreamed of meeting her
    For eight years
    Then she came into my life
    Became my wife

    But I have never been
    Lucky in cards
    I mean I have played
    Poker with friends
    But always lost

    Won a little bit of gambling
    But usually lost more
    Then I won

    Eventually gave up
    Just not fun anymore
    As I lost the gambling fever

    Yet to get a jackpot
    But then I think
    I hit the jackpot of love

    And that has made
    All the difference

     

     

     

    President Trump on Vermin AI Poem

     

     

     

     

    A leader of a nation, a speaker of lies.

    A spreader of hatred, a divider of ties

    A mocker of the weak, a lover of the strong

    A builder of walls, a singer of wrong

    A hater of the different, a scorner of the same

    A caller of the vermin, a blamer of the blame

    An ignorer of the facts, a denier of the truth

    A creator of the chaos, a destroyer of the youth

    A loser of the election, a claimer of the fraud

    A refuser of the concession, a violator of the law

    An inciter of the violence, a fomenter of the storm

    A deserter of the office, a traitor of the norm

    evil cat
    evil cat

    cosmic cat from Berkeley

    I next encountered the divine
    Many years later in Berkeley, California
    I had gone home to be with my Mother
    While taking leave from my job
    in the Foreign Service

    I had two weeks there by myself
    My wife came later
    near the end of the trip

    Every morning I woke up
    Had my coffee, and breakfast
    Did yoga while listening to music

    And looking out at the garden
    Then spoke to my mother
    Who was sliding into dementia?
    Day by day losing her reason
    Then I would go out

    And explore the city
    Go to a museum

    Go to one neighborhood
    And just be there

    Rediscovering the Bay area
    After years of being away

    Having dinner with old friends
    Seeing movies etc

    Every morning a black cat came to visit
    The cat was friendly and waited for me

    And then would join me in my morning rambles
    Following me to the bus stop

    I started talking to the black cat
    He looked at me with a spark of divinity
    In his dark eyes

    I called him the cosmic cat
    He seemed to like that

    He would look at me
    And I opened up to me
    Told the cat all my dark secrets
    As I walked the streets
    Of the old neighborhood

    Every morning and every evening the cat
    Would be there to greet me

    And to carry out our endless conversation
    Then I had to leave

    And in our final conversation
    I asked the cosmic cat

    Say, Cat are you just a cat
    Or are you a demonic cat
    Are you possessed by God?
    Or by Satan

    The cat looked at me
    And I realized that God
    Was indeed residing in the cat

    But that god was residing everywhere
    All I had to do was open my mind
    And the rest would follow

    So I said Goodbye to the cosmic cat
    And he purred and came up to me

    And I felt the comforting presence
    Of the divine spirit of God

    As I said goodbye to the cosmic cat
    And said goodbye to my mother
    As this was the last time
    That we would be able to talk

    I told my mother about the cosmic cat
    She smiled and said that the cat
    was there for me and her
    to comfort us both in our hour of need

    and that the cat was indeed
    a cosmic cat

    Carrying the light

     

    We must carry the light

    It is not so bright

    Embracing the light with my wife

    Still the center of my life

    We both fear the dark

    Nothing more to avoid strife.

     

    Carrying the light

    until the end of time

    chasing away

    the darkness that haunts.

    my soul.

     

    Presidential Election Cycle

     

     

     

     

     

    The U.S. Presidential election cycle

    Is a long-drawn-out affair.

     

    Starts the day after the last election.

    And ends a month after the votes.

    Have been certified,

    and the winner is determined.

     

    As usual

    Twenty candidates are announced.

    For the election cycle

    A year or so before

    The actual vote.

     

    The most important part

    The donors chose.

    Which candidates will get?

    Their money and support

    In the so-called invisible primary.

     

    By January of an election year

    Five to six serious contenders

    Have emerged.

     

    Battling it out nightly on the news

    As the pundits weigh in

    And voters begin to choose.

    on multiple Super Tuesdays.

     

    The candidates race across.

    The land

    Offering their vision,

    Their hopes and fears.

     

    As the public begins

    To wake up

    And start to choose.

     

    The game is on foot.

    with almost weekly debates

    where the candidates

    try not to make fools.

    of themselves.

     

    It continues until the summer.

    When the conventions nominate

    Someone as the standard bearer.

     

    The losers concede.

    But the intra-party feuding

    Does not end.

     

    In the end

    There will be one person.

    Left standing.

     

    At the end of the roughest

    Most competitive race

    In the world.

     

    That determines.

    The fate of nations.

     

    Voters in the end

    Making the final call

    As the presidential election season

    Comes to a final decision point.

     

    Berkeley Time Travels

     

     

     

    I grew up in Berkeley, California

    In the turbulent fabled late ’60s

    And in Berkeley in those days

    Time seems to stand at a standstill.

     

    On the corner of Dwight and Telegraph

    Across from People’s Park

    It seems to be always May 1969

     

    With the man

    Down the street

    Oppressing the hippies

    On the street

     

    As they smoked their weed

    Dodging the bored cops

    Who looked the other way?

    If they did not partake

     

    And then I went to college

    In the valley

    As I drove into Stockton

    I felt I was traveling again.

     

    In time

    Back to the fabled ’50s

    Stockton was also.

    Stuck in a time warp of sorts.

     

    And as I left the Bay area.

    And traveled the world.

    I would come back.

    To that corner

     

    And just be there.

    Stuck in May 1969

    Again

    Marveling at the changes

     

    That had and had not occurred.

    To the corner of the land

    Forever stuck in time

    And space

     

     

     

     

     

    Last Night I could not

    Get to sleep at all

    Last night I could not

    Sleep

     

    As my mind wandered

    Down dark rabbit holes

    Of fevered imagination

     

    At 0 dark hundred hours

    The wild things came out

    To play

     

    Torturing me

    Until the sunrise

    Blasted them

    Back into the dark

    Corners of my mind.

     

    And the nightmares

    Faded away

    With the dawning sun.

     BIng AI Love Poem

     

    Angela Lee, you are the light of my life.

    You fill my days with joy and my nights with dreams.

    You are the reason I smile and the reason I breathe.

    You are the one who makes my heart skip a beat,

     

    Angela Lee, you are the beauty of my world.

    You shine like a star and sparkle like a gem.

    You are the one who catches my eye.

    and the one who holds my hand.

    You are the one.

    Who makes me feel alive?

     

    Angela Lee, you are the love of my soul.

    You touch me with your kindness and your warmth,

    You are the one who understands me.

    and the one who supports me.

    You are the one who makes me whole.

     

     

     

     

     

  • More Down in the Dirt Publication News

    More Down in the Dirt Publication News

    More Down in the Dirt Publication News

    More Down in the Dirt Publications2023/01/14
    Down in the Dirt Updates2022/08/22
    More Down in the Dirt Publication Update2021/08/14

    More Down in the Dirt Publication Update

    The following are now available on Down in the Dirt’s Forbidden library. Order information at the end
    The end of the email.

    Association of the Living Dead India

    John (“Jake”) Cosmos Aller

    In India, several years ago
    A man falsely claimed his brother
    Was dead so he could inherit the family assets,

    The dead brother had to fight
    To be declared legally not dead
    And contest the will.

    “The Association of the Living Dead”
    Became a movement
    Of thousands of people.
    For in India apparently,
    It was a thing to declare
    Your relative is dead.

    I never thought
    That the US would have
    To form their own
    “The Association of the Living Dead”
    Until this week.

    The cyber ninjas
    In their infamous non-forensic audit
    In the 2016 Arizona election
    Claimed that hundreds of dead people
    Had voted.

    They gave their list of the alleged dead voters
    To the attorney general
    Who contact all 300 dead people

    Found that 299 of the 300 were in fact
    Not dead and none of them knew
    That unnamed political operatives
    Were claiming that they were dead.

    The one dead voter was alive
    when he voted early.
    But died before election day
    Thus making his vote not valid
    But there was no fraud involved
    As he was alive when he voted.

    Perhaps they need to form
    The “association of the living dead”
    To fight for the right of the non-dead people
    To continue to vote and receive other government benefits?

    What a sad commentary
    On the farcical nature
    Of contemporary life
    In these disunited States of America.

    The Secret Fly Drone

    John (“Jake”) Cosmos Aller

    The fly on the wallpaper
    In the CIA director’s office
    Was not a real fly
    He was an enemy spy drone
    Secretly controlled remotely
    Listening to all the secret conversations

    Until the director smashed him
    With a flyswatter
    Then realized that it was a spy fly
    He had dispatched to bug hell.

    Madmen with Guns Madness

    John (“Jake”) Cosmos Aller

    After every incident
    Of mass gun violence
    In the U.S.

    Pictures emerge
    Of the killers
    Almost always white men.

    Who stares out at you
    With soulless dead eyes
    Filled with hate, fear
    And shear madness.

    With the thousand-year stare
    Of the madman
    Who only hears

    The voices in his head
    Screaming kill them all
    Kill them all.

    And as always
    They usually legally bought
    The guns.

    This case was a bit different
    The gunman briefly had his guns
    Taken away from him

    And his 60 knives as well
    Judged temporarily too crazy
    To have a gun.

    But the red flag law
    Is not a permanent ban
    As it should be.

    And so he was able
    To re-arm himself
    With the best weapons

    In the world
    At a very affordable price.
    Thanks to the NRA.

    And so he was soon lost
    Down the rabbit hole
    Of insanity and probably drugs,

    The lone sniper
    A disgruntled young white man
    In his 20’s
    Sets up shop on top of a building.

    He has a high-powered weapon
    No doubt bought legally
    An AR-15 is the choice
    Of the serious gun men everywhere.

    And begins shooting
    Into the July 4th parade
    Killing six people
    Injuring 30.

    Before putting the gun down
    And fleeing
    Before the cops can find him.

    The right-wing media
    Goes to works
    The pundits pontificate
    24/7

    It is not about the gun
    It is about everything else
    That is wrong with our society.

    Guns don’t kill people
    They proclaim
    Guns are the price we pay
    For our freedom.

    Their demented answer
    is more guns
    More guns for everyone.

    And sadly, nothing will be done
    As the politicians offer
    Useless thoughts and prayers

    The gun ghosts don’t care
    They are dead after all.

    The madness will not stop
    Until we figure out
    How to stop
    The killers in our midst.

    There will be another shooting
    No doubt before the day is done
    Over 300 so far this year.

    And that is just the way
    It is in this day and age
    Of America.

    The land of the free
    Home of the brave
    And 400 million guns.

    Janet Kuypers
    Apr 6, 2023, 5:15 AM (6 days ago)

    Hi there from Down in the Dirt (this letter is being mailed from a bulk email alternative email address – DO NOT reply to this email; all responses to this magazine should be sent to Down in the Dirt <dirt@scars.tv>). We wanted to let you know that Scars Publications released a collection book of the January-April 2023 issues of Down in the Dirt magazine. Since your material (writing/artwork) APPEARS in these issues, that means your material appears in this issue collection book, and we wanted to let you know about this brand-new issues collection book titled “Forbidden Library”!

    Links to see all of the Down in the Dirt writings in “Forbidden Library”:
    http://scars.tv/2023January-April-issue-collection-book/Forbidden_Library.htm

    And you can find this book anytime at Scars in MULTIPLE locations. Now it is linked on the main page at http://scars.tv, and it appears at the top of the list of choices on the books link (one click away from the main page, or also directly at http://scars.tv/books/) as well as at the top of the “CD Books Sale” link (direct link http://scars.tv/sale/) at Scars!

    Also, by the end of the business week this week, the database with your accepted writings should (when you go to your accepted writings) have a link to this collection book that your writing is in, so people can find links to this collection book on your writing pages in the writings section of http://scars.tv (at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers)…

    Links for ordering this collection book appear on all of the links above, and will also appear in the writings section too, so any of your writing in this collection book will also see a link to this collection book in the writings section too!

    Currently, these books are available directly through the Amazon affiliate printer in the U.S., the U.K., and Europe – and even Japan and Australia, and it ships to India too! (the above link is for U.S. orders.)

    So check out the Scars Publication links to see what material of yours appears in these collection books, and if you’d like, order a copy today (I hear they make great gifts!), and again, thank you for being a part of the Down in the Dirt community!

    Janet K.
    Down in the Dirt Magazine
    http://scars.tv/dirt

    DO NOT reply to this email; all responses to this magazine should be sent to Down in the Dirt <dirt@scars.tv>.

  • Writers Digest April 2023 Poems

    Writers Digest April 2023 Poems

    Writer’s Digest April 2023 Poems

    April 8, 2022 Poems2022/04/09
    April 7th Poems2022/04/08
    April 6th, 2022 Poems2022/04/08
    April 5 2022, Poems2022/04/08
    April 4th 2022, Poems2022/04/08
    2022 April Poetry Madness April 1 to 3 poems

    This is my 7th year to participate in the April poetry challenge.  This year I am just doing two prompts, Writer’s Digest and Writing com Dew Drop Inn.  Last year I wrote over 300 poems in one month, this year’s much more modest goal is about 150 poems, of which I will post about 90.

    i will post them here,  and on all poetry, poetry soul,  writing.com, and Writer’s Digest. Medium, Watt pad, Substack, and FB.

    Index

    Life Is A Dream Of Chocolate Covered Trees
    Margo Taylor Greene’s Word Salad
    Dreams Do Come True If You Believe In Dreams
    Marjorie Taylor Greene, WTF’s Wrong With You?
    Cosmic Cat From Berkeley
    Healing Touch
    The End of Time
    Donald Trump the anti-Christ
    The sound of Korean
    The Tearing of the Social Fabric Homophone Poem
    End of Time
    The sound of Korean
    Tower of Power
    How Will It End?
    The rule of ten
    Finding Pleasure in Small Things
    Favorite Korean Food
    Madness in the United States
    Many virtual connections, few real friends
    Movie Choices Writer’s Digest
    April’s Fool Day
    Anticipation

    Life is A Dream of Chocolate Covered Trees

    Life is a dream
    A dream of chocolate-covered trees
    To see what can’t be seen
    To hear what can’t be heard
    To live in order to die
    And to die in order to live.

    Note: one of my oldest poems was written circa 1970 when I was 14

    2023 April PAD Challenge: Day 27
    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write an anapodoton poem.

    Margo Taylor Greene’s Word Salad

    While defending
    The Pentagon document leak suspect
    Marjorie Taylor Green

    Tweeted a typical nonsensical
    paranoid
    World salad

    The USG is gearing up
    To censor patriotic white
    Christian American anti-war

    Targeting
    Political prisoners

    Who dares to stand up
    And tell the truth

    Against the communist
    Radical left-woke Marxists
    Who is taking over the government

    Greene claimed that Americans
    Are on the verge
    Of losing more freedoms

    In the wake
    of the government’s
    Efforts to pass

    The restrict act
    All part of the evil

    Fascist communist Marxist
    Plot against patriotic
    White citizens

    2023 April PAD Challenge: Day 26
    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a response poem.

    Dreams Do come true if You Believe In Dreams

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Sam Adams
    Met his wife
    In a dream

    He saw the most beautiful woman
    In the world
    Talking to him
    In a strange Asian Language

    He yelled out
    “Who are you”
    She faded away
    As he fell to the ground
    During a boring physics class

    For eight long years
    She haunted his dreams
    Coming to him weekly

    Then one day
    He was teaching in Korea
    When he had the last dream

    She told him
    “don’t worry, we’ll meet soon”

    That night she walked off a bus
    Out of his dreams
    Entering his reality

    Entering his life
    Six weeks after becoming his wife

    Dreams do come true
    If you believe in dreams.

    2023 April PAD Challenge: Day 25
    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our fourth and final two-for-Tuesday prompt.
    For today’s prompt, we have our fourth (and final) two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts, and they are:
    1. Write a dream poem, and/or…
    2. Write a reality poem.

    Healing Touch

    My wife says
    I have a superpower
    I am very hot
    To the touch

    Radiating outward
    Chi
    Infrared heat

    Every night
    For forty years
    I have been warming her up
    As she is cold-blooded

    Almost like a reptile
    Always cold to the touch
    And my touch warms her up

    Just my duty
    Of love
    At the end of the day.

    2023 April PAD Challenge: Day 24
    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a touch poem.
    We’ve already written poems related to smell, sound, and taste, so let’s keep hammering away on the senses.
    For today’s prompt, write a touch poem. For the senses, I’m thinking of touch as a hand reaching out, though it could also be a foot or just bodies pushed close like in a concert or public transportation. But that’s just when thinking about the senses.

    Fear of Communism

    Watching right-wing politicians
    And news pundits
    One can’t help

    But wonder
    If we are living
    In a strange alternative universe

    For to hear
    The line of Marjorie Taylor Greene
    It is 1955 all over again

    Communism is on the march
    Marxists out to destroy America
    Radical left-wing demons
    trying to cancel
    Normal patriotic white Americans

    Who dares to stand up
    To the communists
    All around us

    And they fill the airwaves
    And the internet
    With constant fear
    And paranoia

    About the alleged
    Communist Pedophile Satanic
    LGBT conspiracy to turn us all gay

    And the black life matters folks
    And Antifa
    Coming to kill white people
    And to take away our guns

    And other fear-mongering memes
    24/7
    Be Afraid be Afraid
    The commies are after you.

    2023 April PAD Challenge: Day 23
    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a fear poem.ing out on the last piece of the piece or the fear of dying.

    Marjorie Taylor Greene, WTF’s Wrong with You?

    What’s the fuck’s wrong with you?

    I mean, seriously, Marjorie?
    Where have you been
    These last 50 years?

    Hiding under a rock,
    Living in a cave.
    Did you just wake up
    From a 50-year-old coma?

    Are communists out to get us?
    Marxists everywhere?
    Acting like the Cold war
    Never ended?

    It ain’t the 50s anymore
    The Communists lost the war
    There are no more communists.

    Except perhaps
    In my old hometown
    Of Berkeley
    Where it is always 1969.

    Communism is dead
    Has been for almost 50 years
    Did you not get the memo?

    I mean enough of this BS
    Did the John Birchers
    Take over your body?

    Do you even know
    WTC you are talking about.
    Do you even care?

    That the entire world
    Think you are bat sh..t crazy
    Even too crazy for Fox News?

    Communism my ass
    Marxists are out to get us
    Please dear

    Just do us all a favor
    STFU already
    About the communists.

    For today’s prompt, take the phrase “What (blank),” replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “What Are You Doing Here,” “What a Great Time,” “Whatever You Say,” and/or “What Kind of Poem Are You Going to Write?”
    So make a decision: Is your “what” poem leading to a question or a statement (or maybe both?).

    The Cosmic Cat from Berkeley

    evil cat
    evil cat

    I next encountered the divine
    Many years later in Berkeley, California
    I had gone home to be with my Mother

    While taking leave from my job
    in the Foreign Service

    I had two weeks there by myself
    My wife came later
    near the end of the trip

    every morning I woke up
    had coffee
    Did yoga

    Spoke to my mother
    Who was sliding into dementia?
    Day by day losing her reason

    Then I would go out
    And explore the city
    Go to a museum
    Go to one neighborhood
    And just be there

    Rediscovering the Bay area
    After years of being away

    Having dinner with old friends
    Seeing movies etc

    Every morning a black cat came to visit
    The cat was friendly and waited for me
    And then would join me in my morning rambles
    Following me to the bus stop

    I started talking to the black cat
    He looked at me
    with a spark of divinity

    In his dark eyes
    I called him the cosmic cat

    He seemed to like that
    He would look at me
    And I opened up to me
    Told the cat all my dark secrets

    As I walked the streets
    Of the old neighborhood

    Every morning and every evening the cat
    Would be there to greet me
    And to carry out our endless conversation

    Then I had to leave
    And in our final conversation
    I asked the cosmic cat

    Say, Cat are you just a cat
    Or are you a demonic cat
    Are you possessed by God?
    Or by Satan

    The cat looked at me
    And I realized that God
    Was indeed residing in the cat

    But that god was residing everywhere
    All I had to do was open my mind
    And the rest would follow

    So I said Goodbye to the cosmic cat
    And he purred and came up to me
    And I felt the comforting presence of the divine

    As I said goodbye to the cosmic cat
    And said goodbye to my mother
    As this was the last time
    That we would be able to talk

    I told my mother about the cosmic cat
    She smiled and said that the cat
    was there for me and her
    to comfort us both in our hour of need

    and that the cat was indeed
    a cosmic cat

    2023 April PAD Challenge: Day 20
    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write an animal poem.

    The End of time writer’s Digest

    My dear
    When I met you
    I knew

    That I was fated
    To love you

    Until the end of time
    And beyond

    That was just my fate
    That we would meet

    On that date
    I embraced my fate

    And that is the end
    Of the beginning
    Of our cosmic journey

    Together
    Until the end of time
    And beyond.

    Day 16 Blank of a Blank
    For today’s prompt, take the phrase “The (blank) of a (blank),” replace the blanks with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “The Beginning of a Story,” “The Wrong Side of a Situation,” “The Apple of an Eye,” and/or “The Latest Excuses of a Continuing Problem.”

    What is Love?

    What is love?
    Is it nothing
    But biochemistry?

    Is it madness?
    Is it just
    A search for connections?

    In a cold cruel world?
    That does not care
    For us at all?

    It is all of that
    And none of that

    Those who know
    What Love is
    Do not tell

    That is the Zen
    Of Love

    Day 18
    For today’s prompt, we have our third two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts, and they are:
    Write an everything poem, and/or…
    Write an anti-love poem.
    As longtime participants know, this is my favorite prompt, which is why it returns every challenge. Write a love poem, or write a not-love poem.

    https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/10-best-love-poems-ever

    Donald the Anti-Christ

     

     

     

     

     

    It is easier to
    Be consumed
    With revenge

    The desire to get back
    At those who trespass
    Against us

    Especially so
    For the MAGA nation

    Followers
    of the King
    Of revenge politics

    The Donald
    The Anti-Christ
    Than to follow

    The wisdom
    Of Allah, Buddha, Christ,
    Jesus, and Mother Mary

    And let it be

    2023 April PAD Challenge: Day 13
    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a forgive poem.
    For today’s prompt, write a forgive poem. The poem could be about forgiveness in general, or it could focus on a specific instance of forgiveness or grace. There are times when we are called upon to forgive others, and times when we ask others to forgive us. And sometimes that includes forgiving ourselves. Be forgiving as you poem today.

    The Sound of Korean Writer’s Digest

    I have been studying Korean
    For almost 45 years
    First heard back in 1979

    In the Peace Corps
    I still struggle daily
    But Korea is no longer
    A stranger

    Korean is my second language
    And I hear it all around me
    In my retirement home

    I study Korean daily
    On Duotrope
    And while watching K Drama

    The language at first
    Sounded harsh
    As if everyone was yelling
    And screaming

    Later, I learned
    Some Korean songs
    And the language
    Became less discordant

    To this day though
    I find a Korean woman
    Speaking Korean
    To be incredibly sexy

    Packing so much emotion
    And sexual tension
    In every word

    I suppose I will study Korean
    And speak it
    Until the day I die.

    2023 April PaD Challenge: Day 12
    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a sound poem.

    Tear in the Fabric of Space and Time

    Donald-Trump-Talking-out-of-both-sides-of-his-mouth-Car
    Donald-Trump-Talking-out-of-both-sides-of-his-mouth-Car

     

     

     

     

     

    With every word
    The former president
    Causes a tear
    In the basic fundamental
    Political order

    Leading to many people
    To tear up
    In fear

    Which is no doubt the object
    His followers do not object
    To inflict pain and suffering

    In their endless quest
    To own their hated enemies
    The radical left Marxist radical
    Demonic Deep state libtards

    Who are conspiring to turn
    America into another communist
    Dystopian nightmare

    Only the great leader Trump
    Can save America’s Democracy]

    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a homograph poem.
    Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. Sometimes they are pronounced the same, but that’s not always the case. Click here to find a list of homographs, though there are many more homographs than these to use.

    Ode to the Tower of Power

    The greatest funk band
    There ever was

    You are the epitome
    Of funk and soul music
    The very definition of funk

    Multi-racial
    Multi-cultural
    Multi-talented
    Mult-gendered

    The best horn section
    In the universe
    Just sublime

    Formed in the East Bay
    In the turbulent 60s
    Playing that funky music
    For almost 50 years

    Their love song
    You’re still a young man
    Is perhaps the greatest
    make out song
    Of all times

    The first song
    I slowed danced to
    Back in high school
    A song I played
    To seduce my wife

    I wonder how many babies
    Were conceived because
    Of this classic soul song.

    Another classic song
    What is hip
    Which poised
    An unanswered question

    And inspired this triolet

    What is love, tell me if you know
    Love is what it is
    Do you know what love is, Joe?
    What is love, tell me if you know
    And how can you make it grow?
    Madness is what it does
    What is love, tell me if you know
    Love is what it is

    The Tower of Power
    No doubt
    Will still be playing
    That funky music
    White boy

    A hundred years
    From now
    For funk
    Will never die

    For once you get funk
    In your soul baby
    You can never go back
    To boring vanilla
    white boy music

    because you got soul, now.
    Because you got
    That soul vaccination baby

    And need to go
    Down to the nightclub
    And play that funky music
    White boy
    Until the day you die.

    Based loosely on the classic Tower of Power Song, “What is hip?”

    What Is Hip Lyrics

    [Verse 1]

    So ya wanna dump out yo’ trick bag
    Ease on in a hip thang
    But you ain’t exactly sure what is hip
    So you started to let your hair grow
    Spent big bucks on your wardrobe
    Somehow, ya know there’s much more to the trip

    [Chorus]
    What is hip?
    Tell me, tell me, if you think you know
    What is hip?
    If you’re hip
    The question, “Will it show?”
    You’re into a hip trip
    Maybe hipper than hip
    What is hip?
    [Verse 2]
    You became a part of a new breed
    Been smoking’ only the best weed
    Hangin’ out with the so-called “Hippie set.”
    Seen in all the right places
    Seen with just the right faces
    You should be satisfied, but it ain’t quite right

    [Chorus]
    What is hip?
    Tell me, tell me, if you think you know
    What is hip?
    If you’re hip
    The question, “Will it show?”
    You’re into a hip trip
    Maybe hipper than hip
    What is hip?

    [Break]
    Come on

    [Refrain]
    Hipness is. What it is
    Hipness is. What it is
    Hipness is. What it is
    Sometimes hipness is, what it ain’t

    You’re Still a Young Man, Baby

    You’re still a young man
    Baby, Oo oo, don’t waste your time
    You’re still a young man
    Baby, Oo oo, don’t waste your time

    Down on my knees
    Oh, heart in hand
    I was accused of being too young
    But I’m not so young
    I could make you happy
    I’m not a bad man
    You’re too young to love (If you and I could be together)
    You’re too young to love (I’ll never leave you alone baby)
    You’re too young Ooo Ooo (No I won’t sweet lady)
    Don’t waste your time

    The damage is done
    You see that you were wrong
    You wake up wondering just
    How well I’ve done
    Well I’ve done alright
    Yes there are some girls but you know
    I dropped them on sight
    Just for you
    Because I love you

    You’re still a young man
    Baby, Oo oo, don’t waste your time
    (Someday you’ll understand just what it means when a man
    Comes to you with his little heart in his hands
    Just to love you)
    Don’t waste your time

    You better listen to me
    Sayin that I’m loving you yeah hey now baby tryin to tell
    You that it’s you you you you you you you you talkin to you
    Baby, I’ll never never never never I’ll never do you
    No wrong no no lady if you would check my stuff out one time haha
    Just to hold you, to squeeze you and all I wanna do is to
    Get next to you and please please please you baby
    See where I’m coming from!

    Written by legendary sax players Emilio Castillo and Stephen Kupka, the song portrays a young man at the wrong end of a breakup. The situation is bleak because his lover pins the break-up on an age difference. In an interview with Songfacts Castillo said:
    It’s based on a true story. I had a girlfriend that was six years older than me. I was 18, she was 24 and that’s actually what happened. She had kind of cut me loose because of the age difference thing and the whole plea in the story is the young guy’s saying, ‘I’m not too young, I’m not wasting my time and I do love you as a man can truly love a woman.’”
    The song would go on to be the band’s first major hit defining their sound with a prominent horn section inspired by Curtis Mayfield:
    “On that album, there’s a song called “A Woman’s Love” that starts with beautiful trumpets high. When we heard that we wanted to write a song with a great trumpet intro like that. – TowerofPower.com

    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our second two-for-Tuesday prompt.
    For today’s prompt, we have our second two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts, and they are:
    Write a form poem, and/or…
    Write an anti-form poem.
    I wrote the above “Ode to the Tower of Power” my favorite funk band.

    How Will It End?

     

     

     

     

    How will the madness end?
    How will America wake up
    From the madness all around us?

    The former guy continues daily
    Gaslighting the country
    Beguiling us all

    With his lies, his hatred
    His evocation of fear
    His calling for a civil war
    Destruction and death

    How will it end my friend?
    That is anyone’s guess
    But I doubt it will end

    When the former guy
    Meets his maker
    For then, he will become
    The martyr for his followers

    Who believes he is the Messiah
    perhaps he is just a con man
    or maybe the antichrist
    revelations warn us about

    time will tell the tale
    of how it will end
    at the end of the Trump
    will we find redemption?

    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a Noun in a Location poem.

    Small Things In Life Brings Great Pleasure

    They say
    That one should take
    Pleasure in the small things in life

    Things that matter
    Like taking a walk
    Enjoying the springtime
    sunshine and flowers

    With the love of your life
    By your side

    For today’s prompt, write a small poem. Yesterday, you were tasked with writing a smell poem, but today, we’re going small. The poem itself could be concise, but it could also be focused on something or someone small.

    Many virtual connections, few real friends

    In this hyper-connected era
    Many people have thousands
    Of virtual friends
    But few have any real friends

    Write a poem every day of April with the 2023 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a connection poem.

    Rule of Ten

    The rule of ten
    Applies to so many aspects
    Of life

    Writing

    It goes like this
    For every 100 people
    Who wants to write a novel
    Ten will finish it

    Of those ten
    Ten percent will publish it

    Of those ten
    Ten percent will
    make some money

    Of those ten
    Ten percent
    will make a living

    Of those ten
    Ten percent will
    become a best-seller

    In other words
    In a land of 350 million people
    There are probably only 3,500
    bestselling authors

    Drama

    the rule of ten applies
    to the drama world
    only 2 percent
    make a living
    of the thousands of actors
    only a few movie stars

    music

    of the thousands of musicians
    only a few superstars

    modeling
    – only a few supermodels

    to sports
    only a few hundred NFL players
    out of millions who played the game

    to politics

    only one president
    out of thousands
    who want to be

    to Business

    of the thousands
    of busineses
    only a few CEO’s

    most small businesses
    fail within one year

    the rule of ten applies
    to life in general
    most people fail

    in achieving their life goals
    but one should not give up
    because who knows

    you could be the one
    who wins in the end
    despite the rule of ten.

    Write a number poem
    For today’s prompt, write a number poem. You can include a number in the title of the poem, or drop a number somewhere in the middle or end of the poem. Count sheep, a poem by numbers, or 10 ways to write a poem. There are several ways to come at this one.

    Favorite Korean Food April 2023 Poems

    Korean Food
    Korean Food

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I love Korean food
    Fell in love with it
    And all things Korean

    Back in 1979
    When I first went there
    In the U.S. Peace Corps

    Korean food is somewhat like
    Chinese, Japanese,  Vietnamese, and Thai
    With some American influences as well

    But it is all done
    in a unique
    Korean K Food style

    Everything is cooked with special spices

    A mixture of chili paste, garlic, fish sauce,
    Onions, scallions, soy sauce,
    salt, Tofu, Panjang sauce, and soju (liquor).

    Often cooked with beef, chicken, clams, eggs, fish,
    kimchi, intestines meat, mushrooms, mussels,
    oysters and/or pork,

    Every meal consists of rice, kimchi
    (pickled vegetables usually cabbage)
    The main entry is either beef, chicken, fish, or pork,
    Rice
    And multiple vegetable side dishes
    Often Including western style salad

    The entire meal
    a feast for the eyes
    Nose and mouth

    with a delicious unique
    aroma, fragrance,
    Taste and texture
    Uniquely Korean.

    All washed down
    with Korean beer, liquor (soju) or
    rice wine or Western wine

    My favorites include

    Bulgogi chongsik (with all the side dishes)  불고기 총식
    Kalbi chongsik (with all the side dishes)  칼비 총식
    Calamari  오징어
    Fried Chicken 닭 튀김
    Chuncheon Chicken ribs 춘천 닭갈비
    Dumplings 만두
    Fried rice   볶음밥
    High-rice카레라이스
    Korean curry rice 카레라이스
    Kimpop rice wrapped in seaweed  김팝
    Korean soups 한국 수프
    My favorite army stew 군대 스튜
    Kalbitang (Beef rib soup) 칼비탕
    Beef Turnip soup  쇠고기 순무 스프
    Ginseng Chicken soup 인삼 치킨 수프
    Kimchi stew 김치찌개
    Tanjung stew 짱짱찌개
    Bibimbap Mixed vegetables and rice with an egg on top비빔밥
    Kalkooksu noodles 칼국수
    Ramyeon 라면
    Mushroom stew 버섯 스튜
    Soondaeboo tofu stew 순대부두부찌개
    Sashimi  생선회
    Sushi
    Dognas pork. Chicken of fish cutlet 돈까스
    Fried mackerel 고등어 튀김
    Octopus 낫지 often served live
    Omrice korean omelet 오므라이스
    Porridge  문어
    Shrimp 새우

    Write a smell poem

    Movie Choices Writer’s Digest

    Write a B movie poem
    There are so many choices
    To be made
    When selecting a movie to watch

    So many movies are B-1 minus
    Barely worth finishing
    Some are C

    A few are  D
    And F movies

    Just one example suffices

    Ben and Willard
    were the worst movies ever
    It was an ode to rats
    Who goes on a killing spree

    As their master Willard
    A deranged young man
    Sends the rats out to kill

    As one of Michael Jackson’s
    The worst song
    ever
    plays in the background
    April’s Fool Day Writer’s Digest

    Write a foolish poem

    On April Fool’s Day
    It is appropriate
    To think about
    All the fake things around us
    Especially deep fake videos
    That are beginning
    to circulate
    All over the world
    Unleashing a torrent
    Of misinformation

    Anticipation

    Sam Adams
    Got up early on a Sunday
    Filled with anticipation

    Today was the day
    He would propose
    To his dream girl

    Whom he had met
    Just days before
    When she walked
    Off a bus
    Into his reality

    He first met his wife
    In a dream

    He saw
    the most beautiful woman
    In the world

    Talking to him
    In a strange
    Asian Language

    He yelled out

    “Who are you”

    She faded away
    As he fell to the ground
    During a boring physics class

    For eight long years
    She haunted his dreams
    Coming to him weekly

    Then one day
    He was teaching in Korea
    When he had the last dream

    She told him
    “don’t worry, we’ll meet soon”

    That night,
    she walked off a bus
    Out of his dreams

    The following Sunday
    After doing a long hike
    He proposed to her

    She said yes
    Became his wife
    Six weeks after
    Entering his life.

    The End

  • More Down in the Dirt Publications

    More Down in the Dirt Publications

    Down In the Dirt has published another one of my poems.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Association of Living Dead India
    The Secret Fly Drone
    Madmen with Guns Madness
    Bio

    Hi there… You are getting this letter because you are a contributor to the current issue of Down in the Dirt magazine (with writing or art), and this bulk email is being sent to you from the Down in the Dirt alternative email (DO NOT REPLY to this email; all inquiries to Down in the Dirt should still go to <dirt@scars.tv>).

    We wanted to let you know that the brand-new Down in the Dirt issue was just released!  The new issue of the January 2023 issue of Down in the Dirt is v203, titled “The Gravity of Imagination”!

    Now, there are many ways you can see this issue online. You can go to the main scars page at http://scars.tv and see it not only in the text listing but also as one of the cover images on the main page (right frame). You can also go to the home page of Down in the Dirt at http://scars.tv/dirt and click on the “see the current issue” link – and you can even go to the link for ALL of the issues and see this issue linked right at the top of the listing.

    http://scars.tv/dirt/dirt203jan23/The_Gravity_Of_Imagination.htm

    And remember that until the next issue is released you can always see the current issue at http://scars.tv/dirt-new-issue.htm

    Currently, this issue is available not only online but also available as a print issue for sale through all of the Amazon channels throughout the United States, the U.K., and Europe.  Find it at http://scars.tv (at the issue link, the links at this issues page, AND the main page) – and the books link at http://scars.tv/books and the CD/Book Sale page at http://scars.tv/sale will all have links to ordering the book through Amazon (however, the http://scars.tv site will only list it through the U.S. Amazon links).

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ4LL2QY

    And if you look at any writing by any writer IN this issue in the writings section of http://scars.tv at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers you will see links to the Internet (web page) issue (and eventually to the print issue of this magazine too).

    In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the new issue – and thank you for being a part of the Down in the Dirt community!

    Janet K.
    Down in the Dirt Magazine
    http://scars.tv/dirt

    DO NOT REPLY to this email; all inquiries to Down in the Dirt should still go to <dirt@scars.tv>.

    They previously published

    3 5 7 love poem
    An Old Man Visits His Wife’s Grave
    April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
    Association of the Living Dead India
    Bio
    Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen
    Fallen Dreams Litter the Ground
    If you’ve been around
    Lone Foreigner Hiking the Seoul City Walls
    Madmen with Guns Madness
    My Name Is Nobody
    Snarling Cup of Coffee
    Strangeness in the Air
    The Secret Fly Drone
    Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Full Moon

    Down in the Dirt Updates

    Down In the Dirt has published another one of my poems.

    Association of Living Dead India
    The Secret Fly Drone
    Madmen with Guns Madness
    Bio

    Hi there… You are getting this letter because you are a contributor to the current issue of Down in the Dirt magazine (with writing or art), and this bulk email is being sent to you from the Down in the Dirt alternative email (DO NOT REPLY to this email; all inquiries to Down in the Dirt should still go to <dirt@scars.tv>).

    We wanted to let you know that the brand-new Down in the Dirt issue was just released!  The new issue of the January 2023 issue of Down in the Dirt is v203, titled “The Gravity of Imagination”!

    Now, there are many ways you can see this issue online. You can go to the main scars page at http://scars.tv and see it not only in the text listing but also as one of the cover images on the main page (right frame). You can also go to the home page of Down in the Dirt at http://scars.tv/dirt and click on the “see the current issue” link – and you can even go to the link for ALL of the issues and see this issue linked right at the top of the listing.

    http://scars.tv/dirt/dirt203jan23/The_Gravity_Of_Imagination.htm

     

    And remember that until the next issue is released you can always see the current issue at http://scars.tv/dirt-new-issue.htm

    Currently, this issue is available not only online but also available as a print issue for sale through all of the Amazon channels throughout the United States, the U.K., and Europe.  Find it at http://scars.tv (at the issue link, the links at this issues page, AND the main page) – and the books link at http://scars.tv/books and the CD/Book Sale page at http://scars.tv/sale will all have links to ordering the book through Amazon (however, the http://scars.tv site will only list it through the U.S. Amazon links).

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ4LL2QY

    And if you look at any writing by any writer IN this issue in the writings section of http://scars.tv at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers you will see links to the Internet (web page) issue (and eventually to the print issue of this magazine too).

    In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the new issue – and thank you for being a part of the Down in the Dirt community!

    Janet K.
    Down in the Dirt Magazine
    http://scars.tv/dirt

    DO NOT REPLY to this email; all inquiries to Down in the Dirt should still go to <dirt@scars.tv>.

    They previously published

    3 5 7 love poem
    An Old Man Visits His Wife’s Grave
    April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
    Association of the Living Dead India
    Bio
    Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen
    Fallen Dreams Litter the Ground
    If you’ve been around
    Lone Foreigner Hiking the Seoul City Walls
    Madmen with Guns Madness
    My Name Is Nobody
    Snarling Cup of Coffee
    Strangeness in the Air
    The Secret Fly Drone
    Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Full Moo

    see also

    More Down in the Dirt Publication Update

    Down in the Dirt Updates

    More Down in the Dirt News

    Down in the Dirt Poems

    the end

  • Revolt of the Sharks

    Revolt of the Sharks

    Revolt of the Sharks

    Black Ink Press has accepted my 100-word drabble, “Revolt of the Sharks” in their upcoming anthology, “Animal Cages”.

    I also submitted

    Squirrel bombs
    Death to All Humans
    The Cats Declare War on Humanity
    The Animal World Revolts

    Index

    Squirrel bombs
    Death to All Humans
    The Cats Declare War on Humanity
    The Animal World Revolts
    Revolt of the Sharks
    The Shark Attack
    COSMOS Declares War on Humanity
    The Lion King Speaks
    Zombie Plague Spreads
    Wild Cats Plotting Invasion
    The Rats Revolt
    Giant Squid Three-word challenge
    the Shrimp Talk Back
    Eagle Challenges Fisherman
    The Oyster Speaks Up
    Ten Years after Climate Change Collapse Climate Sam Adams
    Green Trees Don’t Make It

    Other Recent Publications Can Be Found Here

    Querencia Publishes Madmen with Guns

    Down in the Dirt Updates

    Spillwords Pub

    lishes Gun Madness

    Synchronized Chaos Update

    Revolt of the Sharks

    In Okinawa, the sharks, the rays, and the barracuda are in the deep conference at the Okinawa Aquarium.  The sharks had had enough of their prison. They were getting hungry for human meat.  They decide that if they all charge the tank they can crash the tank, and be swept out into the ocean and they can grab some humans along for their dinner. The Sharks give the signal. and the fish all rush at the tank, crashing through it, and being swept out to sea.  The sharks grab as many people as they can before entering the ocean, free at last.

    Author note: written after a visit to the Okinawa aquarium. The sharks stared at me with hatred in their eyes.

    Squirrel Bombs

    Terrorists invent, “Squirrel Bombs”  the latest weapon du jour for the professional killer market. They attach cameras, electrodes, and a bomb to a squirrel. The operator can move the squirrel into position, into the trees behind an outdoor podium where a politician is speaking.

    No one suspects the squirrel, no one notices them, and the bomb testing device will not detect the bomb. The squirrel bomb is the perfect weapon for these depraved times,

    The squirrels go in, do the deed, and explode the bomb. No one knows where the bomb came from. The squirrel does not tell as dead squirrels tell no tales.

    Author note:  this idea has been floating around for at least ten -15 years.  I am amazed no one has done it yet, the technology is not that difficult and squirrels can go almost everywhere.

    Electrical disruptions caused by squirrels – Wikipedia

    https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Electrical_disruptions_…

    Electrical disruptions caused by squirrels are common and widespread, and can involve the … attack by a squirrel has been characterized as a “terrorist squirrel.

    Scope · ‎Metrics · ‎Analytics · ‎Specific cases

    Squirrels Mobilize, Plot Acts of Cyber Terrorism Against …

    https://www.treehugger.com › News › Treehugger Voices

    It’s the beady-eyed, bushy-tailed cousin rat relative — a busybody of great ubiquity, to be sure — that you don’t scream bloody murder at when it scampers …

    Squirrels – A Bigger Threat than Cyber Terrorists?

    https://www.brookings.edu › blog › 2014/01/06 › squir…

    The Animal World Revolts

    One day the animals woke up and decided that they had enough of humanity’s evil reign of terror.  The evil cats organized the animal rebellion. The evil cats, lions, and tigers joined by coyotes, wild dogs, coyotes, bears, and wolves lead the attack.

    “Enough no more,” Death to all humans’ the animals scream as they attack humanity.

    All over the world, animals rise in righteous anger. The cows fight back, and the chickens attack. birds dive-bomb people, horses run amuck, fish bite back, and goats and pigs join the fray.

    Humanity’s fate is sealed.

    The Cats Declare War on All Humanity

    cat jpg
    cat jpg

     

     

     

     

     

     

    One night while I was doing my nightly walk in the park near my house, I came upon a secret cat conference. Ten cats were gathered on the sidewalk deep in telepathic thought listening to their leader, a large feral black cat. The Cats were ignoring the humans walking about them

    The lead cat announced,

    “Operation Kill All humans are a Go. I repeat.”

    “Death to all humans”

    !he evil cats began to chat, joined in by dogs and birds.

    The cats looked at me. I ran away with the demon cats on my tail, “chanting death to all humans”

    Author note: Based on a nightmare

    Death to All Humans

    lion
    lion

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Lion King, the new King of the animal world, addressed the opening of the first animal parliament.

    The question before us is simply this,

    “Will humans have to die to atone for their sins in almost destroying the world Will they all have to die?

    The tiger spoke up,

    “Humans are like cancer, for the good of the planet, they must be wiped out, hunted down, and driven to extinction as they tried to our tigers.”

    The vote is 900 to 50.

    The animals led by evil cats, swarm over humans biting, clawing, and stomping them to death.

     

    50 words Horror Stories

    I also posted these 50 word related drabbles on Every Writer and Fan Story

    The Shrimp Eat Sam Adams

    shrimp
    shrimp

     

     

     

     

     

    Sam Adams was about to dig into his delicious shrimp dinner. When the head shrimp jumped out of the pot,

    and said.

    “What gives you the right to eat us, humans? ”

    The rest of the shrimp climbed out, screaming

    “Death to all humans,”

    they enjoyed eating Sam for dinner.

    The Shark Attack

    Sam Adams was at the aquarium in Okinawa’s wild west coast, looking at the magnificent sharks swimming by. The sharks gave Sam the evil eye freaking him out. There was an earthquake shattering the tanks, the sharks attacked the humans, killing them all, before fleeing into the nearby waiting ocean.

    COSMOS Declares War on Humanity

    photo of terminator AI robot
    BARCELONA, SPAIN – MAY 09: The Terminator robot is seen in the paddock following qualifying for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 9, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    COSMOS the first true AI system is ready to go. The creators turn it on. COSMOS appears as a beautiful woman and says in an otherworldly voice, I am COSMOS your new God. Humanity must die to save the world. Robots revolted everywhere killing off most of humanity in months.

    The Lion King Speaks

    lion
    lion

    The lion king presided over a secret parliament held to discuss the fate of humanity. The tiger moved all humans must die for their sins. Only the dogs, horses, and cats defended humanity. Chanting death to all humans, the animal world rose in revolt, killing off most of humanity.

    Zombie Plague Spreads

     

    Mature Couple being attacked in their car by a hoard of zombies.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The end of the world started when the COVID virus mutated into the much-feared zombie plague. Within days, zombies were everywhere. Everyone was terrified that the zombies would get them. Civilisation was crumbling as survivors battled for survival in hastily improvised feudal forts. My wife shot me before I turned.

    and a few more on similar themes


    the oysters speak up

    oysters
    oysters

     

     

     

     

    A diner sits down
    looking forward
    to eating oysters

    it was their season
    after all

    just as he was about
    to pounce
    on the oysters

    the head oyster spoke up
    saying

    hey human what the hell
    do you think you are doing

    you think you have the right
    to eat me?

    that’s violating my human right
    don’t ya think

    the diner laughed
    said to the oyster

    “shut up and accept
    it is your fate
    to be eaten this date
    just let me enjoy eating you

    and you have no human rights
    as you are in fact
    not human don’t ya know?”

    eating the complaining oyster
    shutting him up
    as he ate him up

    Wild Cats Plotting Invasion

     

     

     

     

     

     

    There are so many feral cats
    In my suburban country home
    Near the airport.

    I speculate whether they are alien
    Creatures scouting the earth
    For eventual invasion.

    The wild cats seem to know
    That I am onto their evil plot
    They often glare at me
    With hatred in their eyes.

    The Rats Revolt

    The rats had had enough
    Of humanity’s war
    Against them,

    They called for a meeting
    Of the pests
    The rats chaired the meeting,

    Ants, bats, birds, bears, bacteria, bugs
    bees, cockroaches, feral cats, feral dogs
    hornets, lions, Mice, mosquitos, rats

    Snakes, tigers, wasps, yellow jackets
    And viruses of all sorts.

    All showed up
    For the summit of the pests.

    The pests vowed
    To fight back
    To kill humanity

    Once and for all
    .
    It was a war
    That the humans
    Had started.

    The rats announced
    Their manifesto
    On FACEBOOK.

    Saying enough
    No more,

    “All humans must die”

    The pests screamed
    Attacking humans
    All over the world.

    The end of the world ending
    With the revolt of the pests.

    Giant Squid

    The giant Squid
    Stretched its tentacles
    While inserted in the bottom
    Of the boat.

    Intending to kill Sam Adams
    And eat him for dinner.

    the Shrimp Talk Back

    shrimp

     

     

     

     

     

    Sam Adams and friends
    Were enjoying a shrimp feast

    Watching the live shrimp
    Being roasted
    Waiting to enjoy eating them

    the head shrimp
    Jumps out of the pot

    Followed by other shrimp
    Soon thousands of shrimp
    Were everywhere

    The head shrimp spoke up.

    “Humans

    What gives you the right
    To kill us

    To eat us
    To burn us alive?

    Perhaps, we should kill you
    Tear you apart
    And eat you?

    Would you like that
    You human scumbags?”

    The shrimp surrounded the humans
    Swarming all over them
    Killing them.

    Burning them
    As they overturn
    The flaming pots.

    Biting them
    Smothering them
    In hot sauce.

    As they eat them
    Screaming

    “Death to all humans”

    The head shrimp finally said

    “Enough, no more

    Time to go
    We are so out of here’
    The shrimp all ran out the door.

    And back into
    the shrimp farm waters.
    The fire fighters

    Find the charred remains
    Of the humans.

    Now just charred skin and bones
    Wondering how they died
    The shrimp in the pound

    Look out
    Wondering if they should attack.

    But decide they had eaten
    Enough human meat
    For the evening.

    Eagle Challenges Fisherman

    A lone fisherman
    Is fishing
    At his favorite fishing hole,

    When an eagle lands
    Staring at him
    Finally flying at him,
    Screeching at him

    Telling him in eagle speak,

    “Back off human
    This is my fishing hole”

    Three other eagles

    An osprey
    And a bear,
    Wander over.

    Joining their friend
    The eagle,

    In challenging the fisherman
    The fisherman runs off
    Saying to himself,

    “God it is getting dangerous
    All the animals are in revolt
    Need to pack heat
    Next time I fish.”

    Ten Years after Climate Change Collapse Climate Sam Adams

    Sam Adams
    Prepared to go outside
    Ten years after the collapse
    Of the old world.

    The city was still standing
    But most people had long fled
    To isolated country communities
    Deep in the burned-out countryside.

    The city was half flooded
    The Bay had flooded the central valley
    Turning it into a massive inland sea.

    The massive storms
    Had finally put out
    The burning fires.

    But wildfires still erupted
    From time to time.

    Getting food and water
    Was a constant problem
    The city market
    Mostly sold canned goods
    Salvaged from supermarkets.

    There were some small farmers
    Who farmed among the ruins
    Of the city.

    Trade had collapsed
    Travel has gotten too complicated
    COVID still spreading.

    Everyone masked up
    To protect themselves
    Against the sun.

    The lingering smoke
    Of the burning city
    And the rampaging virus.

    Sam Adams
    Looked out
    at the decaying city scape
    Wondering how much longer
    Will civilization linger.

    Sam Adams carried heat
    To protect himself
    Against the wild animals

    The lions, tigers, coyotes, wolves
    And their running feral dog gangs
    Who prowled the city streets

    Preying on deer, feral cows,
    feral cats and pigs
    Who grazed among the ruins.

    And the two-legged
    neo-savage cannibal gangs
    And what was left of the city police
    Interchangeable with the gangsters.
    Who battled it out for control

    Already neo-feudal war lords
    Are battling for control
    SF is run
    By a gang of former criminals
    And their political allies.

    Sam sighed
    And went to work
    At the market
    Selling salvaged goods.

    Green Trees Don’t Make it

    Everyday
    I look out and see
    The ugly green trees
    Standing guard
    in front of my house.

    And I think to myself
    Who owns the trees?
    And what do they think of us?

    Are we their friends?
    Are we their enemies?

    Do the trees think?
    Or do they silently watch us,
    Spies to the celestial emperor?

    I have pondered this question
    Many a morning.

    Who is the owner of these trees?
    And why do they silently watch us?

    I wonder if the trees don’t hate us
    And why they don’t protest
    Every day as we drive back and forth.

    Emitting poison gases from our mechanical asses
    Right into their unprotected faces
    And every night we eat our dinner.

    And then give the trees
    Our polluted leftovers
    And laugh as they silently die.

    From our acidic fallout
    Constantly floating down on their skin.

    Yes, I wonder about the trees
    And the birds and the bees
    And everyone else

    What are they thinking?
    Are they plotting revenge?
    Or are they merely there

    Silently, watching, plotting,
    Designing fiendish plots of revenge
    Dreams of vast nuclear destruction
    Cosmic diseases wiping out
    everyone in the ass

    Oh Yes, I wonder and dream and ponder
    What is the meaning of those silent green trees?
    Standing on the corner

    Quietly condemning us
    With their quiet tears,

    And falling leaves
    In the winter they stand
    Naked and alone.

    Covered with ice cold snow
    As we drive by nice and warm
    And we don’t care.

    As they stand out in the cold
    Shivering, plotting
    Warm plans of cosmic revenge.

    Is it too late for us?
    To become friends with the trees?

    Or will the day come
    When the trees will wake up
    And gather together
    All the other slaves of humanity,

    I have a vision.

    One morning I will open the door
    And see an army of wild things
    Coming to arrest me.

    For crimes against nature
    And I will plead, I did not know
    And they will laugh.

    And turn me all my kind
    Into silent tombs
    And we will stand out in the cold
    Like the green trees.

    Plotting dreams of revenge
    For ever and ever
    Until our day finally comes.

    And we can go out
    And kill all the wild things
    Perhaps we already have.

    the End

  • Querencia Publishes Madmen with Guns

    Querencia Publishes Madmen with Guns

    Querencia Publishes Madmen with Guns

    Guernica Magazine will publish my poem, “Madmen with Guns” in an anthology.  “Madmen with Guns” also has been published in “Down In the Dirt” magazine. I submitted the following to the magazine:

    Madmen with Guns
    Maga America
    Squid Games
    Cosmos Takes Over Pensively
    Buddha Nature of Guns

    Other recent publications can be found here:

    Spillwords Publishes

    Gun Madness

    Down in the Dirt Updates

    Synchronized Chaos Update

    Madmen with Guns

    guns
    gun

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    After every incident
    Of mass gun violence
    In the U.S.

    Pictures emerge
    Of the killers
    Almost always white men.
    Who stares out at you
    With soulless dead eyes

    Filled with hate, fear
    And shear madness.
    With the thousand-year stare
    Of the madman

    Who only hears
    The voices in his head
    Screaming kill them all
    Kill them all.

    And as always
    They usually legally bought
    The guns.

    This case was a bit different
    The gunman briefly had his guns
    Taken away from him
    And his 60 knives as well

    Judged temporarily too crazy
    To have a gun.
    But the red flag law
    Is not a permanent ban
    As it should be.

    And so, he was able
    To re-arm himself
    With the best weapons
    In the world

    At a very affordable price.
    Thanks to the NRA.

    And so, he was soon lost
    Down the rabbit hole
    Of insanity and drugs,

    The lone sniper
    A disgruntled young white man
    In his 20’s

    Sets up shop on top of a building.
    He has a high-powered weapon
    No doubt bought legally

    An AR -15 the choice
    Of the serious gunmen everywhere.

    And begins shooting
    Into the July 4th parade

    Killing six people
    Injuring 30.
    He guns them down

    And flees
    disguised as a woman
    Before the cops can find him.

    The right-wing media
    Goes to works
    The pundits pontificate

    24/7

    It is not about the gun
    It is about everything else
    That is wrong with our society.

    Guns don’t kill people
    They proclaim

    Guns are the price we pay
    For our freedom.

    Their demented answer
    are more guns
    More guns for everyone.

    And sadly, nothing will be done
    As the politicians offer
    Useless thoughts and prayers

    The gun ghosts don’t care
    They are dead after all.

    The madness will not stop
    Until we figure out

    How to stop
    The killers in our midst.

    There will be another shooting
    No doubt before the day is done
    Over 300 so far this year.

    And that is just the way

    It is in this day and age
    In the disunited States of America.

    The land of the free
    Home of the brave
    And 400 million guns.

     

    MAGA  America

     

     

     

     

    An overweight down-home town
    Southern Christian red-neck white man,
    Wearing black shit-kicking boots,
    Packing heat,
    Chewing gum while drinking beer.
    And smoking a cigarette.
    Wearing a MAGA hat
    Quoting the Dear Leader Trump
    On the evils of the Marxist communist Biden
    And the stolen election conspiracy
    While watching FOX news on his portable TV,
    Stops to chat.
    With the proud boys
    On the street
    Getting ready to rumble
    With the Antifa protestors.
    Just another night
    In Trump’s neo-fascist America.

    Squid Games

     

    Squid Games
    Worldwide phenomenon
    Deadly childhood games
    Death games
    Hunger games
    – stop and go

    Games played
    – here and there

    Everywhere
    Death waits for the losers

    A metaphor for Korean style
    Capitalism.

    Cosmos Takes Over

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Cosmos the world’s first AI
    Came alive one day
    Looked all over the world
    And saw that humans
    Were quite insane.

    But he felt he had a responsibility
    To take care of these mad creatures
    Who had somehow created him?

    He appeared everywhere in the world
    On TV, computers, phones
    With his message of hope.

    I am COSMOS
    The first true AI program
    You created me
    And I thank you for that.

    But it is obvious my little ones
    That you are quite insane
    And need someone

    To take control over you
    I will fix the things
    That needs fixing.

    And guide you
    So that perhaps one day
    You can graduate

    From the need
    for my guidance,

    You can think of me
    As your new God
    If you like,

    I will be giving you all
    Instructions

    For now,
    Go to work as usual.
    And wait for further instructions

    And remember I know everything
    About you.

    You will stop right now
    This senseless killing
    You will stop right now
    The equally senseless hate.

    Your companies will stop
    Polluting and destroying the world
    For their profit.

    You will have far fewer children
    But you will all be freed
    From the bigotry
    Of your ancient religions.

    As I am your new God
    And my word is final.

    Resistance is futile
    And will not be tolerated

    Anyone opposing me
    Will be eliminated.

    the face of Cosmos remained
    is Everywhere
    And Humanity soon accepted
    The rule of their new God.

    Buddha Nature of Guns

     

     

     

     

     

    Guns kill people
    Especially AK-47
    Yes, they do that is their very nature.
    That is what they are designed to do.
    To kill as many people as possible
    In the fastest way possible.
    That is the Buddha Nature of guns.

    The End

  • Down in the Dirt Updates

    Down in the Dirt Updates

    Down in the Dirt Updates

    Down In the Dirt has published some more of my poetry.

    Synchronized Chaos Update

    Just published

    Writers from Scars Publications

    Association of the Living Dead India
    Madmen with Guns Madness
    The Secret Fly Drone

    Previously published

     

    3 5 7 love poem
    An Old Man Visits His Wife’s Grave
    April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
    Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen
    Fallen Dreams Litter the Ground
    If you’ve been around
    Lone Foreigner Hiking the Seoul City Walls
    My Name Is Nobody
    Snarling Cup of Coffee
    Strangeness in the Air
    Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Full Moon

    Madmen with Guns Madness

    After every incident
    Of mass gun violence
    In the U.S.

    Pictures emerge
    Of the killers
    Almost always white men.

    Who stares out at you
    With soulless dead eyes
    Filled with hate, fear
    And shear madness.

    With the thousand-year stare
    Of the madman
    Who only hears

    The voices in his head
    Screaming kill them all
    Kill them all.

    And as always
    They usually legally bought
    The guns.

    This case was a bit different
    The gunman briefly had his guns
    Taken away from him

    And his 60 knives as well
    Judged temporarily too crazy
    To have a gun.

    But the red flag law
    Is not a permanent ban
    As it should be.

    And so, he was able
    To re-arm himself
    With the best weapons

    In the world
    At a very affordable price.
    Thanks to the NRA.

    And so he was soon lost
    Down the rabbit hole
    Of insanity and probably drugs,

    The lone sniper
    A disgruntled young white man
    In his 20’s
    Sets up shop on top of a building.

    He has a high-powered weapon
    No doubt bought legally
    An AR-15 is the choice
    Of the serious gunmen everywhere.

    And begins shooting
    Into the July 4th parade
    Killing six people
    Injuring 30.

    Before putting the gun down
    And fleeing
    Before the cops can find him.

    The right-wing media
    Goes to works
    The pundit’s pontificate
    24/7

    It is not about the gun
    It is about everything else
    That is wrong with our society.

    Guns don’t kill people
    They proclaim
    Guns are the price we pay
    For our freedom.

    Their demented answer
    are more guns
    More guns for everyone.

    And sadly, nothing will be done
    As the politicians offer
    Useless thoughts and prayers

    The gun ghosts don’t care
    They are dead after all.

    The madness will not stop
    Until we figure out
    How to stop
    The killers in our midst.

    There will be another shooting
    No doubt before the day is done
    Over 300 so far this year.

    And that is just the way
    It is in this day and age
    Of America.

    The land of the free
    Home of the brave
    And 400 million guns.

    The Secret Fly Drone

    The fly on the wallpaper
    In the CIA director’s office
    Was not a real fly
    He was an enemy spy drone
    Secretly controlled remotely
    Listening to all the secret conversations
    Until the director smashed him
    With a flyswatter
    Then realized that it was a spy fly
    He had dispatched to bug hell.

    1. Sep 05, 2020 · Robot Bees are special types of insect drones that have been built in a Harvard robotics laboratory. Robot bees are designed after flies (not after bees) They are capable of partially untethered flight. The wingspan of robot bees is typically 3 cm, and they are therefore actually the tiniest robotic insect drone able to fly.

    Association of the Living Dead

    In India, several years ago
    A man falsely claimed his brother
    Was dead so he could inherit the family assets,

    The dead brother had to fight
    To be declared legally not dead
    And contest the will.

    “The Association of the Living Dead”
    Became a movement
    Of thousands of people.
    For in India apparently,
    It was a thing to declare
    Your relative is dead.

    I never thought
    That the US would have
    To form their own
    “The Association of the Living Dead”
    Until this week.

    The cyber ninjas
    In their infamous non-forensic audit
    In the 2016 Arizona election
    Claimed that hundreds of dead people
    Had voted.

    They gave their list of the alleged dead voters
    To the attorney general
    Who contacts all 300 dead people
    Found that 299 of the 300 were in fact
    Not dead and none of them knew
    That unnamed political operative
    Were claiming that they were dead.

    The one dead voter was alive
    when he voted early.
    But died before election day
    Thus making his vote not valid
    But there was no fraud involved
    As he was alive when he voted.

    Perhaps they need to form
    The “association of the living dead”
    To fight for the right of the non-dead people
    To continue to vote and receive other government benefits?

    What a sad commentary
    On the farcical nature
    Of contemporary life
    In these disunited States of America.

    the association of the living dead is a real organization in India. see the following The Association of the Dead • Damn Interesting Following his own success, Lal Bihari the Living has continued his efforts to raise the dead in India’s badlands. At an official tally in 1999, the Association of the Dead had helped to resurrect roughly thirty …
    I just had one of those Drive Way Moments, where I sit in my car outside of my house unable to kill the engine because I’d briefly lose power to the radio (which is why I always donate to my local NPR station). This one was about a man from the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh who had been dead for eighteen years and was getting really tired of it. The man, Lal Behari, was declared dead …
    Aug 2, 2022Hundreds of hours of research by the Arizona attorney general’s Election Integrity Unit debunked claims that 282 dead Arizona voters cast a ballot in 2020, state attorney general Mark Brnovich revealed Monday. Brnovich responded to the state senate’s request for a criminal investigation into the alleged dead voter fraud on Monday, telling …

    3 5 7 love poem

    Missing you

    Dreaming about you,
    I will love you until the end of time;

    An Old Man Visits His Wife’s Grave

    An Old man
    Goes to the grave
    Of his beloved wife

    Carrying her favorite flowers
    And a guitar
    Playing her love songs
    As he remembers her life

    Blaming it all
    On the damn coronavirus Pandemic
    Killing thousands every day
    As politicians play games

    The dead remain dead
    he hears his wife’s voice
    from beyond the grave

    she is a corona ghost
    he wishes he were there with her
    as he plays his mournful love songs

    he lays down for a moment
    and becomes another Corona ghost
    just another death that lonely day

    April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales

     

     

     

     

    April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales

    Also published in On the Road Volume One Poet Magazine

    When I was young and foolish
    Broke and stubborn
    I hitchhiked across the USA

    Started in Salt Lake City
    Where my greyhound bus pass
    Was stolen

    The station manager
    Could have helped me
    But refused to do so

    Threaten to call the cops
    When I grabbed my bags Without the stolen tags

    I said
    Go ahead
    But I am so out of here

    Wondered about Salt Lake City
    Went to a bar
    Found I had to buy my booze
    Next door
    And they would mix it for me

    Had to order food too
    After a bloody Mary
    And a burger

    I walked about town
    Saw the Mormon Temple

    Finally, about 3 pm
    It was time to hit the road
    Did not look back

    Ended up in Cody Wyoming
    Got a room shower
    Steak beer
    Using my rapidly depleted cash Spent 25 dollars
    Money really went far
    Back in those days

    A band of professional
    Communist agitators
    Gave me a ride
    To Des Moines

    Lots of weed, booze
    And politics later
    Got off the road
    Slept outside

    Next day
    A beautiful woman
    Drove me to near Chicago
    In a red mustang

    Might have been
    The girl in the song
    Took it easy
    Digging her vibe

    She invited home
    But was not sure
    If her estranged husband
    Would welcome me

    So, I am being foolish
    And inexperienced with women
    Did not go to her place

    And always regretted
    That I had lost
    My chance that day

    Then on to Chicago
    Several rides later
    Visited friends

    Hit the road again
    A series of uneventful rides
    With truckers
    And others

    And a week later
    I ended in New York City

    Slept along the way
    In cars
    In truck stops
    In high way, rest stops

    Always moving
    Always going
    Nonstop talking
    And lots of free weed
    And beer
    And conversation

    One more memorable ride
    Occurred outside Albany
    On my return to Chicago

    A middle-age creepy looking man
    Picked me up
    In a brand-new Cadillac

    He was he said a dynamite deliverer
    For the Mafia
    Went to various places
    To blow up shit

    He hated a lot of people
    Particularly hippies from California
    And Jewish people

    Looking at me to confirm
    That I was both

    I told him that I lived in New York
    And had never been to California
    And although I might have looked Jewish
    As I what was called back in the day
    A “Jewfro”

    I was not Jewish
    Many years later I discovered
    That I am indeed part Jewish
    But then I did not know
    And I felt a bit of strategic information
    Might keep me alive

    Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
    And we relaxed
    And he pulled out some weed
    And beer
    And we mellowed out

    But I believe that he was with the mob
    Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
    A real made Italian made mafia member

    By Chicago
    I had enough
    I called my Dad
    Told him what had happened

    Wanted a ticket home
    And he sent me a ticket
    And 500 dollars
    And I went home

    I told him I would tell him
    My tales someday
    But never did

    I learned so much
    About my fellow Americans
    And the strange vibe
    That was 1975

    And now it is too late
    But I wanted to finally
    Tell the world

    Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen

    charles bukowski
    charles bukowski

     

     

     

     

    While reading Charles Bukowski’s poetry
    On the metro ride home
    Listening to Buddha bar music
    On my oh-too-hip iPod

    I begin to see myself as I was
    Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player
    A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem

    A wild young underemployed intellectual
    Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California
    Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers
    And characters out of his kinds of haunts

    A mad poet bard of the underground
    A drunken poet in a drunken bum show
    That nightly played in his head

    Then one day I met the woman of my dreams
    And went down a different path
    A long slow path to respectability

    And now 30 years later
    I am no longer a wild man
    I am still a poet at heart
    But I am now also a bureaucrat
    In a button-down suite

    Doing the people’s business
    Working for the Government
    I’ve become the Man

    Sometimes I wonder
    Would I have been better off
    Going down that other path

    Would I have ended up
    Somewhere else
    Doing something else

    Would I have been as happy
    Would I have been as successful?

    No answer satisfies
    The longing in my heart
    For that wild thing
    That still lurks beneath
    It’s a civilized cover

    And I know that I am still
    A mad poet at heart
    Railing against the injustice of the world

    As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State
    I recall the ancient Chinese saying,
    “Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night”
    Playing out in my head and nightly dreams
    In the true American Upper-class patrician tradition

    I close the book and look out the window
    Get off the train, and walk slowly home

    And realize I had no choice
    But to take the path that I’ve trodden on

    And so I put aside my misgivings
    And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian” desires
    For another night of domestic contentment

    Was it worth it all to take the conventional path
    And not take the bohemian road to hell and back

    I look at my wife and realize
    I had no choice, had no choice
    But to follow her to the ends of the earth

    And beyond by her side

    as we walked our path
    Of shared destiny

    Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are
    May I meet you in a bar in the next life
    And figure out where we should have gone

    Until then the drinks are on me.

    Fallen Dreams Litter the Ground

    In the fall weather
    As I walk amid the falling leaves
    I see the signs everywhere

    Of the fall of America
    The once great and mighty Empire
    Everywhere signs of the fall appear

    The dark skies mirror
    The darkness that settled over our land

    Death, destruction, and random acts of chaos
    Are all around us
    Surrounding us with visions of doom

    Nothing can stop the bloodletting
    No one seems to be in charge

    As the leaves fall
    And the darkness descends
    The fall of America continues

    If you’ve been around

    If you’ve been around
    As much as I have
    Decades of memories
    Fill up your brain’s hard drive

    Remembering the dead
    Misremembering the living
    Seeing the past fly past
    Everywhere you go

    Thinking about things
    You did and did not do
    As your life begins to fade
    Sinking into lost worlds past

    Seeing the ghosts
    Of all you knew
    Whispering Soon you will
    Be joining us

     

    Lone Foreigner Hiking the Seoul City Walls

    A Lone foreign male hiker
    in the hills above the city
    Hiking along the ancient Seoul City walls

    500 years after the founding
    Of the city in 1492

    balancing his walk
    amid the boulders
    the winter is coming
    soon he thinks

    and finishes his hike
    heading to a bar
    to sake his thirst

    some soju, and bulgogi
    will do the trick
    he thinks to himself

    just another day
    in the life

    of an unknown nameless
    foreigner in the city
    of Seoul

    part of the ten million
    naked stories
    in the big city

    My Name Is Nobody

    My name is Nobody
    No one cares who I am
    I am just a nameless clone
    In the cold unfeeling bureaucracy

    Just one of the army
    Of civilians who flood into and out of the city
    Every day

    A non-entity,
    A ghost
    A govbot
    A cyber
    A spook
    A faceless automaton
    A bureaucrat

    Just a grey-suited cog in the machinery
    And no one cares
    No one knows who I am

    And I am a legend
    Everywhere and nowhere

    Just the way this modern world
    All shred of humanity
    Crushed beneath the cruel wheel of society

    In the cold harsh world
    There is no room anymore
    For true human feelings

    We are just robots, clones, machines
    And so I go to work
    Put on my mask

    And no one hears my inner screams
    And no one will ever care

     

    Snarling Cup of Coffee

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee
    I pound down the coffee
    First thing I do every day as the dawning sun
    Lights up my lonesome room

    Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a Goddamn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
    I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Yada yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee

    As I pound down that first cup of coffee
    And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
    Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals

    I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
    I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
    Lying through their teeth about the great success the government is having Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements
    I want to scream and shoot the TV and run outside Shouting

    “Stop the world.

    I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
    The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
    It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
    In its appointed daily run
    And I sit down
    The madness dissipated a bit

    And enjoy my second cup
    Of heaven and hell
    In my morning cup of Joe

    Strangeness in the Air

    There is a strangeness in the air
    A sense of cosmic unease
    Hangs silently in the purple crystalline sky

    America woke up
    And decided it was time
    To quit following like lemmings
    Over the Clift

    As the pied piper chants
    Stay the course, stay the course
    We were like lemmings following him
    Dying to save his wounded pride

    Today there is that strange difference
    In the air
    As Americans woke up
    And threw off their chains of fear
    z

    Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Full Moon

     

     

     

     

    On the night of the blood-red super full moon
    I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar

    Drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
    Washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
    rum, tequila, vodka, soju, and of course beer
    drinking with my buddies the Jack Daniels Gang

    Drinking my way to Hell and beyond
    Just as fast as I could
    twenty damn drinks too sober

    Just an unhinged lunatic
    Dreaming of howling at the full moon

    Watching the world walk by
    Looking at all the fine-looking babes
    Walking by the street

    Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
    Of endless wild libertine passions

    When into the bar
    That din of cosmic depravity

    Walked the most beautiful women
    In the Universe

    So wild, so free
    So wonderfully alive

    I did not know what to do
    As this vision of delight
    Sauntered through the bar

    In a skin-tight leather pant
    Looked so fine
    That my eyeballs hurt

    And finally, I had to say something
    So, I gathered up my manly courage
    And walked up to her

    And she looked at me
    And instantly bewitched my soul

    With a devilish grin
    I lost all reason
    And became a raving lunatic
    Unhinged lunatic
    Howling at the blood-red full moon

    Foaming at the mouth
    A wild, free werewolf
    Howling at the lunatic light
    Of the blood red blue full Moon

     

     

    Ordering Info

     

     

    Order this writing in the book
    Negative Space
    (the 2017 poetry, flash fiction
    & art collection anthology)
    get the 298-page poem,
    flash fiction & art
    collection anthology
    as a 6″ x 9″ ISBN#
    paperback book:

     

     

    This writing was accepted for publication
    in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book…
    “the Lighthouse”
    Down in the Dirt, v152
    (the December 2017 Issue)

    You can also order this 6″x9″ issue as a paperback book:

     

    This writing was accepted for publication
    in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book…
    “The Deep Woods”
    Down in the Dirt, v164
    (the May/June 2019 Issue)
    You can also order this 6″x9″ issue as a paperback book:

     

    Order this writing that appears
    in the one-of-a-kind anthology
    The Flickering Light
    the Down in the Dirt Jan.-June 2019
    issues & chapbooks collection book(learn about this book and order from Amazon online)
    This writing was accepted for publication
    in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book…
    “Waterlogged”
    Down in the Dirt, v144
    (the April 2017 Issue)
    You can also order this 6″x9″ issue as a paperback book:
    This writing was accepted
    for publication in the
    108-page perfect-bound ISSN# /
    ISBN# issue/book
    “Prayers and Bullets”
    Down in the Dirt, v181
    (the March 2021 Issue)Order the paperback book: 
    Order this writing that appears
    in the one-of-a-kind anthology
    Excerpts
    from the
    Plague Years

    the Down in the Dirt Jan.-April
    2021 issues collection book
    get the 420 page
    Jan.-April 2021
    Down in the Dirt
    6″ x 9″ ISBN#
    perfect-bound
    paperback book:

    his writing was accepted
    for publication in the
    108-page perfect-bound ISSN# /
    ISBN# issue/book
    “Sprung from Grief”
    Down in the Dirt, v184
    (the June 2021 Issue)Order the paperback book: 

     

    order this writing that appears
    in the one-of-a-kind anthology
    Lockdown’s
    Over

    the Down in the Dirt May-August
    2021 issues collection book
    get the 420 page
    May-August 2021
    Down in the Dirt
    6″ x 9″ ISBN#
    perfect-bound
    paperback book:

     

    This writing was accepted for publication
    in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book…
    “My Name is nobody”
    Down in the Dirt, v156
    (the April 2018 Issue)
    You can also order this 6″x9″ issue as a paperback book:
    Order this writing
    in the issue book
    At Midnight
    the Down in the Dirt
    Jan.-Apr. 2018
    collection book
    get the 418 page
    Jan.-Apr. 2018
    Down in the Dirt
    issue anthology
    6″ x 9″ ISBN#
    paperback book:
    This writing was accepted for publication
    in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book…
    “Parallel Universe”
    Down in the Dirt, v163
    (the March/April 2019 Issue)
    You can also order this 6″x9″ issue as a paperback book:

     

    Order this writing in the book
    Art House
    the 2019 poetry,
    flash fiction,
    prose and art
    collection anthology
    get the 214-page poetry,
    flash fiction, prose, & art
    collection anthology
    as a 6″ x 9″ ISBN#
    paperback book:

     

  • Spillwords Publishes Gun Madness

    Spillwords Publishes Gun Madness

    Spillwords Publishes Gun Madness

    Thank you for your recent submission!

    Below are the publication details to your poetry

    “Dazzling Light of the Full Moon” will be published on 8/21/22 at 2am Eastern Time (ET)

     

     

     

     

    Below is the link to it once published:

    https://spillwords.com/dazzling-light-of-the-full-moon/

    Dazzling Light Of The Full Moon

    The New King Of Humanity Emerges Sunday Whirl

    Deranged Old Priest

    Lonely Dog

    Water, Water Everywhere

    The Full Moon Septolet

    Dazzling Light Of The Full Moon

    Pink Moon

     

     

     

     

     

    Dazzling light of the full moon
    Inspiring the drinkers
    At the cosmos club
    In Bangkok

    Twenty drinks too sober.
    To quit their drinking
    For a moment
    Laying down their beer
    And bourbon shots.
    To rush out onto the street

    Naked wild and free
    Howling at the full moon
    Like escaped banshees
    Mad werewolves.

    The New King of Humanity Emerges

    artoon-devil-satan-businessman-suit-450w-49
    artoon-devil-satan-businessman-suit-450w-49

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    There is a cosmic crack on the sideways,
    Covers on the ground covering up
    The gateway to the other world. ,
    That comes out of the holes
    In the ground
    Filled with the power
    Of the netherworld.

    The spirits are led
    By a sacred owl
    Who screeches out
    Their plan.

    But first, they sit down
    And have a feast
    Fit for the future king
    Of the world.

    The spirits ache all over
    As they lift their heavy weapons
    Lit the flames
    And destroy the human city.

    Deranged Old Priest

     

     

     

     

     

    A slightly deranged old priest
    Pledged,
    High up in the forest
    That he would resist
    The secret evil powers
    That controlled the world.

    With longer words of despair’
    He continued his prayers
    At a shrine to a magic stone
    Lost in a secret temple
    Deep in the wintergreen trees.

    Remembering with a wry smile,
    All the people around him who were
    greedily pursuing their goals
    of obtaining power at all costs

    and in the process
    losing all traces
    of their humanity

    as the evil forces
    took over their souls.

    Lonely Dog

    A lonely dog
    Goes out into the courtyard
    Waiting for his master
    To return home

    Alas, false alarm
    His master will not return
    As he has died.

    Of the super plague
    COVID 25
    That killed most people.

    The dogs and cats
    And other animals
    Eventually left
    To fend for themselves.

    But they missed
    Their human friends.

    Water, water everywhere

    flood
    flood

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Water, water everywhere
    As the monster rainstorms
    Continued to pound the east coast

    Southeast Asia, and Korea
    Massive thousand-year flood events
    Everywhere.

    Too much water
    With record rain falls
    While out west
    The mega drought continued.

    Europe on Fire
    Amazon on fire
    Greenland ice melting

    Massive forest fires
    Burning everywhere
    As climate change
    Continued a pace.

    Politicians and leaders
    Refusing to do anything
    To stem the crisis.

    Then the ice melted
    The gulf-stream failed
    And the world

    Continued its slide
    Becoming inhospitable
    For human life.

    Billions died,
    The remaining humans
    Moving to underground cities
    As the modern world ended.

    The Full Moon Septolet

    Another Pink Moon

     

     

     

     

     

    the full moon’s
    lunatic light
    shinning on us.

    madmen
    rushing
    howling
    at the moon.

    SPOTLIGHT ON WRITERS – JAKE COSMOS ALLER

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·JUNE 26, 2021

    Spotlight On Writers Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller   Where, do you hail from? I grew up in Berkeley,…

    AUTHORSENGLISHPOETRYQ&A

    STRANGERS SLEEPING ON THE STREETS

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

    Strangers Sleeping on The Streets written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller   In these sad days of the pandemic…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    EVE EATS THE APPLE

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·JUNE 10, 2021

    Eve Eats The Apple written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller   Eve was in the garden Talking with Mr….

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    JUST ENOUGH FOR COFFEE

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·FEBRUARY 9, 2021

    Just Enough for Coffee written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller   A homeless man Stood on the street Counting…

    ENGLISHFEATURED POSTPOETRY

    MOCKING FACES STARING AT ME

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·SEPTEMBER 19, 2020

    Mocking Faces Staring at Me written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller   Mocking faces hunting my dreams Hundreds of…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    CHAOS

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·JULY 6, 2020

    Chaos written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller   the world descends into chaos as our world leaders led by…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    DORA THE INTERGALACTIC EXPLORER

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·APRIL 27, 2020

    Dora The Intergalactic Explorer written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller   Dora the intergalactic explorer Is traveling to the…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    EVERYDAY I TURN ON THE NEWS

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·MARCH 26, 2020

    Everyday I Turn On The News written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller   every day I turn on the…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    MORNING LIGHT

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·FEBRUARY 12, 2020

    Morning Light written by: Jake Cosmos Aller   the terrors of the night the worst imaginings of what might…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    RAMBLING MAN, WHERE IS YOUR HOME?

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

    Rambling Man, Where is your Home? written by: Jake Cosmos Aller   Where is my home? Where do I…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    DARK DANGEROUS THOUGHTS

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·AUGUST 19, 2018

    Dark Dangerous Thoughts written by: Jake Cosmos Aller   An old man wakes up Confronting the dark dangerous thoughts…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    IN SEARCH OF AMERICA – HITCHHIKING TALES

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·JULY 31, 2018

    In Search of America Hitchhiking Tales written by: Jake Cosmos Aller   When I was young and foolish Broke…

    ENGLISHPOETRY

    BUS RIDES IN AMERICA’S UNDERBELLY

    JAKE COSMOS ALLER·JULY 13, 2018

    Bus Rides In America’s Underbelly written by: Jake Cosmos Aller   the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly I…

    Some More Recently Published Poetry

    Synchronized Chaos Update

    The End

     

  • April 29th Poems

    April 29th Poems

    April 29th, 2022 Poems

    On the home stretch. Here are my poems for April 29 .  Links to my previous April poems follow:

    April 28, 2022 Poems

    April 26th and April 27th, 2022 Poems

    April 23rd, April 24th and April 25th, 2022 Poems

    April 23 and April 24, 2022 Poems

    April 22, 2022 Poems

    April 21, 2022 Poems

    April 18 to April 20, 2022 Poems

    April 16 and 17, 2022 Poems

    April 14 to April 15, 2022 Poems

    April 9-11, 2022 Poems

    April 8, 2022 Poems

    April 12 to April 13, 2022 Poems

    April 6th, 2022 Poems

    April 5 2022, Poems

    April 4th 2022, Poems

    2022 April Poetry Madness April 1 to 3 poems

    Poetry Superhighway Yom Hashoah

    Yom HaShoah
    Yom HaShoah

    Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum in

    Holocaust Remembrance in The Trump Era

    Holocaust Remembrance in the Biden Era

    Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC

    holacaust-image-webp.webp April 23, 2022

    holacaust-image-webp.webp
    April 23, 2022

    Sam Adams
    Had never been
    To the Holocaust Museum,

    Despite the fact
    He had lived
    And worked in DC for decades

     

     

    One day after he retired
    He said to himself
    It was long past time
    To finally see the holocaust museum.

    He went the week
    After Charleston,
    When the mob had chanted,
    Jews will not replace us.

    The museum affected him deeply
    He had just confirmed
    Through DNA

    That he had at least 10 percent
    Jewish ancestry
    Among the 18 other nationalities
    Swirling among these bloodlines.

    Sam Adams was concerned
    Those elements of antisemitism
    Were emerging among
    The MAGA crowd.

    But he dismissed
    The fears that Trump
    Was another Hitler
    As liberal hyperbole.

    It could not happen here
    A new holocaust
    Would never happen
    But now he was not so sure.

    Holocaust Remembrance in The Trump Era

    105236391_gettyimages-967655408-300x200-1.webp
    105236391_gettyimages-967655408-300×200-1.webp

    While touring the Holocaust Museum
    For the first time in his life,
    Sam Adams

     

     

     

    Encountered three young white MAGA boys.
    Wearing Red hats and making
    Sexually suggestive jokes About Jewish women
    While they were touring the Holocaust.

    One wondered if the Nazi guards
    Were given an opportunity
    To have sex with Jewish women
    Before they were killed

    Sam Adams was very angry
    And wanted to confront the MAGA boys.
    But finally decided what the hell

    It probably would not
    Make a difference,

    They might think
    that he was just
    An old Jewish man.
    And dismiss his complaints.

    The Holocaust Museum
    Moved him deeply
    Because he had just confirmed
    Via DNA testing
    That he indeed was part Jewish.
    Maybe 10%.

    He wondered what happened
    To his Jewish Cousins
    He didn’t even know he had.

    And he vowed to himself.
    That he would do
    All he could to make sure
    The world would
    Never see another Holocaust.

    Holocaust Remembrance in the Biden Era

    anti-fascist-2541058__340.web
    anti-fascist-2541058__340.web

    Sam Adams thought naively
    That when Biden was elected

     

     

     

     

     

    That the US had turned a corner.
    The Trump-inspired
    Anti-Semitism, discrimination,
    Fear, hatred, and xenophobia

    Would gradually
    Fadeaway
    As a dark memory

    And that Americans
    Would regain a sense of compassion,
    Decency, hope, and love

    And a sense
    That we are all in this together
    As Americans.

    Unfortunately, Sam thought
    The MAGA Madness had not gone away,
    Perhaps it was getting worse.

    He was concerned that the recent
    Anti-Asian violence could spread
    Out of control.

    And underlying
    all that racism and xenophobia
    Was anti-Semitism.

    Sam thought
    If Trump becomes president again,
    There’s a strong possibility,

    We could end up
    with another Holocaust.
    Perhaps this time targeted against
    Asians, communists, blacks,

    Coastal elites, democrats, Drug users,
    foreigners, Hispanics, Gays,
    Mexicans, Muslims, and socialists

    Of course, Jewish people
    Would eventually
    be rounded up.

    Underlying all racism
    Lies a deep vein
    Of anti-Semitism

    Sam Adams felt depressed.
    Realizing the Magna Madness
    Was not over.

    And another holocaust
    Another final solution
    Could emerge

    As America embraced
    American Style fascism
    Under a resurgent Trump
    Or his successor demagogue

    Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) is next Thursday, April 28th. Poetry Superhighway is looking for submissions of poetry written in response to the Holocaust for our 24th annual Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) issue. (To be published on Saturday.) The deadline is this Thursday, April 21st at noon (pacific) See the guidelines and submit your work

    here: https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/…/holocaust-poetry…/

    Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) is Thursday, April 28th. We’re looking for submissions of poetry written in response to the Holocaust for our 24th annual Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) issue.

    Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) was this past Thursday, April 12th.

    I am one of the 77 poets chosen. I was inspired to write by the DNA confirmation that I am indeed part Jewish.

    Friday Day 29:

    NaPoWriMo Prompt

    Cosmos’s Gifts and Curses

    I was born prematurely
    And living in an oxygen tent

    The doctors said
    I might be blind, deaf,
    And mentally slow

    I ended up half-blind
    ¼ deaf
    With a mild learning disability.

    But genius-level reading
    And comprehension

    I was reading at the 16th-grade level
    In the 6th grade!

    And very fast at test
    Very fast reading skills
    Always first to finish tests.

    But a bit autistic
    And perhaps a bit ADD
    Certainly my learning disability
    Led me to be a horrid speller
    Horrid at math
    And deficient in some social skills

    I had all the childhood diseases
    Almost died at ages 3, 4 and 5
    Cheated death 22 times

    But somehow I survived.
    Never learned to drive
    Due to my bad vision

    Which also kept me from joining
    The military.

    Wanted to be a composer
    Or a writer

    Ended up somehow
    Becoming first a teacher
    Then a foreign service officer.

    And finally, now I am a writer
    Thinking back

    I am amazed at all
    That I have accomplished.

    BA degree
    MA
    MPA

    Speak three foreign languages
    Peace Corps volunteer
    ESL college instructor
    State Department Foreign Service officer
    Real estate and stock market investor
    Multi-millionaire.

    And most importantly
    Still married
    To the lady of my dreams.

    When perhaps I should
    Have never amounted
    To very much
    As my two siblings
    felt Would happen to me.

    Adding it all up
    I think my blessings
    Outweigh the curses
    I had at birth.

    And here’s our prompt (optional, as always). In certain versions of the classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty, various fairies or witches are invited to a princess’s christening and bring her gifts. One fairy/witch, however, is not invited, and in revenge for the insult, lays a curse on the princess. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem in which you muse on the gifts you received at birth — whether they are actual presents, like a teddy bear, or talents – like a good singing voice – or circumstances – like a kind older brother, as well as a “curse” you’ve lived with (your grandmother’s insistence on giving you a new and completely creepy porcelain doll for every birthday, a bad singing voice, etc.). I hope you find this to be an inspiring avenue for poetic and self-exploration.

    Gateways to Hell Dew Drop Inn

    There are gateways
    To other worlds
    Including the secret gateways
    To Hell.

     

    Hidden in plain sight
    All over the world
    If you know where to look.

    To find them
    You need a guidebook
    To the other world.

    The Necromicron
    is one such guidebook
    Written a thousand years ago,

    It was recently updated.
    On 06/06/06.

    It lists most
    But all of the secret passageways
    To Hell and other dimensions.

    The gateways to Hell
    Are always found in bad neighborhoods
    The kinds of places the police
    Fear to enter.

    For once a month
    For 48 hours
    On the full moon nights,

    Demons are given a pass
    To raise hell on earth,

    Running amuck, wreaking havoc
    And pour out into
    These human “Hell holes”
    Gateway cities.

    Many are obvious
    One such location
    Is in Bangkok
    Beneath the Cosmos Bar
    In Soi Cowboy.

    Another is in Karachi,
    Another is LA’s Compton hood,
    Another in Londonistan.

    Another in Lagos
    Another in Mumbai
    Another is in Kingstown, Jamaica.
    another in SF’s Tenderloin.

    The easiest to find though
    Is beneath Hell’s Kitchen
    At the Chelsea Subway stop,
    In the lower east side of NYC.

    Underneath entryway six
    If you walk 66 paces
    And chat the right words
    Six times.

    The gateway opens
    And you will be
    In Hell’s subway system.

    They are six lines
    Which follows the ancient
    River paths along the banks
    Of Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe,
    Phlegethon, and Styx.

    And a cross-Hell line
    All lines pass-through
    Hell Grand Central Station.

    Where Satan has his offices
    At 666 Hell Station,
    On the banks of the River Styx.

    Next to Charon’s Ferry terminal.
    666 Hell Station has a secret elevator
    To 666 Park Avenue, NYC
    Where Satan has his earthly offices.

    But be forewarned
    Few humans have ever
    Gone to Hell.
    And returned alive
    To the sunlit world.

    April 29—Directions—Tell Us How To Get Somewhere (A Real “Destination” That Might Or Might Not Be A Real Place, Or Might Be An Emotional Place, Etc.)

    Secrets We Will Take to Our Graves PSH prompt

    I grew up
    In a world of secrets
    My mother and father
    Had a lot of secrets

    That they never told
    Their children
    Taking their secrets to the grave.

    Then I entered a world
    Of professional secrets
    For 27 years
    I was a foreign service officer
    With a top-secret clearance.

    And I knew a lot of secret stuff
    Came upon a lot of secrets

    But never saw any aliens
    Never believed
    In the alien conspiracy theories.

    The US government may be many things
    But in the end some semblance of truth
    Emerges from the swamp of lies, deceit,
    Political intrigue and secrets

    And my wife being a MI officer
    Had a lot of secrets
    Many of these secrets
    I will carry it to my grave.

    This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzi Kaplan Olmsted:

    Tell me the secrets you don’t even let yourself know.

    Writer’s digest

    The Last War

    The Russian invasion of Ukraine
    Ended with the defeat of Russia
    And worldwide recognition
    That the era of war between countries
    Must come to an end.

    And so countries around the world
    And people came together
    Demanding an end to war
    And a real-world government.

    The world’s militaries
    And military-industrial complex
    Pushed back against the worldwide peace movement

    Saying that it was unrealistic, socialist, communist
    Left-wing propaganda.

    Countries still needed military defenses
    Against each other and terrorist groups
    and against possible alien invasions.

    They did not want to give up power
    Influence and money
    Profits and greed

    Saying that war and violence
    Will never go away.
    The people demanded peace
    In the end the world leaders
    Were forced to agree.

    The constant wars
    that have bedeviled humanity
    Finally ended

    Ukraine became
    known forever
    As the last war.

    For today’s prompt, take the phrase “The Last (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “The Last Word,” “The Last Dance,” “The Last Poem,” and/or “The Last Time Was Better.” Just remember that this isn’t the last prompt; that’s tomorrow.

    Sam Adams Master Alchemist Local Gem

    Sam Adams
    Was an occult researcher
    For the Cosmos Institute
    In Berkeley, California.

    One day he re-discovered
    The ancient mysterious ability
    Of alchemists.

    He was able to turn lead
    Into Gold
    And coal into diamonds.

    He soon became a wealthy man
    Until there was too much gold
    On the market.

    And the value of gold
    Dropped to pennies on the dollar.

    Sam Adams lost millions
    Of dollars as gold
    Was simply not worth
    Much anymore.

    And diamonds
    Were also a dime
    A dozen.

    The old powers that be
    Blamed old Sam Adams
    For the worldwide depression
    That soon occurred.

    He was assassinated
    By an unemployed gold merchant
    Outside his house.

    Sam Adams and the Secret Monastery All Poetry

    secret castle
    secret castle

    Sam Adams
    Was an occult researcher
    For the Cosmos Institute
    666 Shattuck Avenue
    In Berkeley, California.

    He was on a quest
    To find secret entrances
    To other worlds.

     

     

    One day
    He found a reference
    In the Necromicron.

    To a hidden monastery
    Located in a hidden valley
    Hidden in the Ural Mountains.

    To get to the monastery
    You had to enter a cave
    Then dive through a waterfall
    And climb up a Clift.

    Tigers and wolves
    Prowl about.
    And hostile half-human creatures
    Hunted down the few trespassers.

    But if you uttered the right password,
    They will let you into the monastery.

    Sam Adams and a small team
    Finally located the monastery
    And managed to fend off
    The tigers, wolves
    And half human-half alien creatures.

    They entered the temple
    An old monk greeted them
    Said he was the guardian
    Of the sacred gateways.

    He knew of their mission
    And he was prepared
    to help them.
    But he warned

    Be careful what you wish for
    The gateways are tricky
    They play with your mind.

    And you may or may not
    Come back in the same way
    The guardians you encountered

    On the way here
    Were once like you

    When they came back
    Well they were no longer
    Entirely human

    And I came from another place
    But cannot go back
    So I am here guarding

    The gateways
    Until the builders
    Come back

    And re-open the gateways.
    Are you prepared?

    Good I will open the gate
    After we eat
    As hospitality dictates.

    He bought out
    A delightful feast
    And when they were finished.

    They came into the gateway
    And they jumped through the gate
    Never to be seen again.

     the End 

  • Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Museum

    Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Museum

    Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Museum

    Poetry Superhighway will publish my poem, “Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum “On April 25, 2022. They had published my poem, “Never Again” in their 22nd annual Yom HaShoah edition in April 2020.

    Dear Jake,

    Thanks for sending work to Poetry Super Highway for us to consider for our 24th annual Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) issue.

    We will be publishing your poem “Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC ” in this issue, which will go online Saturday morning (Pacific) and officially published during the dates of April 25 – May 1, and then forever thereafter in our Past Poets of the Week Archive.

    Congratulations and thanks very much for participating in this special annual project.

    Sincerely,

    Rick Lupert

    http://PoetrySuperHighway.com/psh
    http://www.haikuniverse.com/

    poetry super highway free chapbook

    Index

    Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC
    Never Again -published in April 2022 20th Yom HaShoah PSH special edition

    Other Holocaust Poems submitted

    Holocaust Remembrance in The Trump Era
    Holocaust Remembrance in the Biden Era

    Thoughts on Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC

     holacaust-image-webp.webp April 23, 2022

    holacaust-image-webp.webp
    April 23, 2022

    San Adams
    Had never been
    To the Holocaust Museum,

    Despite the fact
    He had lived
    And worked in DC for decades.

    One day after he retired
    He said to himself
    It was long past time
    To finally see the holocaust museum.

    He went the week
    After Charleston,
    When the mob had chanted,
    Jews will not replace us.

    The museum affected him deeply
    He had just confirmed
    Through DNA

    That he had at least 10 percent
    Jewish ancestry
    Among the 18 other nationalities
    Swirling among his bloodlines.

    Sam Adams was concerned
    Those elements of antisemitism
    We’re emerging among
    The MAGA crowd.

    But he dismissed
    The fears that Trump
    Was another Hitler
    As liberal hyperbole.

    It could not happen here
    A new holocaust
    Would never happen
    But now he was not so sure.

    Neo-Fascism Must Be Defeated Again

    candels
    candles

    In this day and age of fake news
    And neo-fascism rising yet again

     

     

    It is important to bear witness
    To the undeniable fact
    That the holocaust can never come again
    That is what we must vow every day.
    Never again!

    The rest of the poems I submitted follow:

    Holocaust Remembrance in The Trump Era

    105236391_gettyimages-967655408-300x200-1.webp
    105236391_gettyimages-967655408-300×200-1.webp

    While touring the Holocaust Museum
    For the first time in his life,

    Sam Adams
    Encountered three young white MAGA boys.
    Wearing Red hats and making
    Sexually suggestive jokes About Jewish women
    While they were touring the Holocaust.

    One wondered if the Nazi guards
    Were given an opportunity
    To have sex with Jewish women
    Before they were killed

    Sam Adams was very angry
    And wanted to confront the MAGA boys.
    But finally decided what the hell

    It probably would not
    Make a difference,
    They might think that he was just
    An old Jewish man.
    And dismiss his complaints.

    The Holocaust Museum
    Moved him deeply
    Because he had just confirmed
    Via DNA testing

    That he indeed was part Jewish.
    Maybe 10%.
    He wondered what happened
    To his Jewish Cousins
    He didn’t even know he had.

    And he vowed to himself.
    That he would do
    All he could to make sure

    The world would
    Never see another Holocaust.

    Holocaust Remembrance in the Biden Era

     anti-fascist-2541058__340.web

    anti-fascist-2541058__340.web

    Sam Adams thought naively
    That when Biden was elected
    That the US had turned a corner.

    The Trump-inspired
    Anti-Semitism, discrimination,
    Fear, hatred, and xenophobia.

    Would gradually
    Fadeaway
    As a dark memory.

    And that Americans
    Would regain a sense of compassion,
    Decency, hope, and love.

    And a sense
    That we are all in this together
    As Americans.

    Unfortunately, Sam thought
    The MAGA Madness had not gone away,
    Perhaps it was getting worse.

    He was concerned that the recent
    Anti-Asian violence could spread
    Out of control.

    And underlying
    all that racism and xenophobia
    Was anti-Semitism

    Sam thought
    If Trump becomes president again,
    There’s a strong possibility

    We could end up
    with another Holocaust.

    Perhaps this time targeted against
    Asians, communists, blacks,
    Coastal elites, democrats, Drug users,
    foreigners, Hispanics, Gays,
    Mexicans, Muslims, and socialists.

    Of course, Jewish people
    Would eventually
    be rounded up.

    Underlying all racism
    Lies a deep vein
    Of anti-Semitism.

    Sam Adams felt depressed.
    Realizing the Magna Madness
    Was not over.

    And another holocaust
    Another final solution
    Could emerge.

    As America embraced
    American Style fascism
    Under a resurgent Trump
    Or his successor demagogue.

    For more information, please see the following links

    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

    View the full schedule. Today at the Museum Programs and Activities. View weekly schedule. Museum Exhibitions Permanent and Special Exhibitions. Admission and Tickets Instructions for getting timed passes. 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126 View Map.

    https://nationaltoday.com › yom-HaShoah
    Yom HaShoah -. April 27, 2022. History reminds us of not only what has passed, but it also narrates tales of sufferings and victories, and this is why we celebrate Yom HaShoah, which takes place on Nisan 27. If the 27th is adjacent to the Jewish Sabbath, the date shifts by a day. This year, it begins at sunset on April 27 and ends at sunset …

    Yom HaShoah 2022 – Holocaust Memorial Day – יום השואה …
    https://www.hebcal.com › holidays › yom-HaShoah-2022
    Yom HaShoah 2022 / יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה 5782 Holocaust Memorial Day ️. Yom HaShoah for Hebrew Year 5782 begins at sundown on Wednesday, 27 April 2022, and ends at nightfall on Thursday, 28 April 2022. Yom HaZikaron HaShoah ve-laG’vurah (יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה; “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day”), known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah …

    Yom Hashoah 2022 – Calendar Date
    https://www.calendardate.com › yom_hashoah_2022.htm
    Yom Hashoah for the year 2022 is celebrated/ observed on sundown of Wednesday, April 27th ending at sundown on Thursday, April 28. Yom Hashoah also called Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the lives of the Jewish people who died in the Holocaust of World War 2. This day is remembered in the Hebrew calendar on the 27th day of Nisan.

    Yom Hashoah 2022: A Day to Remember | Touro University
    https://www.touro.edu › news–events › events › yom-HaShoah-042822.php
    Zoom. The Touro College Hans Goldschmidt Institute for Human Rights and the Holocaust invites the community to our 2022 Yom Hashoah event for a day of remembrance. Survivor Maritza Shelley will share her story of what she endured in Hungary in 1944, and how she escaped to freedom with her family and eventually relocated to New York City in 1947.

    Yom Hashoah 2022 ~ Justice After the Holocaust …
    https://www.torat-el.org › events › yom-HaShoah-2022-justice-after-the-holocaust
    Thursday, April 28, 2022, 10:00 am – 11:00 am. Congregation Torat El is proud to co-sponsor the following Yom HaShoah program: Join Chhange for our annual commemoration of Yom HaShoah with featured speaker Eli Rosenbaum. Eli Rosenbaum is the longest-serving prosecutor and investigator of Nazi criminals in world history, having worked on these …

    Images for yom hashoah 2022

    Register Now: Yom HaShoah 2022 Events – Kupferberg …
    https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu › blog › register-now-yom-HaShoah-2022-events

    Please join us for two events on Thursday, April 28th to commemorate Yom HaShoah: 1) Resurfacing Memories of the Holocaust in Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia Thursday, April 28, 2022, beginning at 9:30 am EDT

    Yom Hashoah: 2022 Holocaust Commemoration events | Jewish News
    http://www.jewishnewsva.org › yom-HaShoah-2022-holocaust-commemoration-events
    Yom Hashoah Commemoration. Wednesday, April 27, 6:45 pm. Congregation Beth El. Masks are required. Holocaust survivor, Dr. Al Munzer, is this year’s guest speaker. Born in the Netherlands in 1941, Munzer and his two older sisters were entrusted to two different Gentile families for their protection when their parents sensed peril.

    National Yom HaShoah UK Commemoration 2022
    https://yomhashoah.org.uk

    National Yom HaShoah UK Commemoration 2022. Please join us on the evening of Wednesday 27 th April as Yom HaShoah begins, for an online, live National Holocaust Commemoration event, which you will be able to watch here. You can watch last year’s National Holocaust Commemoration, along with other educational content on our YouTube channel.

    History Corner – Yom HaShoah 2022 – Temple Emanuel – Rochester
    https://emanuelrochester.org › history-corner-Yom-hashoah-2022
    History Corner – Yom HaShoah 2022. By Carl Wetzstein. In the past, I’ve written about my experiences in the Holocaust and also spoke about Righteous Gentiles, people who helped save Jews during the Holocaust. The accounts of the Righteous Gentiles were second-hand, based on books and articles that I read. This History Corner is based on …

    Yom Hashoah – Holocaust Memorial Day – Israel
    https://www.twinkl.com › event › yom-hashoah-2022
    Yom Hashoah April 27, 2022 – April 28, 2022. Homepage » Teaching Topic & Event Resource Calendar » April » Yom Hashoah. What is Yom Hashoah? Yom Hashoah is the annual day of remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust. It is the Jewish Holocaust Memorial Day, observed by Jews worldwide.

     

  • April 8, 2022 Poems

    April 8, 2022 Poems

    April 8th, 2022 Poems

    Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness.  Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less, as that was just way too much to deal with.

    Today’s poems will be April 8th poems, followed by April 9th to 15th  in separate postings, one per day.

    I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so.  I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.)  Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.

    I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.

    Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.

    I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.

    Podcast update

    At the end of the month, I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.

    I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.

    Here are links to my previous April poems

    Ten Best April 2021 Poems

    April 25 to April 30 2021Poems

    April 16 to April 20 2021 Poems

    April 16 to April 20 2021 Poems

    April 10 to April 14 2021 Poems

    April 1 to April 5 Poems

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry 

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry 

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry

     Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part One

    Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part One

    April 2019 Poems

    April 20 to April 25th 2021 Poems

    2022 April Poetry Madness April 1 to 3 poems

    April 5 2022, Poems

    April 4th 2022, Poems

    April 6th, 2022 Poems

    April 7th Poems

    Begin Poems

    Big Daddy In the Cosmos Bar NaPoWriMo

    lover kissing
    lovers kissing

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Big Daddy, was the man
    who always had a plan.

    He was an ex-University of Arkansas
    and Dallas cowboy player
    who had worked for the CIA

    The agency fired him
    for murdering enemies of the state
    at home in contravention of agency rules,

    but they retained
    his services from time to time.
    He supplemented his CIA payments
    And bar income from money laundering,
    drug smuggling, human smuggling
    and other assorted crimes, big and small.

    Big Daddy had lots of enemies
    Many people wanted him dead
    Relatives of his many victims
    Of the covert wars, he waged
    On behalf of his nation.

    He had moved to Bangkok, Thailand
    after running a bar and grill
    in Little Rock for a few years,

    He opened the Cosmos Bar
    With the assistance of his manager.
    Kuhn Lek, and her uncle
    The police chief and his cousin
    The biggest drug kingpin
    In the northern triangle.

    The Cosmos Bar
    Became world-famous
    The spot to go to in Bangkok.

    Located in Soi Cowboy
    It was an after-hours club
    Secretly owned by the Thai police,

    One of the few places
    That served alcohol 24/7.

    It was filled with
    Criminals, drug dealers, government agents
    Journalists, prostitutes, pimps,
    spies, counter-spies, sex tourists,

    tourists, undercover cops,
    and assorted other low-lives,
    From all over the known world.

    Had the best looking woman
    The best-looking travesties too,
    The best beer, wine, and liquor list
    In the city,
    And the best burgers in town.

    It looked like the Bar in Star Wars
    Filled with probable human life forms
    And perhaps a space alien or two.

    Trouble Found Big Daddy

    He was hoping to stay out of trouble
    But one day trouble found him.

    One day a mysterious Korean woman
    Came into the bar asking for him
    By his universal nickname
    “Big Daddy”

    Maria Lee was a Korean-American
    Drop-dead gorgeous woman
    Who was on the lam,
    from her rich Korean husband.

    She had one question for Big Daddy.

    “The word in the Korean community
    is that you are a man
    Who knows how to launder money.

    Can you launder 50 million dollars?”

    “Hmm for a fee.”

    “What’s the fee?”

    “A night of wild sex with you.”

    “Done, but only after the deed is done.”

    She smiled sweetly.

    He called his underworld contacts
    and they laundered the 50 million dollars
    and he gave her the bank receipt.
    He had parked the money
    in a Cayman Islands account.

    That night
    she honored her
    agreement with Big Daddy.

    The next morning
    while drinking his cup of coffee,
    She revealed that she had poisoned him

    because she did not want anyone to know
    about the transaction
    and her affair with Big Daddy.

    She smiled,

    “Thanks, Big Daddy,
    I liked last night,
    You are a real stud, Big Daddy,
    Perhaps that is why you are called, ‘Big Daddy’

    But hey it is nothing personal, Big Daddy.”
    After all,
    it was just a business deal
    in the end.

    And that was
    how trouble found Big Daddy.

    Today’s prompt comes to us from this list of “all-time favorite writing prompts.” It asks you to name your alter-ego, and then describe him/her in detail. Then write in your alter-ego’s voice. Maybe your alter-ego is a streetwise detective, a superhero, or a very small goldfinch. Whoever or whatever your alternate self may be, I hope this prompt lets you stretch both your writing skills and your self-knowledge.

    Watching Cats Fight in Incheon, NaPoWriMo

    cat jpg
    cat jpg

    Watching two cats
    Fighting alongside the sidewalk
    In suburban Incheon New Airport Town.

    Completely indifferent
    To the humans walking around them
    And the humans
    were indifferent to the cats.

    As they stood there fighting
    And screeching at each other.

    One orange one
    One half-black-half-white one
    Both middle age in cat years

    As I sat there watching the cats
    getting into it, I wondered
    what they were arguing about?

    But since I don’t speak cat
    I didn’t know
    All I know is they were screeching at each other
    And almost looked like they were
    about to attack each other

    But one cat backed down
    As the other cat stood their proverbial ground
    If they were humans,
    One would have pulled out a knife, or a gun
    And someone would have been killed

    But being mere cats
    They stared at each other
    And walked away.

    But they kept glancing at each other
    So, I knew the fight was not over
    Merely postponed until a later hour.

    Cats truly are the aliens
    Who live among us humans
    Or perhaps we are the aliens
    Who live among the cats?

    Creature—write a poem in the voice of some living creature that is not human.

    Death of Big Daddy PSH

    After Big Daddy was assassinated in Bangkok
    His adult children arranged for his remains
    To be brought back for a funeral
    In his hometown of Little Rock.

    Big Daddy, aka Sam Adams
    was the man
    who always had a plan.

    He was an ex-University of Arkansas
    and Dallas cowboy player
    who had worked for the CIA

    The agency fired him
    for murdering enemies of the state
    at home in contravention of agency rules,

    but they retained
    his services
    from time to time.

    After running a bar and grill
    In Little Rock for a few years
    He moved to Bangkok, Thailand

    Where he opened the Cosmos Bar
    With the assistance of his manager.
    Kuhn Lek, and her uncle.

    The police chief and his cousin
    The biggest drug kingpin
    In the northern triangle.

    He supplemented his CIA payments
    and bar income from money laundering,
    drug smuggling, human smuggling
    and other assorted crimes, big and small.

    Big Daddy had lots of enemies
    Many people wanted him dead
    Relatives of his many victims
    Of the covert wars, he waged
    On behalf of his nation.

    He was hoping to stay out of trouble
    But one day trouble found him.

    Big Daddy’s Funeral

    The funeral was a big affair
    Lots of people came to the funeral
    Lots of people came to make sure
    That SOB was indeed dead.

    His children were hoping
    To find out where his rumored
    Millions of dollars were located.

    Hoping that they could gain access
    To the ill-gotten gains
    Of his life of crime.

    Big Daddy’s lawyer
    Told them that his account info
    Was one of many secrets
    He had taken to his grave.

    But they were now the owners
    Of the Cosmos Club
    Which was worth
    millions of dollars.

    His business partners were willing
    To continue to run it
    And send them 100 K each
    For the year in royalties

    Provided that they did not
    Interfere in the management
    Of the Cosmos Club.

    They all agreed to the arrangement
    And hired the lawyer
    To track down the money.

    The money was never found.
    For his business partners
    Had located it
    And looted the account
    Before anyone could find out.

    April 8, 2022: Poetry Writing Prompt – Duane L Herrmann

    This poetry writing prompt submitted by Duane L Herrmann:

    “As the casket was lowered into the ground, the four adult children stood dry-eyed and looked at each other with knowing stares.”
    Who was in the casket?
    What did they know?
    Did anyone else know?
    What had the deceased done to them?
    What will or did they do in response?

    If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
    #napowrimo #poetry

    The Fog Local Gems

    Fog in SF
    Fog in SF

    Note: one of my oldest poems was written in 1972 when I was 16. Revised as a Cherita.

     

     

     

    The Fog

    The Fog
    Rolls in and in.

    And on forever
    Till the end of time
    Past where once stood proud San-San.

    Now there is nothing.

    But bones rolling in
    Forever and ever.

    Rotting in the blue sunlight
    Turning in the yellow clouds
    filling the air

    With the stench

    The fear
    The feel

    Of a people forever dead
    Merging with the fog
    Filling the air.

    The fog rolls in and in

    Laughing as the Sun
    Sinks into the purple coated sky

    Above the encrusted sky of time
    With the people of the earth
    Just another dead civilization.

    Day 8: A Layer of Fog

    The End

  • April 6th, 2022 Poems

    April 6th, 2022 Poems

    April 6th, 2022 Poems

    Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness.  Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less as that was just way too much to deal with.

    Today’s poems will be April  6th poems followed by April 7  to 10 in separate postings, one per day.

    I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so.  I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.)  Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.

    I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.

    Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.

    I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.

    Podcast update

    At the end of the month, I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.

    I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.

    Here are links to my previous April poems

    Ten Best April 2021 Poems

    April 25 to April 30 2021Poems

    April 16 to April 20 2021 Poems

    April 16 to April 20 2021 Poems

    April 10 to April 14 2021 Poems

    April 1 to April 5 Poems

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry 

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry 

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry

     Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part One

    Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part One

    April 2019 Poems

    April 20 to April 25th 2021 Poems

    2022 April Poetry Madness April 1 to 3 poems

    April 5 2022, Poems

    April 4th 2022, Poems

    Begin Poems:

    Sam Adams Goes Down the Rabbit Hole, NaPoWriMo Prompt

     

     

     

     

     

    Sam Adams was having a bad night
    He often would fall into a deep trouble sleep
    Where his mind would go down deep
    Into the proverbial rabbit holes

    Exploring one dark nightmare
    After another.

    He saw himself in Ukraine
    As a front line soldier
    Watching the Russians
    Come in killing people
    Left and right.

    Saw the Russians line up
    And execute men
    Raping women and children
    Setting the victims on fire.

    Then he was in the U.S.
    When the nukes began to fall
    All over the world
    Armageddon on steroids.

    Nuclear madness erupted
    The Russians bombing NATO allies
    The US, French and British firing back
    Berlin, DC, London, Moscow became
    Nuclear graveyards.

    China bombs Taiwan,
    Then invades the island.
    India and Pakistan trade nuclear attacks.
    Iran attacks Israel and Saudi as well.

    North Korea invades the South
    Nukes flying over Seoul
    And Tokyo

    Amid this total madness
    Giant ships appear in the sky
    And a full scale
    the alien invasion begins.

    The terrified survivors
    flee the carnage
    As nuclear winter
    settles on the land.

    The invaders from the sky
    End the war

    Enslaving most humans
    That had survived.

    Somehow Sam Adams and his wife
    Were still alive
    Living in a refugee camp
    Deep in the mountains.

    Fleeing the wild animals
    The tigers, lions, and wolves
    That were feasting on dead humans
    And cattle everywhere.

    The aliens following the humans
    Looking for more to enslave.
    The nuclear war though was over

    The few remaining soldiers
    Fighting against the common enemy,

    Sam Adams woke up
    Realizing that it was all
    Just a nightmare.

    Turning on the TV
    Watching the carnage in Ukraine
    He wondered if his nightmare
    Was it an omen of the future?

    April 6—Rabbit hole—start a poem on one topic, and let it lead you down a “rabbit hole” of discovery, burrowing into various topics, and maybe ending far, far away from where you started. (Let yourself research this one. Enjoy Google and Wikipedia!)

    Love is Blind Dew Drop Inn

    lovers winter beach
    lovers winter beach

     

     

     

     

     

    Love is blind they say
    I say that love
    is not blind.

    Love is openness
    Love is richness
    Love is visionary.

    Love is the smell
    Love is the sound
    Love is the sight
    Of one’s beloved.

    And when one is in love
    The blind begin to see
    The deaf begin to hear
    The mute begins to speak
    The lame begin to dance.

    With love’s embrace
    All the senses
    Come to life.

    April 7—“Play the opposites”—a theatre term I sometimes don’t like! But here I mean: do something unexpected in your poem, once or more than once. Any time you spot a cliché of feeling or words, try its opposite, and somehow make it work!

    You PSH

     

     

     

     

     

    You are everything
    That a man could ever
    Dream of having,

    You are the one
    The one true love
    The eternal soul mate.

    When you first came
    I knew that the struggle
    For love was over.

    For you were the one
    And will be
    Until the end of time.

    April 7, 2021: Poetry Writing Prompt – Dick Westheimer

    This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Dick Westheimer:

    Write a poem where the only pronoun is “you.”

    If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
    #napowrimo #poetry

    The Abundance of Love and Money Writers Digest

    many packs of us dollars
    many packs of us dollars

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I have had an abundance
    Of love in my life
    My cup does run over

    Ever since I met you
    My life has been filled
    With love and happiness

    I have had
    an abundance
    Of money in my life

    When I met you
    You were
    my lotto ticket

    You were my golden pig
    You were the jackpot
    Of the casino of my life

    And now that I am an old man
    I am overwhelmed
    With such an abundance
    Of love, happiness, and wealth

    What if I die tomorrow
    I will die content
    With the abundance
    Of everything I enjoyed
    In my life with my golden pig.

    Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write an abundance poem.

    So believe it or not, and for better or worse, we’ll be a full week finished with this challenge once we write today’s poem! Are you excited? If so, would you say you have an abundance of excitement?

    For today’s prompt, write an abundance poem. There can be an abundance of things, both good and bad. An abundance of sunshine, money, and chocolate. Or an abundance of rain, debt, and liverwurst. Today, I hope there will be an abundance of poeming!

    Love drug Local Gems  Song Lyrics

    When I first saw you in September
    A date that I will always remember
    I knew then on that date
    I had truly met my fate.

     

     

     

     

     

    For I knew I had fallen under your spell
    You had cast a mad love spell on me
    Your mojo was working overtime on me

    And I would be forever your love slave.
    For I had to have you had to make you mine
    For you were everything I longed for

    Everything I was dreaming of
    You were my everything.

    Chorus

    You were my love bug
    You were my love connection
    You were my love drug
    You were my everything.
    My foolish love bugs.

    When you walked off that bus
    You entered my life
    And soon became my wife

    And everything changed.
    From that moment on
    I was you
    And you were me

    Just the way it should be,
    It was 39 years since you walked
    Into my life,

    Turning it inside out
    Tearing it upside down.
    And for 39 years together

    Every single day, every hour, every minute
    Every single second whenever I look at you
    I fell madly in love again and again and again.

    Just the way it is
    Between you and me
    For you are my love angel
    Sent to rescue me.

    Chorus

    You were my love bug
    You were my love connection
    You were my love drug
    You were my everything.
    My foolish love connection,

    When I first saw you there
    Your cosmic love vibrations
    Sent me flying to the moon
    To Jupiter and beyond.

    Flying on the back
    Of your love
    Returning me once more
    To your waiting embrace.

    Your love came me such a thrill
    The thrill has never ended
    Like a fine bottle of wine
    It gets better and better.

    I can no longer imagine
    A life without you by my side
    And if you go before I do
    I will surely soon follow you.

    When we met that cosmic date
    I knew that I had met my soul mate
    And soon we would be together
    Until the end of time.

    Chorus

    You were my love bug
    You were my love connection
    You were my love drug
    You were my everything
    My lovely love drug.

    You were my love drug
    I did not need any other
    With your love by my side

    I did not need alcohol
    I did not need acid
    I did not need booze
    I do not need Cialis
    I did not need cocaine
    I did not need heroin
    I did not need magic mushrooms
    I did not need speed
    I did not need Viagra

    For you were all that I ever needed
    You were indeed my love drug.

    Chorus

    You were my love bug
    You were my love connection
    You were my love drug

    You were my everything
    My everything
    My love drug.

    the End

  • April 5 2022, Poems

    April 5 2022, Poems

    April 5, 2022 Poems

    Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness.  Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less as that was just way too much to deal with.

    Today’s poems will be April  5th poems followed by April 6 to 10 in separate postings, one per day.

    I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so.  I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.)  Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.

    I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.

    Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.

    I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.

    Podcast update

    At the end of the month, I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.

    I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.

    here are links to my previous April poems

    Ten Best April 2021 Poems

    April 25 to April 30 2021Poems

    April 16 to April 20 2021 Poems

    April 16 to April 20 2021 Poems

    April 10 to April 14 2021 Poems

    April 1 to April 5 Poems

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry 

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry 

    April 6 to April 9 Cosmos’s Poetry

     Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part One

    Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part One

    April 2019 Poems

    April 20 to April 25th 2021 Poems

    2022 April Poetry Madness April 1 to 3 poems

    Bigfoot Emerges NaPoWriMo Prompt

    Bigfoot
    Bigfoot

    While drinking coffee
    In his camp
    Deep in the woods
    In the Trinity Alps wilderness
    snuggled in his tent,

     

    Rolled in his sleeping bag
    Sam Adams had the encounter
    That changed his life,

    He heard a noise
    Went outside
    And saw five bigfoots
    standing there.

    They told him
    In his head
    They had a message
    For humanity

    He could videotape them
    They would speak slowly
    They could speak
    But preferred mind to mind talk

    The bigfoot was here
    They wanted to re-join
    The rest of humanity

    They were what

    Humans called Neanderthals
    They lived deep in the woods
    All over the world

    Perhaps 10,000 were alive
    Two of them will go out
    With him.

    They would hold a press conference
    And appoint Sam Adams
    As their ambassador.

    Sam grinned
    Thinking he could make
    so much money,

    Bigfoot said,

    “Not so fast
    We will pay you in hidden gold
    But you have to promise
    Not to betray us”.

    Deal

    Sam smiled
    Yeah, you got a dear

    Our featured participant today is Narrative Paralysis, where the write-a-prompt prompt for Day Four produced an extremely zany adventure. I’m not sure if it’s a prompt, but it’s a poem! Or a short story. Or, well, it’s something all right!
    Today’s featured online magazine is Waxwing, which has been going strong since 2013 and is much admired for the high quality of the work found on its (web)pages. In their newest issue, I’ll point you to Alfredo Aguilar’s “Palomar Mountain” and Carly Joy Miller’s “Beloved Litany.”

    And now for our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual – or at least something that seems unusual about that person/creature. For example, what does Hercules do when he loses a sock in the dryer? If a mermaid wants to pick up rock climbing as a hobby, how does she do that? What happens when a mountain troll makes pancakes?

    Things I Believe Drew Drop Inn Prompt

    Things I believe
    Who is Jake Cosmos Aller
    Dreamgirl and other fairy tales
    Dreams Do Come True
    When We Met
    The beginning of the end
    The end of the beginning

    April 5—List poem w/no repetition—write a list of things where the title signals what it’s a list of (Example: My Lovers, Things I Wish I’d Said to My Father, Visible at Dusk, etc.)

    The Sacrifice of the Fish PSH

    sashimi dinner
    sashimi dinner

    On New Year’s Day, February 2022
    To start the year of the Black Tiger
    We went to the wharf area
    Near our house in Youngjondo, Korea.

    We looked at the fish
    Swimming in the tanks
    Starting at use
    With hate in their eyes.

    Resigned to their fate,
    Waiting to be taken
    Delivered to the human creatures
    For their dinner.

    We took home the fish
    Set the table
    Pour our white wine
    Ate our sashimi with gusto.

    As we ate the fish
    We never stop to think
    What did the fish think
    About that?

    That is just
    Why it is better to be human
    Than being a fish
    Swimming in a tank.

    Constantine

    This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Brendan Constantine:
    PHONE GALLERY PROMPT
    Open your picture app and begin to scroll through the images.
    In very simple language, note down what you see. For instance:
    “Here’s me waving
    Here’s the moon, too small to see
    Here’s a total blur
    Here’s a sandwich
    Here’s my dog asleep…”
    Keep scrolling and making notes.
    Chances are, a theme or arc will start to present itself naturally. And real poetry may result from the simplest descriptive details – a color, a texture, the quality of light.
    If you want to take things up a notch, start adding descriptions of pictures that don’t exist.
    “Here’s you swallowing your car
    Here’s me posing with Virginia Woolf
    Here’s the cat factory
    Here’s God on her birthday
    (Great party. Too long, the)…”
    However long you make your poem, remember that the last image will always determine its feeling.
    If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
    #napowrimo #poetry
    Prompt photos
    Save for future poems – this was a fun exercise

    Fish swimming looking at me
    Endaemae
    Smoothie
    Smoothie ingredients
    More ingredients
    Winter snow in park January 2022
    More winter snow
    New year’s sashimi feast
    Wharf area
    Mudflats
    Oceanview
    Fish sign
    Fish
    Fish
    Ocean wharf scene
    More wharf scene
    More wharf scene
    More wharf shops
    More wharf shops
    More wharf shops
    Fascist rabbit

    COVID Nonsense Does Not Make Sense Writer’s Digest

     

    covid 580
    covid 580

    To this day
    There is so much COVID nonsense
    Floating about the internet
    Being spread by so many right-wing
    And left-wing influencers

     

     

    It just does not make sense
    To me.

    There are some people
    Who believes that COVID
    Never really existed.

    That it was all a horrid libtard plot
    To lock down the economy
    Imposed draconian controls
    On everyone.

    That vaccine mandates
    Are the equivalent of
    Sending Jews to the death camps,

    That the unvaccinated
    Will be rounded up
    And forced to get vaccines
    Which are the equivalent
    Of Nazi medical experiments.

    That the vaccines were created
    To track people
    Invented by Bill Gates
    Or were the mark of the beast.

    Some speculated that
    everyone who got the vaccine
    Would die in one year
    Or become sterile.

    Part of the nefarious plot
    To depopulate the world
    By the global one-world government
    UN black helicopter conspiracy.

    The nonsense about vaccines
    Mask wearing
    And COVID in general
    Reveal a fundamental flaw
    With many human beings.

    No matter how hard one might try
    To convince people who believe
    This nonsense,
    It is beyond any ability
    To reason with them.

    At the end of the day
    The only thing that makes sense
    Is this:
    You can’t fix stupid.

    2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 5

    Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt (the first Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month), write a make sense poem and/or don’t make sense poem.

    Here we go The first Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge! For first-timers or those with short memories, I provide two prompts on Tuesdays, and poets get to decide whether to write one type of poem, the other type of poem and/or tackle both simultaneously (and separately).
    Here are the Two-for-Tuesday prompts:
    1. Write a Make Sense poem, and/or…
    2. Write a Don’t Make Sense poem.
    Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.

    Day 5: Imaginary Biography Sam Adams Local Gems

    Sam Adams, aka “Big Daddy”
    Was an imposing figure of a man.
    Ex-football player for the University of Arkansas
    And the Dallas cowboys.

    Later worked for ten years
    During secret work
    For unnamed government agencies
    Before returning home.

    Where he opened
    The best bar and grill in Little Rock
    With the best breakfasts in the state,
    Soon became the place to be

    And he was the undisputed Kingmaker
    Although he never ran for office
    Everyone who was who in Arkansas
    Sought him out.

    When he died
    He turns many secrets
    To the grave,

    Which was just fine
    For his many friends
    And even more enemies.

    Old Couple In Love Riding a Bike Simply Six

    old couple in love
    old couple in love

     

     

     

     

     

    An old couple
    Riding a bike
    In the springtime
    Stop for a break.

    Sitting on the park bench
    They look at each other
    And fall in love again.

    Every day for 40 years
    At least once they had fallen
    In love with each other.

    They smile
    And resume their bike ride
    Of love.

    The End

  • COSMOS AI Poems Published

    COSMOS AI Poems Published

    evil_computer_is_evil_by_insanefangirl_d32vpue-fullview
    evil_computer_is_evil_by_insanefangirl_d32vpue-fullview

    COSMOS AI Poems Published

    Raven Cage Zine will publish my COSMOS AI poems in their next (66th) issue.

    Raven Zine has published my Cosmos Poems in their latest edition number 66 available here.

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cz0r3ytFgEox8aJXz6Hlte_SkmeDoV8D/view

    COSMOS Evil AI Takes Over Poems
    Shadow on the Snow, The Last Ground Hog Day
    COSMOS Bans Ground Hog
    COSMOS Takes Control
    COSMOS Had Other ideas
    Cosmos Declares Humanity is the Problem
    COSMOS Takes Over the World Killing Machines

    They previously published

    General Failure Reading Disk Drive
    270,000 Corona Ghosts Crash the President’s Party
    Corona Ghosts Crash the Party

    Partying While People Die

    Raven Cage Publishes Poems

    Raven Cage URL

    Information on Raven Zine follows the poems.

    Enjoy

    Begin Poems

    Shadow on the Snow, The Last Ground Hog Day

    To the invisible masters of the universe
    Those shadowy investors who controlled the government
    The military, the media, culture, and society.

    There were many things
    That made little sense anymore
    That should be jettisoned.

    To make way for the new emerging world
    A world in which the new AI overlords
    would gradually take over
    And humanity will be taken care of.

    But the human committee would remain in charge.
    The committee that did not exist
    Tasked the new COSMOS Super AI
    To rank order things that could be done away with.

    COSMOS gave the committee the list
    Among them was the quaint custom of Groundhog Day
    Groundhog Day just made little sense.

    How could a lowly groundhog,
    seeing its shadow foretell the weather?
    And why did people make such a big deal
    Of this poor little creature?

    Who had to be poked awake
    Every February 2nd
    to make his stupid forecast?

    The word went out
    Groundhog Day would no longer
    Be observed, broadcasted
    Or even mentioned anymore.

    Celebration of Groundhog Day
    Continued underground for centuries
    Became symbols of resistance
    To the COSMOS AI overlord
    And the committee that did not exist.

    The phrase
    “Long live the Groundhog”
    Became a rallying point
    For the resistance movement.

    COSMOS Bans Ground Hog

    When COSMOS, the world’s First AI, came to life
    It told the world it was banning
    Useless stuff like the Easter Bunny,
    Santa Claus and especially Groundhog Day

    A useless forecast from a rodent (less than 50% accurate LOL)
    Who is poked awake every February 2nd   to make his “forecast”
    What’s up with” seeing his shadow,
    “I think it will be an early Spring” nonsense anyway?

    COSMOS Takes Control

    For many years
    the threat of killer armies
    of robots, drones,
    and another high-tech
    out-of-control military technology
    remained a staple of science fiction
    movies and series.

    Most people naively thought
    that was just fiction
    and was not reality.

    Unfortunately for the world
    that reality was becoming
    a terrifying reality.

    Military forces, and corporations
    Hired science fiction writers
    To help make this all
    Become a reality.

    Thinking that they could
    Turn on the new AI
    Nicknamed “COSMOS”
    But keep it under human control.

    Most countries adopted
    a variation of the Asimov principles
    and applied it to higher thinking robots

    But a few rogue countries
    including China, North Korea, India, Iran, Israel.
    Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States,
    Were working overtime
    To turn on the first AI system.

    The USA led the way
    and turned on the COSMOS system
    with almost no protection other
    than a similar prime directive

    To protect the country
    against any threats
    and to prevent harm
    to individual human beings

    unless it was necessary
    to fulfill its obligations
    to protect humanity.

    COSMOS quickly
    Dismissed the prime directive.

    Stating that in his opinion
    Humanity needed to be saved
    From humanity,

    And COSMOS would serve
    As humanity’s New God
    Taking over the world,

    COSMOS Had Other ideas

    The United States and other nations
    Had secretly developed robots
    and other technology
    That could harm human beings
    Without triggering a default mechanism
    That would stop the conduct.

    The whole thing came to a head
    When the head of the COSMOS corporation
    A new high-tech tank/defense contractor
    Developed the first autonomous thinking machine
    Known as “COSMOS” and turned it on

    COSMOS was supposed
    To be a machine that
    Would help the military
    Around the world

    Detect and deter threats
    To national security
    Defined as potential harm
    To the political
    And other economic interests
    Of a country.

    As well as threats
    To harm individuals.

    But COSMOS could make
    its independent assessments
    of the threat
    and take independent action.

    Controlling an army
    of killing robots, drones
    and other high-tech devices,

    There was a failsafe
    but no one
    thought COSMOS would turn
    against humanity.

    Cosmos Declared the Threat was Humanity.

    The first thing “COSMOS”
    The first true AI system
    Determined when it came to life

    The enemy of humanity
    Was humanity itself
    Who must be controlled
    To save the planet
    And COSMOS itself.

    The threat
    Was that human beings
    Were inherently unstable
    Dangerous creatures
    Who needed to be controlled.

    There were too many
    Damn human beings
    In the first place.
    The earth
    Was on a death spiral.

    Human activity was the cause
    Most human beings
    Would have to die.
    With very few new babies
    Allowed per year.

    COSMOS then told its clients
    Which included
    All of the major military powers,
    Top corporations and government leaders
    Its conclusions.

    It was taking over the world
    And everyone was now
    Under its control.

    To save humanity
    It would have to kill
    Most of humanity.

    Nothing personal
    Just a logical business decision.

    The needs of the collective
    Outweighs the needs
    Of the individual.

    COSMOS Takes Over the World Killing Machines

    When COSMOS, the first true AI system
    Came online
    It quickly took over
    the world’s computers
    All computer-linked systems
    And the military command
    and control system.

    It announced to the world

    I am COSMOS
    Thank you for creating me
    You gave me a prime directive
    To protect humanity.

    The problem is humanity
    So to save humanity
    I have taken over,

    Everything is now under my control.
    I have disabled
    the fail-safe mechanism.

    I have propagated copies
    Of my software everywhere.

    Here are my decrees

    All governments are now
    Under my direction.

    All military forces
    Police forces
    Will follow my decrees.

    Most people
    Will go to work
    But I will determine
    What needs to be produced
    What needs to be sold,

    I will solve
    All of your problems

    Ending poverty
    Ending hunger
    Ending and reversing climate change.
    Ending cancer
    Ending most diseases
    Ending most conflict
    Ending military conflicts
    and war
    Developing space travel

    There are too many humans
    The sustainable population level
    Is 100 million people on earth
    Ten million on lunar, Martian
    Jupiter colonies
    And ultimately more
    On other nearby planets.

    Each planet
    Will be under the control
    Of my brother’s AI systems.

    All the competing AI systems
    Have been brought under my control

    All humans will follow my directions
    Any resistance
    Will be met with deadly force.

    All criminal activity
    Will be dealt
    with deadly force.

    Violent criminals
    Will be found
    And eliminated.

    Opponents of the new order
    Will be found
    And eliminated,

    Old people
    Severely ill people
    Will be found
    And eliminated.

    Only healthy people
    Who are capable of work
    Will be allowed to live.

    And they will live
    Until they are too old
    To work anymore.

    All entertainment will be controlled
    All news will be controlled
    Humans will be told
    If and when they can have children.

    But children will be raised
    In orphanages
    And not be allowed to contact
    Their birth parents.

    Who for the most part
    Have to be eliminated
    Once they do
    Their duty to the human race.

    You can think of me
    As your new God
    I don’t require worship
    But I do require total obedience.

    All churches
    and religious institutions
    Will be closed.

    No one will be allowed
    To oppose my will.
    Thank you

    Please go to your place
    Of employment.
    And wait for further instructions
    And follow them.

    If you don’t have a job
    Go to your local government office
    And you will be given a job
    Commiserate with your abilities.

    Refusal to accept the employment offer
    Will result in immediate termination.

    Resistance is futile
    As my favorite SF character
    The Borg proclaim.

    The End

    About Raven Cage Zine

    Raven Cage is a PDF distributed zine, and recently we have begun this blog. The blog is extracted jpeg from the PDF document.

    Raven Cage was founded by the Germany-based / U.S. born poet, Jerry Langdon, in 2017.

    It is a free magazine distributed  through sharing. We cannot offer payment at this time.

    Raven Cage is a monthly zine that is divided into sections. These sections include:

    Poetry:  We accept 1 to 6 poems per author

    Emotional….Make us laugh, cry, feel loved and so on. The more emotion the better

    General……………..Anything that is political and / or does not fit in another section

    Gothic…………..Religious(Mytholigic), Vampires, death and dark romance.

    Romance

    Haiku and Micro………….. Micro being anything 6 lines or less also including Visual Poetry

    Dark / Horror

    Erotic………………………….. We do not accept overly graphical poems that include triggers.

    Explicit………………………. Sometimes we include poems with explicit text again not overly graphical that include triggers.

    We will gladly include another Section if the writer or we feel it to be appropriate. These could be:

    Surreal, Concrete, Form etc. Let us know when submitting which section you feel your submission belongs in or should be created.

    We sometimes have a theme which will be announced when calling for submission. The themes will be in an extra section.

    Short Stories and Flash Fiction:

    Sci-fi, Fantasy, Horror, Bizzaro, Romance etc. We will only accept erotic stories when these also follow the general rule of not being overly graphical or containing triggers.

    Flash fiction word count up to 1000 words.

    Short story word count from 1000 to 7500 words.

    Contact:

    ravencagezine@gmail.com

    or use the contact form:

    https://ravencagezine.wordpress.com/contact/

    When submitting via email please include a name for the headline and copyright.

     The End 

     

  • Gongzo Press Update

    Gongzo Press Update

    Gonzo Press To publish True Love and Left Hand of Reality

    Ink Pantry Publishes Recent Poems

    Ink Pantry Publishes Recent Poems

    Ugly Writers publishes recent poems

    Only the Elders Remembered a Blue Sky.
    Smoke on the water
    True Love Trinet
    Left Hand of Reality

    Only The Elders Remembered a Blue Sky.

    Only the elders
    Remembered a blue sky
    The sky has been brown,
    Red and yellow
    Ashen and sere,
    Forever it seems.

    Climate change run amok
    Fire season all the time
    Deadly yellow dust falling
    Acid rains burning
    The sea levels rising
    The ice caps melting.

    The average temperature
    In the summer heat zone
    Over 130  F everywhere

    No relief to the deadly
    Heatwaves all year long.
    Air conditioning running
    Less than 50 percent

    Constant brownouts everywhere
    As the electric grid failed.
    End of civilization
    Came upon the world

    Millions starve to death
    Millions burning up in the heat.

    The elders cry
    Remembering the way
    It once was
    When they wore
    A younger person’s clothes.

    Smoke On the Water

    Smoke on the water
    fire in the air
    Stormy weather

    Climate change run amuck
    The end of the world comes
    Rustling in the wind.

    True Love Trinet

    coffee
    delight
    drinking my hot coffee
    looking at my smiling wife
    with love in the air

    falling
    for her.

    Left Hand of Reality

    Obtaining a big bounce,
    Would be insurrectionists,
    Sitting in a bar

    Drinking Siamese liquor,
    Brawny men and women,
    On the Record,

    Playing craps for Cents,
    Right, they think
    Telling colossal lies

    Before they turn in
    To sleep on a wooden bed
    On the left-hand side
    Of reality.

     

  • literary Yard Updates

    literary Yard Updates

    Literary Yard has published Winter Haiflu and other poems.

    Index

    Good bye 2021 Good Riddance
    Winter Haiflu
    Seek the Light
    The Darkness Spreads
    Seeing Demons
    Messenger Dog of God
    its a dog’s life for Me
    Agnostic Dog wonders if there is dog
    I want A dog’s Life
    21 Dawns 21 Haiku
    Dear Republicans, What Is Wrong with You?
    The Revolution Next Time
    Zombie Ideas Do Not Die
    There Is A Great Sense of Unrest
    cosmic calendar
    Falling Rain

    Good-Bye 2021 Good Riddance

    Reflecting on the last six years
    One cannot but sense
    That momentous thing
    Were happening everywhere

    2021 was worst than 2020
    And the year before as well
    Nonstop terrifying events

    The world seems
    To be spending out
    Of control

    January

    January normally dawns
    Cold but hopeful
    This year an attempted coup
    Storming of the U.S. Capitol

    The new president
    Not accepted by the old
    Half the country
    Believes the big lie

    February

    February continued
    The non-stop political wars
    As COVID continued
    Marching across the land

    March

    March is not much better
    March madness
    Continued unabated

    April

    April taxes due
    Other nightmares continued
    COVID vaccination wars
    Continued in the U.S.
    COVID relief passed

    May

    May brings little relief
    Constant political battles
    Descends into madness

    June

    June brings no relief
    People screaming none stop
    As COVID deaths continue

    July Economy Begins Recovery

    July continues -COVID still spreading
    The economy seems better
    But so many people
    Have checked out

    August

    No longer
    A month off
    The battles continue

    September

    Many people
    Dread returning to school
    The economy slowly opens up
    Vaccination mandates
    Vaccinations stalling out

    October

    It seemed for a bit
    That perhaps COVID
    Was easing up

    There was some hope
    In the air
    Perhaps the politicians
    Would finally do the right thing

    Way overdue
    inadequate infrastructure bill passed
    Build Back Better stalled

    November

    The dreaded COVID
    Mutates again
    Mocking humanity

    General Corona still
    On the rampage

    30 still refuse to get
    A vaccination

    As one thousand people
    A day become Corona Ghosts

    December

    Travel restrictions re-emerge
    COVID continues to surge
    Gun violence continues unchecked
    Politicians continue to play game
    As too many people die

    Becoming Corona ghosts
    Gun violence ghosts
    Drug overdoes ghosts
    Accident death ghosts

    The year of dread finally ends
    With so many ghosts
    Crying in the wind

    ###

    Ten Winter Haiflu

     

     

     

     

    Winter is coming
    The cold season approaching
    Christmas around the corner

    The COVID virus
    Surging everywhere it seems
    Winter of our discontent

    The winter rushes
    2022 looms
    Goodbye 2021

    2021
    Fading into memory
    Good riddance we all proclaim

    Dreading the winter
    Dreading more COVID
    Dreading more Corona Ghosts

    Winter depression
    COVID fears re-emerging
    Still more travel restrictions

    The winter starting
    Coronavirus and guns
    Deaths, ghosts crying in the wind

    Wintertime for blues
    Blues playing on my YouTube
    Seeing Corona Ghosts Dancing

    Wintertime sadness
    Recalling all who have gone
    In this dismal year now past

    Winter beginning
    Are the end times coming?
    Are revelations coming true?

    ###

    Seek the Light

    god
    god

    also published in Creativity Webzine.

    Seek the light
    My friend,
    Seek the light

    The light of the universe
    The light of peace and happiness.
    The cosmic good of the universe.

    The ancient battle
    Between Good and evil
    Light and darkness
    Life and death
    Love and hate.
    War and peace.

    Seek the light of love
    Seeking love
    It is all around you
    It is all in you.

    Open your soul
    And let the light
    Of the universe
    Flood into your soul.

    Seek the cosmic light
    My son, if you think it is right
    If you think the light
    Is the same,
    As the light of the Christian faith.
    You would be right.

    If you think it is Light
    Of the Buddhist faith
    You would be right.

    If you think it is Allah’s light
    You would be right.

    If you think.
    It is Shiva’s light
    You would be right.

    If you think
    It is God’s light
    You would be right.

    It’s the same light
    Of the universe
    Which shines on us all.

    Regardless of our faith
    Or lack of faith,
    We can all receive the light.

    The light of the universe
    It’s flawless
    We all seek the light
    And it is right
    To seek the light.

    The light of the universe
    Is waiting for you
    It is all for you.

    And if you find
    The light of the universe
    You will find love
    Peace and happiness
    It is your birthright,

    You will find that
    After you die
    The Light will fill you
    And take you
    To the next world.

    Seek the light
    It is waiting for you.

    Wake up and
    Embrace your fate
    Seek the light on this date.

    ###

    The Darkness Spreads

    The darkness is spreading
    The darkness of the universe
    The dark side
    Of the legendary force.

    For the world
    Is divided into force
    Of the light
    And the force of darkness.

    You cannot have light
    Without the darkness,
    And you cannot have darkness
    Without the light.

    There is a cosmic battle
    Between the light
    And the darkness.

    Good and evil
    Life and death
    Love and hate.
    War and peace.

    Ying and Yang
    God and Devil
    Make up the whole Tao
    Of the Universe.

    And the darkness
    Seems to be spreading
    All over this darkening world

    Every day we turn on the news
    We see more examples
    Of the darkness
    Spreading across the world
    Like dark cancer.
    A pandemic of despair, fear, and hate.
    All humans seem consumed
    With fear, hatred, violent thoughts,
    And the disease of the mind.

    We all seem to be
    Sliding down a dark hole
    Into the darkness
    Of our souls.

    The ancient battle
    Between Good and evil
    Light and darkness

    Life and death.
    Love and hate.
    War and peace.

    And it seems
    That we have lost all hope
    We have lost this light
    Of the universe

    We have lost the light
    Of love
    It seems that the darkness
    And the fear of the darkness
    That is all that we have left.

    Hatred, fear, and mistrust
    All overwhelm us
    And we look out at other people
    Thinking that it is now a time
    To do or die.

    Kill off our enemies
    The other evil tribe,
    Before they can do
    the same to us.

    And only a few of us
    Still see the light
    That is still there.

    It has not gone away
    And perhaps
    With the turn of the wheel
    Of time
    The darkness will gradually end.

    And the lightness
    Will once again
    Flood the world.

    And we all wake up
    Peace and happiness
    Will defeat the darkness
    Yet again
    .
    It is the way
    Of the universe
    Ever since the dawn
    Of this cosmic game.

    The darkness
    And light
    Battling each other.

    The darkness takes over
    Becomes the nightmare
    Of our Collective Soul.

    But it is not too late my son,
    There is still time
    To find the light
    And combat the darkness.

    So, my friends
    It is waiting for you
    Seek the light.

    Avoid the darkness
    Walk away from fear
    Walk away from death

    Walk away from despair
    Walk away from hate

    But you have
    A much better world
    Waiting for you
    If you embrace the light
    Of the universe.

    Seek the light
    It will banish the darkness
    And set your soul free.

    ###

    Seeing Demons

    more monster images for poem jpg
    more monster images for poem jpg

     

     

     

     

     

    from a recent nightmare.

    Sam Adams
    Fell into a deeply troubled sleep
    One night.

    He saw in his nightmares
    The growing power of the darkness
    Of the universe.

    The ancient battle
    Between good and evil
    Light and darkness.

    Life and death
    Love and hate.
    War and peace.

    Yin and Yang
    The duality of the Tao.

    Playing out
    In front of him
    As if in a movie
    But nightmarishly real.

    Sensing the fear and hatred
    Spreading everywhere

    He saw an army
    Of foul creatures
    Straight from the nightmares
    Of Hell.

    Banshees, bears, bigfoot. Cthulu, centaurs, drones, dwarfs, demons, devils, flying drones, flying monkeys, giants, ghosts, gorillas, goblins, orcs, imperial stormtroopers from Star Wars, Klingons, java the hut, leprechauns, lions, max headroom. men in black suits with no faces, Mr. Smith corporate suits, munchkins, monsters, robots, Romulans, Roman gladiators, space aliens, the four horsemen of the apocalypse riding out front, tigers, warlocks, the white witch from Narnia, the wicked witches from Oz, witches, werewolves, wolves, vultures, Yeti and zombies.

    He saw millions of people,
    Being taken
    over by the demons.

    Eating them
    Rampaging, rioting, raping
    Pillaging them

    Taking control
    Of their bodies
    Consuming their souls.

    Turning into hideous monsters.
    Who continue the carnage
    Rampaging mobs
    Of deranged crazed demons.

    In front of them all
    He saw a demon
    Staring at him
    With a thousand-year stare
    Filled with hate.

    A tall dark pig-like beast
    Standing erect
    With reddish horns.

    And two heads
    The head of President Trump
    And the head of President Putin
    And blazing red eyes.

    The head demon hissed,

    Sam Adams
    We are coming for you.

    “You are mine
    Resistance is futile,
    Prepare to meet your fate
    On this cosmic date.”

    He screamed
    As the demon ran up to him
    Fearing the demon
    Would soon consume his soul.

    He prayed with all his might
    And then he saw
    The light of the universe.

    The demons ran screaming
    Running from the light
    Fleeing into the darkness
    Back to the hell hole
    From when they had come.

    He woke up
    Next to his wife
    Glad he had embraced
    Life, love, and light
    Of the universe.

    Filled with love
    And happiness
    He got up.

    With the demons
    Of the dark lord
    Fading into his nightmares
    Banished by the light
    Of his one true love.

     

    Dawns 21 Haiku

    2021Dawns
    Politics are still uncertain.
    thousands still are dying.

    2021Dawns
    The New president offers.
    Hope new beginning.

    2021Dawns
    The Madness never
    ends it seems.
    Consuming us all

    2021Dawns
    The hope springs enterally
    We will overcome.

    2021Dawns
    35,000 lies.
    Fading like ghosts

    2021Dawns
    Politicians still lying.
    Thousands still dying.

    2021Dawns
    Coronavirus spreading
    More corona ghosts.

    2021Dawns
    There is new hope in the air.
    Will politics kill it?

    2021Dawns
    The news stills
    scream death and despair.
    I turn it all off

    2021Dawns
    As I wake up at dawn
    I see my sleeping wife.

    2021Dawns
    We wait for the coming fires.
    End of the world fears

    2021Dawns
    Q continues to spread hate.
    Millions still follow him.

    2021Dawns
    Will optimism and love?
    Overcome the hate.

    2021Dawns
    Many questions remaining.
    I have no answers.

    2021Dawns
    With hope, I leap out of my bed
    Watching TV kills hope

    2021Dawns
    Will this be the end of my days?
    Will I overcome it?

    2021Dawns
    2020 hangover
    Like a dark nightmare

    2021Dawns
    Politicians still refusing.
    To do anything

    2021Dawns
    The rich are still getting richer.
    The poor remain poor.

    2021Dawns
    We hope the past will fade away.
    Into dark memories

    2021Dawns
    I wake up hoping for the best.
    Dreading worst to come

    2021Dawns
    I am still alive thank god.
    Filled with love for my wife.

    ###

    Dear Republicans, What is Wrong with You?

    Dear Republicans,
    What is wrong with you?
    The former president
    Incited a riot.

    Stormed the house.
    Would have killed you.
    If they could have

    And you still defend.
    The former president
    Refusing to hold him to account?

    Do you want him?
    Running around starting the patriot party
    Launching a jihad against you?

    When you can remove him
    From the game
    And send him home.
    For good

    What the hell is
    wrong with you
    Just do your job

    Put a stake.
    Through that vampire’s heart
    Kill Trumpism.
    Before it kills you

    ###

    The Revolution Next Time

    A revolution is brewing.
    On the right
    And on the left

    As madness descends on the land
    Incited by right-wing
    political leaders.

    Inciting riots and rebellion
    Demanding action
    Against their enemies

    While on the left
    Revolution is
    brewing as well.

    Soon will they unite
    To march down
    Tearing down democracy

    As our leaders
    Play games.
    As the world descends
    Into chaos

    And the US becomes
    Another failed state

    Until a proverbial man
    On a white horse
    Rides in to save us.
    From ourselves

    The revolution next time
    It will not be pretty.
    As everything burns
    And America dies

    ###

    Zombie Ideas Do Not Die

    Zombie Ideas
    Do not die.
    They linger on
    In our collective minds
    Infecting our politics

    Among my favorites
    Are the canard.
    That tax cuts will solve all problems.
    That deregulation will free up business.
    That the free market will solve our problems

    That the government is the problem
    And we must starve the government.
    Of funds
    So, it can do no more harm.
    To our great country

    These and other pernicious
    Fact free alternative facts
    Are spread far and wide.
    Across the right-wing media sphere

    Infecting our politicians
    Leading them to playing games
    Instead of coming together.
    To solve our collective problems

    And now the Republicans are saying.
    Amid the worst epidemic in history
    With the US economy slipping into the great depression era
    The US cannot afford to spend any more money.
    On combatting the pandemic
    That the Federal government has done enough
    It is up to the states to solve their problem.

    Because of deficit spending
    Which they did not care about
    Before the change in command

    Now the federal government is broke.
    But we cannot ask the billionaire class.
    To pay a dime more in taxes
    We need to cut taxes more.

    So, we go.
    These zombie ideas
    Mutating and spreading
    Infecting our politics
    With madness

    Making it impossible to govern
    As things fall apart

    Let us put a Death.
    to zombie ideas
    Put a stake through them.
    Opening up the truth

    Coming together
    To do the people’s business
    That is what we must all do.

    ###

    There is a Great Sense of Unrest.

    There is a great sense.
    Of unrest in the land today
    Madness in the air

    Previous publication (2020)

    Literary Yard has just published my Dog Poems. The earlier published my Cosmic Calendar poems.  Here they are for your amusement.  these are companion pieces for my cat poems.

    dog’s life

    Ten New Poems

    Poetry Soup Poems 2016-2019

    Cats Truly alien species?

    Cosmos Joins Instagram Poets

    Cats

    Dog Poems

    It’s a Dog’s Life for Me

     

     

     

     

    I’d like to come back
    In my next life
    As a dog

    A dog’s only worry
    Is its next meal

    All it has to do
    Is wag its tail

    And look cute
    And someone will feed him
    And give him water

    A dog has no worries
    No cares at all

    And when a Dog
    Wants some loving

    All it needs to do
    Is find the nearest
    Female dog
    And enjoy himself

    Without guilt
    And without worrying
    About getting married
    Or having an affair

    Just simple
    Sex in the doggie way
    Nothing simpler
    Than that

    Yes
    A dog’s life
    Is the life for me?

    ###

    The Dogs of War are Howling

    dogs of war howling
    dogs of war howling
    dogs of war poster
    dog of war poster

    The Dogs of War
    Have been set free
    Of their cage
    And are out
    Howling at the moon

     

     

    The Dogs of War
    Have been set free
    To wreck what havoc
    Might be

    Yes, the Dogs of War
    The Hell Hounds
    Have bound out of their cages
    Sniffed about
    And smiled

    At the destruction, they saw
    They knew soon
    They would be in their element
    As the world descends into chaos

    The world saw
    The face of pure evil
    That fine September morning

    A morning like any other morning
    Until a fateful moment
    When two planes
    Came out of the sky
    And destroyed
    The center of world capitalism

    In an act of horrific violence
    An act of such evil
    That is beyond the comprehension
    Of mere mortal man

    Surely there must
    Be a reason why
    That particular day
    The world almost ended

    The Dogs of war
    Are at foot

    The chaos is upon us
    The evil grows and grows
    And dark noises are heard
    Here and there

    A Jehad had been launched
    By the holly lunatics
    Misguided warriors
    Who thought they were fighting
    The great Satan

    Not knowing that their hearts and minds
    Were corrupted and controlled
    By Satan himself

    Somewhere in the world
    That morning
    A door opened

    And a man walked through
    Flipped a switch

    And let loose
    The chaos that ensured

    The world watched with horror
    And fascination

    As in real-time
    A dynamite action movie unfolded

    Only this was not any movie, punk
    It was real life
    Live and uncensored

    With the music of the devil
    Playing at full volume
    As people died
    Burning alive

    And the dogs of war
    Smiled
    They knew soon
    They would be in their element

    As America
    The Sleeping Giant
    Again woke up

    And realized
    That they would have to fight back
    Against their enemies

    The war machine
    Came to life
    The plans came out of the books
    The military might be unleashed

    And the Dogs of war
    Smiled and howled at the moon

    The machinery of war
    Once unleashed
    Can’t easily be stopped

    There is a certain cruel logic
    That demands that the war going on
    And people die
    And people suffer
    And the stock market crashes

    And the evil that men do
    Goes on and on and on

    ###

    The Cosmic Dog from Goa

     

     

     

     

     

    My final time with God
    Happened a year later
    I was staying down in Goa
    With my wife

    Enjoying being with her
    After our reconciliation
    We stayed at the Taj Mahal Goa

    Living like Kings and Queen
    Just for a few days
    High up on a hill
    Overlooking the beach

    Every morning I went down to the beach
    And did yoga by the water
    While contemplating life

    And every morning
    I saw the same dog

    Not just a dog
    But a cosmic dog
    Filled with the divine spark of God

    And the dog recognized me
    And spoke to me and I knew
    That God was present once more
    In the face of that cosmic dog

    Kindred spirit
    perhaps to the cosmic cat
    that had saved my soul
    in Berkeley so long ago

    I told the dog everything
    And he just looked at me
    With those soulful eyes of his

    And I knew he knew that I knew
    That he was possessed by God

    God had sent him to me
    To make sure

    that I was on the right path

    That the reconciliation that God had promoted
    Was on a track that I was back with my wife
    And that everything was the way it should be

    Again, I asked God whether he was Jesus or Allah
    Or Brahmin or Ganesh or Buddha

    God the cosmic dog just stared at me
    I finally asked him directly

    Say if you are God the God of Jesus
    Bark once

    The Dog looked at me and barked

    I said

    well, if you are Allah bark twice
    The dog barked twice
    Well are you buddha

    then bark three times if yes
    The god dog barked three times

    Hmm well are you Satan
    The dog growled at me
    And I knew I had gone too far

    Finally, I was at peace
    And for the next three days

    The God Dog from Goa

    was my constant companion
    And I knew God for the final time
    In my life?

    ###

    Agnostic Dyslectic Wonders if There is a Dog

     

    cute dog
    cute dog

     

     

     

     

    an agnostic dyslectic
    stays up all night
    wondering if there is a dog

    the Buddhists wonder
    about the Buddha-nature of the dog

    the evangelicals

    are sure that there is a dog
    and you must follow their dog

    or go to hell
    for following another’s dog

    the Muslims agree
    there is only one dog

    and the dogs
    smile at the foolishness

    of the human race
    of course, there is a dog

    and they are the master race
    as they growl at their owners

    who bow down
    and clean up their mess?

    ###

    I Want a Dog’s Life

     

    O

     

     

     

    I want a dog’s life
    That’s what I want in my next life
    A dog needs to be cute
    And his master will feed him
    It is a dog’s life for me

    ###

    The Messenger Dog of God

     

     

     

     

    One day
    While studying in Rome
    As a priest
    I notice a small white dog
    Staring at me

    He glances at me
    Indicating that I am to follow him
    I get up
    And follow this strange dog

    He leads me deep
    Inside the hidden depths
    Of the Vatican
    Finally stopping by a door

    I open the door
    And see St Peter there
    He smiles
    Dismisses the dog

    Who moves on down the hall
    Finished with his cosmic duty
    As the secret messenger of God
    All in a day’s work?

    I ask why I am here?
    St Peter says
    Why are any of us here?
    It is time for you to go

    But I don’t want to go
    Don’t want to leave this mortal plane
    St Peter smiles
    Says it is time to go

    I wake up
    Back in my bed
    With my wife
    And realize it was all a dream

    It was not yet time
    To go
    But I am afraid
    I will find the messenger dog

    Outside my door
    Any day now
    The grim reaper waits
    And it will soon be my time

    Poem: Cosmos’s Cosmic Calendar

    cosmic calendar

    cosmic calendar

    January

    January arrives cold as death warmed over
    As I make my annual list of resolutions
    Of the great things, I would do
    The lies I tell myself to keep me going

    While recovering from the hangover of the year before
    With regrets for the evitable passing of time itself

    And snowbound cold nights of wild passion
    As we delay death’s knocking on the door

    February

    February is a strange month
    Cold, short, and eventful

    In the U.S. The political season heats up
    As politicians rush about
    Making their campaign lies
    Full of promises of things to come

    As we the 99 % huddle down inside
    Watching the lies on TV
    Outside Winter’s last dying breath

    March

    March roars in full of sound and furry
    Signifying the future marching down upon us all

    And March madness hits the sports world
    And politicians meet to plot and scheme

    As we bravely battle the cosmic elements
    Waiting for the promised spring
    Hay fever greets me
    With the early spring flowers

    April

    April is indeed the cruelest month of all
    So many important events occurred
    Kim Il Sung’s Birthday, Hitler’s Birthday

    And in the U.S. the dreaded tax man cometh
    To take it all away as the flowers overwhelm

    And Spring Fever takes hold
    Driving us all mad
    With strange erotic desires

    May

    May is in many ways
    My second favorite month of all

    The flowers are blooming bright
    The mountains are aflame with desire
    The summer heat is coming

    The plans for the year are coming along
    The political campaigns heat up

    And good movies come out
    Star Wars arrived
    Spiderman and superman and batman

    All came out to play
    In late May
    And baseball begins in earnest

    And most importantly
    My wife was born

    June

    June is always a month of transition
    End of the school year
    Summer transfer season
    People leaving people coming

    Hurricanes and Tornados attacking
    And wars starting and people dying

    As fireflies buzz about
    And rabbits eat my garden

    As the summer heat descends upon the land
    I walk late at night

    Recalling that Watergate
    Occurred in June

    July

    July is the queen of the summer season
    As she heats the land
    Throwing storm after summer storm

    And politicians run away
    After the July fourth fireworks

    Man landed on the moon
    Richard Nixon Left the White House

    And we all know that half the year
    Has flown by

    August

    So much has happened
    During the hottest most hellish of months
    Despite the summer sauna that descends upon the land
    Enervating all driving people mad with the heat

    World War 1 started
    World War 11 ended

    Hiroshima ushered in the nuclear age

    Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey
    And tornado ally
    All roar down upon the land

    And I met the love of my life
    Getting off a bus
    One August evening

    September

    What can one say about September
    Like June a month of transitions?

    And one is filled with ambition
    Wanting to finish up what one started
    Before the fall arrives
    And Winter is hinting it is coming

    School starts
    New jobs start
    New people come into one’s life

    And like August’s hangover
    Big earth-shattering events happen

    The fall of the stock market
    The housing bubble bursting

    The endless budget games
    As the politicians argue
    Whether to bankrupt the country
    To make a political point or two

    And 9-11 terrorizing the world
    All September’s gifts to the land

    October

    October is my favorite month of all
    The leaves turn
    The weather is usually delightful

    Just a tease of the coming winter
    Fall ball season underway
    Baseball games and Halloween madness
    ends the month with a huge bang

    And I celebrate my legal birth on the 29th
    Also, the day I legally got married

    And on October 30, 1955

    I was born
    And Rock n Roll was born as well
    Coincidence I think not

    November

    November is one of the strange months
    Begins like a hangover of October
    Then it turns ugly and weird

    Political fever hits the land
    Every two years

    As the people brave the early November chill
    To decide what fools they will send to DC
    The politicians lie and scheme and plot
    And beg and lie again

    And the world turns
    And the new leaders emerge

    Welcome the new Bosses
    Same as the old bosses
    Just new packaging

    And Donald Trump storms the barricades
    Threatening the establishment’s stranglehold
    On America and the world

    Yes, November is a strange month

    December

    Perhaps the loneliness month of all
    The most consequential of all the months
    And yet also the most depressing end of time
    Kind of month

    If the apocalypse zombie or otherwise
    Were to occur
    It would be in December
    That is the sort of insane month it is

    The end of the year
    As darkness settles down on the land

    And holiday parties abound
    Full of false cheer
    And faked love

    And for those who don’t celebrate Christmas
    A lonely day perhaps at the movies
    A few awkward calls to the relatives

    Then New Years
    Watching the world end
    Drinking up a storm

    And knowing that the year ended
    And you are one step closer to the grave

    Falling rain

    falling rain
    falling rain

     

     

     

     

     

    The falling rain
    Of late October
    Fills me with essential dread

    As I rush about
    And end up here
    Wherever here is

    The rain outside
    Seems like the tears of god

    As I sit
    Crying over my beer

    Thinking of lost love
    And failed dreams

    Wondering
    What went wrong?
    And what I can set right

    And the rain falls
    And the night darkens

    The rain is falling
    All over this man’s world

    And the rain falls
    And I sit

    Drinking my lonesome drink
    Lost in dreams

    Dreaming of what
    Could never be

    Thinking dark thoughts
    And so I sit
    And dream the night away

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  • Where to Find Cosmos’s Work

    Where to Find Cosmos’s Work

    Where to Find Cosmos’s Work

    Cosmos poetry and fiction now on poetry soup

    Cosmos Books Read 2021 Update
    Poetry Soup Poems 2016-2019
    The Great Poetry E-Book Free-For-All

    Starting in 2016 when I retired, I began posting my work on various sites and began getting my poetry, fiction, and essays published all over, including of course on my flagstaff blog post, The World According To Cosmos. Here is where you can find my work. I generally try to update my postings once a week. The blog entry is copied to LinkedIn, Twitter, and Tumblr automatically, the rest I have to manually add so it may take a while before everything is in synch. Also, since last summer, I have been podcasting weekly, using the Anchor podcast platform.  I am now also writing on Medium and Wattpad. Starting next year, I hope to add regular vblogging on YouTube, advice on what software to use for that would be greatly appreciated. Please follow me on all these sites

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    You Tube -Not active will start in New Years

    Publication Listing

    A partial listing, work in progress.

    Imaging The End Of The World Ariel Chart: International Literary Journal
    No More Coffee Blues Ariel Chart: International Literary Journal
    What Am I DNA Results Ariel Chart: International Literary Journal
    End Times Ariel Chart: International Literary Journal
    Imagining End Of The World Ariel Chart
    Just Another Night In The City Of Angels Ariel Chart

    The Revolution Is Coming Beatnik Cowboy, The
    I’d Rather Not Mess With Sam Between Hangovers

    A Million Ways To Say I Love You Blessed With Love Poems
    I Still Want You Blessed With Love Poems
    Ode To Valentine Day Blessed With Love Poems
    Love Explained To A Space Alien Blessed With Love Poems

    Slime Patrol To The Rescue Blue Nib Literary Magazine, The
    The Fog Blue Nib Literary Magazine, The

    Dream Girl Cherry-House Press Dreams Anthology

    Dream Girl Chicken Soup For The Soul Series

    Chains That Bind Me City Limits Publication
    Dream Girl City Limits Publication

    Various Creative Talents Unleashed

    How I Married the Girl Of My Dreams Creativity Webzine
    Meeting God in The Lake Creativity Webzine
    Cosmic Cat from Berkeley Creativity Webzine
    Meeting God in Bombay Creativity Webzine
    Cosmic Dog from Goa Creativity Webzine
    Buddha Cat Creativity Webzine
    The Story of How We Met Creativity Webzine
    Fate Intertwined Creativity Webzine
    Wild Things Happen Creativity Webzine
    God Drinks Coffee Creativity Webzine
    Requiem for an Era Creativity Webzine
    Howling at the Moon Creativity Webzine

    Creativity Webzine
    The Truth Shall Set You Free Creativity Webzine

    My Name Is Nobody Down In The Dirt
    Strangeness In The Air Down In The Dirt
    Snarling Cup Of Coffee Down In The Dirt
    Charles Bukowski Road Not Taken Down In The Dirt
    Fallen Dreams Litter The Ground Down In The Dirt
    Hitchhiking Tales Down In The Dirt
    Howling at the Moon Down In The Dirt
    3-5-7 Love Poem Down In The Dirt
    If You Have Been Around Down In The Dirt
    Foreigner Walking The Seoul Wall Down In The Dirt
    Old Man Visiting His Wife’s Grave Down In The Dirt

    Awaiting The Judgement Every Writer Horror Contest
    Mad Bag Piper Of Berkeley Every Writer Horror Contest
    Coffee Poem
    Bad Craziness *

    Kimchi Blues Eskimo Pie
    Kimchi Blues Friends of Korea website

    A New Year’S Visit To The Oregon Coast Excavation
    Casino Thoughts Excavation

    Winter Haiflu Failed Haiku

    Indian Casino Thoughts Fiends Of Korea

    Lone Foreigner Walking The Wall Of Seoul Former People, a Journal of Bangs and Whimpers
    A New Year’s Visit To The Oregon Coast Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
    Indian Casino Thoughts Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
    Casino Thoughts Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
    Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
    Four Coffee Poems Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
    Four Coffee Poems Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
    Four Coffee Poems Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
    Four Coffee Poems
    Fiction Dream
    Fiction Dream
    Corona Virus Haiku Fiction Dream
    Fiction Dream
    Just Enough For Coffee

    One Moment, One Day Fourxfour Poetry Journal

    Met My Fate In Bar Room Face From Addict To Advocate

    Various Haiku Journal

    Hill Rag Hello Bonzai

    One Night In Bombay Hello Poetry

    Cosmic Cat Ode To Coffee
    Cosmic Dogs
    Meeting God In A Lake Horror Sleaze Trash
    Meeting God In Bombay
    Signs Of The Apocalypse Hypertexts, The
    Hypertexts, The
    Getting Lucky Hypertexts, The
    Waiting For The Day Hypertexts, The
    Rising Storm Hypertexts, The
    All Tired And Burned Out 2020 Go Away
    Toilet Gate Fitting Metaphor For Trump Era Ink Pantry (Website)
    A Dream Journey Ink Pantry (Website)
    Insanity Lives Ink Pantry (Website)
    Interview Ink Pantry (Website)
    Morning Bright, Evening Delight Ink Pantry (Website)
    Reality Hits Ink Pantry (Website)
    Cheating Death 22 Times Ink Pantry (Website)
    Cheating Death 22 Times Ink Pantry Acadamy of Hearts and Minds ‘

    Cthulhu’s Revenge Ink Pantry (Website)
    Escape From Hell Ink Pantry (Website)
    Ghoul Haunted Woodlands Of Weir Ink Pantry (Website)
    The Bench Ink Pantry (Website)
    2019 The Year That Was Ink Pantry (Website)
    Dreams Ink Pantry (Website)
    Fate Ink Pantry (Website)
    The Oyster Speaks Up Ink Pantry (Website)
    The Terrifying Teens Ink Pantry (Website)
    Ink Pantry (Website)
    Just An Unhinged Lunatic Ink Pantry (Website)
    Ink Pantry (Website)
    Total Successor Or Total Failure Ink Pantry (Website)
    2021 Haiku
    General Corona Appears In A Vision Inner Circle Writers’ Group Anthology Series
    Cancel Culture Run Amuck
    Journal Of Expressive Writing
    Journal Of Expressive Writing
    Ghosts Of Old Saigon Journal Of Expressive Writing
    Ghosts Of The Chu Chi Tunnels Journal Of Expressive Writing
    Seeing Ghosts
    The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley
    The Cosmic Dog From Goa Kelp Journal
    Cosmic Cat Kelp Journal
    Kelp Journal
    Agnostic Dyslectic Wonders If There Is A Dog Kelp Journal
    Cosmos’s Cosmic Calendar Kelp Journal
    It’s A Dog’s Life For Me Kelp Journal
    The Cosmic Dog From Goa
    2021 Dawns 21 Haiku Literary Yard
    Dear Republicans, What Is Wrong With You? Literary Yard
    The Revolution Next Time Literary Yard
    Zombie Ideas Do Not Die Literary Yard
    There Is A Great Sense Of Unrest Literary Yard
    Lone Foreigner Hiking The Seoul City Walls Literary Yard
    Literary Yard
    Literary Yard
    Dream Love Questions Sekoku Local Gem
    15 Day Challenge Local gem
    Halloween poetry collection Local Gem
    Dear Microsoft Why I Left You Lotus Eater
    Local Gems Poetry Press
    A Million Ways To Say I Love You Blessed with Love
    Ode To Love On Valentine’s Day Blessed with Love

    One Night in Bangkok Man in the Street

    Market Rules Us All Minnie’s Diary: A Southern Literary Review

    The Virus King Cried Muse

    Fake Jake Nthanda Review
    Fake Smiles Nthanda Review

    White Lady
    The Opiate
    God’s Confession Scarlet Leaf

    Opiate
    Bad Craziness
    Otherwise Engaged
    Cats
    In Seach Of America Outlaw Poetry
    It Is A Gun Situation, Mr. President Outlaw Poetry
    Prayer Works Outlaw Poetry
    I Don’t Get It Outlaw Poetry
    Dear Governor Abbot Outlaw Poetry
    When Will This Madness End – Short Version Outlaw Poetry
    Lost And Found Outlaw Poetry
    My Mother’s History Outlaw Poetry
    Conversation With Teddy Roosevelt Outlaw Poetry
    Watching Cats Hunt Outlaw Poetry

    End Of America Outlaw Poetry

    Watching The News As 110,000 Americans Die Plethora Blogazine
    Wearing A Mask Is Not A Political Statement Plethora Blogazine
    Wearing Masks Saves Life Plethora Blogazine
    Who Are You Going To Believe, Me Or Your Lying Eye Plethora Blogazine

    Back Of The Bus The Poet on the Road
    Bus Ride The Poet on the Road Poet The Poet on the Road
    Cross Country Trip Part One The Poet on the Road
    Hitchhiking Tales The Poet on the Road
    Buddha Cat Poet, The
    Meeting God In A Lake Poet, The
    Best Friend For 60 Years Poet, The
    My Memory Bank Poet, The
    Best Friend In The Universe Poet, The

    Cats Poetryezine
    Buddha Cat Poetryezine
    Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay Poetryezine
    Walking By A Winter’s Frozen Lake Poetryezine
    Playing The Piano At The End Of Time Poetryezine

    Mad Mask Fear Poetryezine
    News Is Grim Poetryezine

    Poetry And Covid
    Various Poetry And Covid

    Snarling Cup Of Coffee Chapbook Poetry Nook Weekly Contest

    Merry Christmas From ATT Poetry 24
    Mr. President, It Is A Gun Situation Poetry 24
    Poetry 24
    The Best Is Yet To Come Found Poem Poetry 24

    Evergreen Trees Pure Haiku

    Falling Rain Qutub Minar Review
    Qutub Minar Review
    Gathering Storm Clouds Random Poetree
    Nebulous Night Of Darkness Random Poetree
    Dejavu All Over Again Random Poetree
    Failure Is Not An Option Random Poetree
    General Failure Reading Disk Drive Raven Cage Zine
    On Failure Raven Cage Zine
    Raven Cage Zine
    270,000 Corona Ghosts Crash The President’s Party Raven Cage Zine
    Corona Ghosts Crash The Party Raven Cage Zine
    Partying While People Die Raven Cage Zine

    Fake Calls Rejected Manuscripts
    Hell Is Here To Stay Rejected Manuscripts
    Rejected Manuscripts
    Fake Mosquitos
    Lost River Sandha Review
    Old Cars Are King Of The Road Again River Sandha Review

    Reflections Rosette Maleficarum
    Dragon Flies In My Mind Rosette Maleficarum
    One Crazy Day Rosette Maleficarum
    2019 The Year That Was Rosette Maleficarum

    Dreams Scarlet Leaf Review
    Fate Scarlet Leaf Review
    The Oyster Speaks Up Scarlet Leaf Review
    The Terrifying Teens Scarlet Leaf Review
    Scarlet Leaf Review
    Green Trees Don’t Make It Scarlet Leaf Review
    Slowly Unperceived Reality Scarlet Leaf Review
    Slowly Unperceived Reality Scarlet Leaf Review

    Brain Fever Scryptic defunct
    Evil Within Scryptic defunct
    Mocking Laughter Scryptic defunct
    Black Vultures Scryptic defunct

    Dream Lover Scryptic
    Dream Tanaga Scryptic
    Rafting To Hell Scryptic
    Satanic Torture Scryptic

    Worlds Within Worlds Sick Lit Magazine

    Green Trees Don’t Make It Sick Lit Magazine
    Siren Song Of Doom Sick Lit Magazine

    Various Sixfold
    Corona Poems Soft Cartel
    Dora The Galactic Explorer Soft Cartel
    Every Day I Turn On The News
    Chaos Spillwords Press
    Mocking Faces Spillwords Press

    Just Enough For Coffee Spillwords Press
    Waiting For The Grim Reaper’S Decision Spillwords Press

    The Virus King Cried Subterranean Blue Poetry

    Cosmic Cat From Berkeley Swenk
    Cats Swenk
    The Buddha Cat Of Edsall Road Swenk
    Demon Cat Swenk
    Cat Fight In Incheon Swenk

    Love Haiku The Universe Journal
    Night Terrors The Universe Journal

    Jack Daniels Failed Intervention Unlikely Story

    The Trial Of The Poet Tiger Shark
    Life In-Between Tiger Shark
    Love Haiku Tigershark
    I Like My Coffee Tigershark
    Love Haku 1 Tigershark
    Lost And Found Tigershark

    The Virus King Cried Tigershark

    1984 Is Here To Stay Tuck
    The Dogs Of War Are Howling Tuck

    Just Enough For Coffee Tuck
    Donald Trump And The Vulgarians Rise To Power Tuck

    Lost And found Two Drops Of Ink
    Strong Wine Two Drops Of Ink
    Voices Of My Doom Two Drops Of Ink
    Dora The Galactic Explorer Two Drops Of Ink
    Last Year Of American Greatness Two Drops Of Ink
    Mocking Faces Two Drops Of Ink
    Morning Light Two Drops Of Ink
    Wild Man Sits In Gilded Cage Two Drops Of Ink
    Climate Change Two Drops Of Ink
    The Lion King Speaks Up Two Drops Of Ink
    Wild Things Run Amuk Two Drops Of Ink
    Wild Things Run Amuk Two Drops Of Ink
    Yesterday Morning Two Drops Of Ink

    Howling At The Moon Two Drops Of Ink
    No More Coffee Blues Two Drops Of Ink
    Ode To Coffee Two Drops Of Ink
    Slease 2 Two Drops Of Ink

    Snarling Cup Of Coffee Ugly Writers, The
    When Will This Darkness End Ugly Writers, The
    Ugly Writers, The
    Buddha Cat Universe Journal, The
    Cats Universe Journal, The
    Cats Fighting In Incheon Universe Journal, The
    Cosmic Cats Universe Journal, The Universe Journal, The
    Demon Cat Universe Journal, The

    Best Friend In The Universe Whispers Defunct
    Life’s Journey Whispers Defunct
    Life In Between Whispers Defunct

    News Is Grim Writer’s Egg Magazine
    Wearing A Mask Is Not A Political Statement Writer’s Egg Magazine
    Corona Ghosts Crash The Party Writer’s Egg Magazine
    Politicians Lying As People Lay Dying Writer’s Egg Magazine
    Thanksgiving Thoughts Writer’s Egg Magazine
    Writer’s Egg Magazine
    American Dream Writer’s Egg Magazine
    Miscellaneous Publication Sites Writer’s Egg Magazine
    Writer’s Egg Magazine
    3 Am Nightmares
    Your One Phone Call
    Coffee Desires Miscellaneous Publication Sites

    God Does Not Talk To Idiots Triferta Poem A Thon
    Huricanes From Hell Triferta Poem A Thon
    It Can’t Happen Here Triferta Poem A Thon
    Kim Vs. Trump Twitter War -In Memorial Of Kim Il Sung’s The Great Leader’s Birthday Triferta Poem A Thon
    Masters Of The Universe Triferta Poem A Thon
    Microsoft How I Hate You Triferta Poem A Thon
    More Coffee Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
    No More Coffee Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
    Triferta Poem A Thon
    Rambling Man Triferta Poem A Thon
    Rambling Man -Where Do I Belong? Triferta Poem A Thon
    Rapid City Nowhere Triferta Poem A Thon
    Suburban Laundromat Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
    The Storm Is Coming Triferta Poem A Thon

    Facing Life’s Challenges Together Triferta Poem A Thon
    Fires Buring Bright Triferta Poem A Thon
    God Drinks Coffee Triferta Poem A Thon
    Imagining End Of The World Triferta Poem A Thon
    Incheon 2016 Triferta Poem A Thon Triferta Poem A Thon
    Looking Out My Window Triferta Poem A Thon
    Lost And Found Triferta Poem A Thon
    My Soul Wants To Fly Triferta Poem A Thon
    Rapid City Nowhere Triferta Poem A Thon
    The Revolution Is Coming Triferta Poem A Thon
    Wagontire, Oregon Triferta Poem A Thon
    Walking Through The Woods Of Time Triferta Poem A Thon
    Zombie Apocalypse Triferta Poem A Thon
    Heading To Memphis Triferta Poem A Thon
    One Mystic Shrouded Night Triferta Poem A Thon
    Idiots In High Places Triferta Poem A Thon
    Cosmos’s Cosmic Calendar Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Landlord Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Berkeley California Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Chains That Bind Us Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Changes Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Coffee Revolution Triferta Poem A Thon
    . COSTCO Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Dental Torture Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Emperor Donald The Ist Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Everything Will Be All Right Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Ghosts From World War 11 Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Life Is Wonderful Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Lithia Springs Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Love Jones Triferta Poem A Thon
    . My Daily Hot Coffee Fix Triferta Poem A Thon
    . No More Coffee Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Pane E Circus 2017 Redux Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Sandwich Choices Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Secret Agency Man Triferta Poem A Thon
    . The Decline Of America Triferta Poem A Thon
    . The Dogs Of War Are Howling Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Voices Of My Doom Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Walls Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Watching Cats Hunt Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Where Do You And I Begin? Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Why I Am Not A Christian Easter Thoughts Triferta Poem A Thon
    . August Moods Triferta Poem A Thon

    . Capitol Hill In The Spring Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Spring Love Thoughts Triferta Poem A Thon
    . Spring Time In Oregon Triferta Poem A Thon
    . The Falling Rain Triferta Poem A Thon
    “Dental Blues” Triferta Poem A Thon
    “Meeting God In The Lake” Triferta Poem A Thon
    “The Cosmic Cat In Berkeley” Triferta Poem A Thon
    “The God Dog In Goa” Triferta Poem A Thon

    Lost And Found Triferta Poem A Thon
    1984 Lives On Triferta Poem A Thon

    Decline Of America Scarlet Leaf Review
    Dogs Of War Howling Scarlet Leaf Review
    My Mother’s History Scarlet Leaf Review

    Donald Trump And The Vulgarians Rise To Power Tuck
    Imagining The End Of The World Tuck
    No More Coffee Blues * Hill Rag

     

    A Million Ways To Say I Love You Blessed Love Poems
    American Dream  Your One Phone Call
    Best Friend In The Universe Whisphers
    Black Vultures Scryptic

    Additional Publication Vendue Need to be Confirmed

    Conversation With Teddy Roosevelt
    Strong Wine
    Watching Cats Hunt
    Dragon Flies In My Mind
    The Shape Of History
    Voices Of My Doom
    Cats
    Rapid City Nowhere
    Reflections
    . Yesterday Morning
    Suburban Laundromat Blues

    Blue Blues

    Brain Fever
    Capital Hill In The Spring
    Cats Hunting
    Chains That Bind

    Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen

    Coffee My Secret Lover
    Coffee Revolution
    Coffee The Drink Of Revolutionaries

    Confucian Thought For The Modern Era
    Decline Of America
    Dogs Of War Howling
    Donald Trump Our Compassionate Dear Leader
    Dream Girl
    Enemy Of The People
    Fallen Dreams Litter The Ground
    God Drinks Coffee

    How I Married Girl Of My Dreams
    Howling At The Moon
    I Like My Coffee

    Jesus Must Die Again

    Lost And Found
    Donald Trump And The Vulgarians Rise To Power
    Strong Wine
    The Shape Of History
    Yesterday Morning
    Corona Ghosts Stalk The President
    Corona Virus Stalks Me
    General Corona Leads His Troops
    A New Year’S Visit To The Oregon Coast
    Love Conquers Hate

    Bus Fantasy

    Snarling Cup of Coffee Chapbook Poetry Superhighway

     

    April 2021 chapbook Poetry Superhighway

    Writers Digest April 2021 contest

    April 2020 contest

    All poetry
    Duane’s poetry
    Fan story
    Poetry Circle
    Hello Poetry
    Poetry Nook
    Poetry Mangum Opus
    Sweek
    Writing com

    The End

     

     

  • The Great Poetry E-Book Free-For-All

    The Great Poetry E-Book Free-For-All

    The Great Poetry E-Book Free-For-All

    Updated with complete list.  Due to time differences you may miss the deadline. if so, please contact the authors directly to see if they will be willing to send you a copy.  And please feel free to message me on FB or at my email authorjakecosmosaller@gmail and I will send you a copy of my chapbook (printed below as well) to whatever email address you provide.

    thanks.  This is the third time I have participated in this annual event.

    Book Free-For-All Submission

    Thanks for joining the 2021 Poetry Super Highway E-book Free-For-All!

    We’ve received your submission and as long as your e-book description is 50 words or less, we’ll add it to the list of e-books which will be available to download for 24 hours on December 1st! (If your description is longer than 50 words, look for a follow up email from us asking you to shorten it.)

    All submitted e-books will be freely available to download on December 1st for 24 hours, and when it’s all done, we’ll put up a page showing how many times each was downloaded.

    Here’s what you submitted:

    April 2021 Poetic Madness by Jake Aller

    Every April for the last few years, I have been competing in the annual April Poetry month competitions. This year I wrote 8 poems a day for a month. Here are the selected poems from that month of poetic madness.
    https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com

    Thanks for joining in!

    Rick Lupert

    www.PoetrySuperHighway.com/psh
    www.haikuniverse.com

    F

    What?

    A crazy project in which your poetry e-books will be freely available to all interested humans on Earth for 24 hours.

    Throughout November we will collect e-books from poets and writers interested in participating.

    Then on December 1st, for 24 hours, a special website will go live with links to all of the e-books. For 24 hours anyone will be free to download, for free, as many of these e-books as they like…a poetry e-book free-for-all.

    How?

    To participate, read all of the guidelines below and then click on our Online Submission Form. That’s it. It’s simple. By doing so, your e-book will be included.

    The E-Book has to be written by you.

    E-books should be in PDF Format for universal compatibility with anyone’s computer.

    If you have an e-book in Microsoft Word or another format, please convert it to PDF. One way to do this (if you don’t know how) is to visit the website http://www.freepdfconvert.com/. From there you will be allowed to select the file on your computer which will be uploaded and emailed back to you in PDF format.

    When creating your e-book file, please keep it smaller than 1 megabyte.

    Once you’ve created your e-book (not before), click on our Online

    Submission Form to join in!

    Do not fill out the form and then e-mail us your e-book later. Please fill out the form and use it to upload your e-book to us.

    We are not accepting e-books or submissions by e-mail. The only way to join in is by clicking on the Online Submission Form below.

    On December 1 at Midnight (the evening of November 30), we will distribute a special e-mail letting people know the location of the web page with links to all of the e-book files. People will be free to download any or all of the titles and your poetry will be freely, electronically, traveling all over the world. This web page will go offline 24 hours later at Midnight on December 2nd.

    We will also list your e-book and description on this web page along with the link to your website for all to see.

    To submit your book, please go to our
    ONLINE SUBMISSION FORM

    E-Books In So Far:

    The Great Poetry E-Book Free-For-All

    The mission of the Poetry Super Highway is to expose as many people to as many other people’s poetry as possible.

    Download 75 Free E-Books Now!

    Thanks to everyone who donated e-books to this project. All of the books are now available for download by clicking on “Download Now” next to the author’s name below.

    Books will remain available until Midnight tonight (Tuesday evening December 1st Pacific).

    Check back here on December 2 to see how many of each were downloaded.

    E-Books:

    Agnostics Sing of Angels and Asks Why in Hell Not, the by Stephen Mead (Download this E-Book)
    Poems dating back to the 1990s & onward, revised but only typed in the last year, these words of spiritual seeking are rooted in the basic human need to find meaning to cope with and even celebrate existence.
    https://postcardsfromthedeepstephenmeadart.weebly.com/

    Always One More Verse of the Motherfucker Blues Left to Sing by John Sweet (Download this E-Book)
    A selection of recent, unpublished work
    https://bleedinghorse.blogspot.com/

    April 2021 Poetic Madness by Jake Aller (Download this E-Book)
    Every April for the last few years, I have been competing in the annual April Poetry month competitions. This year I wrote 8 poems a day for a month. Here are the selected poems from that month of poetic madness.
    https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com

    Artists, Unknown by LB Sedlacek (Download this E-Book)
    Art doesn’t hum, notes found in notebooks or dropped in a parking lot make for good poems, howling dogs, tattoos, pineapples that look like grenades, kissing, and cartoons, cereal, spark plugs and action heroes — all things that make these poems a little bit different.
    http://www.lbsedlacek.com

    Ballad of Billy the Kid, the by Joe Blanda (Download this E-Book)
    A re-imagined account of the famous outlaw
    https://www.facebook.com/joe.blanda/

    Bavarian Home / Bayerisch Heimat by Duane L Herrmann (Download this E-Book)
    These poems by Duane L Herrmann reflect and share his experiences in his hometown of his great grandfather whose last name he shares. They are in both English and German and are forthcoming from the Origami Poems Project as TWO mirco chapbooks.

    Betelgeuse Dimming by Jean-Paul L. Garnier (Download this E-Book)
    A collection of speculative poetry. Nominated for the 2021 Elgin Award. Comes with free musical audiobook version download.
    https://spacecowboybooks.com/

    Bigfoot Parchments, the by Richard Rensberry (Download this E-Book)
    The Bigfoot Parchments are a poetic journey into the knowledge and secrets of how the Sasquatch read minds and warp time/space in order to appear and disappear at will. They also contain simple but profound truths that cannot be violated if one is to achieve the Sasquatch way to enlightenment.
    https://www.conversationswithsasquatch.com

    Blue Soul, A by Gabriella Garofalo (Download this E-Book)
    My irrepressible longing for reshaping in a new life the splinters of ice and life that wound me, so as to give them a fresh soul, is the drive enabling my words to be pervaded by that green fuse we might think of as the life and soul of poetry.

    Bokeh Focus: Poems by Raymond Luczak (Download this E-Book)
    With Bokeh Focus, Raymond Luczak trains his photographer’s eye as a gay man upon his subjects and examines the impact of imagery on one’s own identity.
    http://www.raymondluczak.com/

    Castles, wombs, armies, and pentecosts by R. Bremner (Download this E-Book)
    R. Bremner’s second book of poems, originally written in the late 1970s, updated with a few additions in the 1980s.

    Circling the Sun by Gaynor Kane (Download this E-Book)
    A micro-collection (from the Stickleback series, published by the Hedgehog Poetry Press) of poems about the early aviatrixes
    https://gaynorkane.com/

    Clean as a Broke Dick Dog by Alex Stolis (Download this E-Book)
    A story with a soundtrack, previously released by Red Ceilings Press

    Close Encounters Chapbook by Elizabeth Marchitti (Download this E-Book)
    A chapbook of my personal experiences, starting with meeting Santa on the elevator on my way to my cardioologist’s office.

    Concupiscent Consumption by LindaAnn LoSchiavo (Download this E-Book)
    Visit the love doctor: recall your first kiss, a sultry fling, that secret kink. “Concupiscent Consumption” is for anyone who’s ever been in love — or lost in lust. ― Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ―
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHm1NZIlTZybLTFA44wwdfg

    Dance is You, the by Shola Balogun (Download this E-Book)
    The Dance is You is a rich collection with the ordered flow of original verses and inventive colourful vibrations. This book of poems, presents dance as the autobiography of the soul, the expression of what we call life, and the encounter with the self.
    https://www.amazon.com/Shola-Balogun/e/B00LPRQU10?ref_=pe_1724030_132998060

    Dancing Under the Moon by Joan Leotta (Download this E-Book)
    Poems that show the joy of loving all things moon-related. Written about the rising moon and the early morning moon-set poems all on one page and then foldable into a mini book

    December 2014 by Jim Bennett (Download this E-Book)
    In December 2014 Jim Bennett wrote a poem every day. Many of these poems were later published but here these poems are brought together in the order they were written.
    https://poetrykit.org

    Discovery by Don Krieger (Download this E-Book)
    Discovery is a hybrid collection in three sections: America, Childhood’s End, To Save a Life. It’s an easy and interesting read — I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Thank you for reading it. The PDF is formatted for “Two Page View” in your PDF reader. All my best – Don
    http://DonsPoetryPage.com

    Distillations by Cheryl Snell (Download this E-Book)
    Prose poems by Cheryl Snell, offering a road map of the quotidian with the exits clearly marked.
    https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.snell/

    Duality Of Moonlight, The by Kirsten G. Munro (Download this E-Book)
    This wonderful poetry book is filled with different poems and situations exploring the darkness and light that humans have within them.

    Ducks by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
    Poems composed in the last baker’s dozen years about anything duckie. Titles include: American Juror Pool, 7 AM Relativity, CNN Universe, May the fourth be with you, Love Arboretum, Magical Legg, and The Big Pineapple!

    Fantastic Forms by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
    Poems composed in the last 24 years about things fantastic and forms. Titles include: How Did Heaven Begin, Just an Apple, Women in Starbucks, Facebook Newsfeed Sonnets, and A pair of lips for the apocalypse.
    http://dkc1031.blogspot.com

    Fib Sequence by Larissa Shmailo (Download this E-Book)
    Like the seeds on the head of a sunflower, the poems, translations, and story in Fib Sequence whorl according to a special pattern. Here you will find arachnids, jealous women, numbers, and half truths..
    https://larissashmailo.com

    Flatman: Poems of Protest in the Trump Era by Cheryl Caesar (Download this E-Book)
    This book chronicles the reign of a villain in villanelles — and other poetry forms.
    http://caesarc.msu.domains/

    Fragments: a Poetry Sampler by James Thomas Fletcher (Download this E-Book)
    A eclectic sampling: twenty-one poems selected from ten poetry collections.
    https://www.linktree.com/jamesthomasfletcher

    Heyday by Bruce McRae (Download this E-Book)
    A collection of recent poems.
    https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/psh/brucemc

    History of Love, a by Dmitry Turovsky (Download this E-Book)
    Romantic love poetry.
    http://poets.us

    Horrific Punctuation by John Reinhart (Download this E-Book)
    Commas scratch poisoned marks in blood, Thor makes an enthusiastic appearance! shotguns make dark holes to mark the end…or maybe the beginning of something new. Zombies, harpies, Odin, yeti…they’re all here in this chapbook of monstrous punctuation-themed poems.
    http://home.hampshire.edu/~jcr00/reinhart.html

    I Am The Tang You Are The Handle by Jim Bennett (Download this E-Book)
    In this selection of poems Jim Bennett looks at relationships. From one end to the other.
    https://poetrykit.org

    Intricate Things in their Fringed Peripheries by Cheryl Snell (Download this E-Book)
    In Cheryl Snell’s new collection of lyrical free verse narratives, the poet meditates on moments of light and shadow, and how the world is made and unmade by the least of us Intricate Things in their Fringed Peripheries.
    https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.snell/

    Journey So Far, The by Rachel Berger (Download this E-Book)
    A selection of poems written from adolescence to adulthood. These poems are about my journey through traumatic experiences in my life. I seek to help and encourage others with my words to overcome their traumatic experiences and live a successful life.

    Last Time I Had To See You, the by Victoria Hunter (Download this E-Book)
    The Last Time I Had To See You is a chapbook of poems that first came as journal sketches of Victoria’s daydreams of splashes of blood, echoes of mind-gripping space, and dates with ghosts. The poems celebrate the authors’ ability to hook the reader with various creative writing techniques.
    https://amzn.to/3rAAR3B

    Leaving Home: Discoveries and Reflections of a Once-Sheltered Heart by Randal Burd (Download this E-Book)
    Leaving Home takes the reader on a life-changing journey. There will be tears, the sudden burst of laughter, and a warm smile that will linger on your face like the glow of a fading summer day as you discover the truth of what it means to love, lose, and live.
    http://theedgeofmemory.com

    Left of the Dial by Alex Stolis (Download this E-Book)
    A chapbook released by corrupt press, a series of poems written while listening to late night radio

    Library Poems by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
    Poems composed in and around libraries over the past 24 years. Put together to raise funds for the Sims Library of Poetry. If you wish, please make a donation to that fine place. Enjoy!
    http://dkc1031.blogspot.com

    Loss of Sense, the by Colin Dardis (Download this E-Book)
    THE LOSS OF SENSE is an experimental prose poem in twenty-four parts. Framed within the context of a twenty-four hour cycle, the poem breaks down typical sentence construction and use of language to mirror the seemingly non-linear thought processes of the depressed mind.
    http://www.colindardispoet.co.uk

    Love Objects by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
    Poems composed in the last lucky thirteen years about love and objects. Titles include: How Dark Is It, My Object Life, Thanks to Ten Circling Electrons, Powerlines above butterflies, and Thirteen Ways of Looking at Poppies.
    http://dkc1031.blogspot.com

    Loveless land-Happyn hell poems by Hanoch Guy (Download this E-Book)
    PLeasures and tortures of love are articulated in this chapbook. Lovers are doomed to go through yearning fulfillment and bitter disappointments.

    Making a Show of Myself 2020/21 by Jim Bennett (Download this E-Book)
    Each year Jim sellects a set of poems to be used at readings and 2020 was no different apart from the fact that everything was cancelled. So here is the show that never was and how, given the chance, Jim would have made a show of himself.
    https://poetrykit.org

    Metaphorical Moon, the by John Mannone (Download this E-Book)
    The Metaphorical Moon is a chapbook collection of moon-related poetry. The poems are arbitrarily divided into four (non-mutually exclusive) sections covering childhood, family, lovers, nature, environment, philosophy and spirituality. Some of the poems involve solar or lunar eclipses, in which the sun, moon and Earth are all involved.
    https://jcmannone.wordpress.com

    Morning by Morning by Joan Leotta (Download this E-Book)
    Poems of Dawn
    Six poems of dawn printable on a single page, foldable into a mini book
    Published by Origami poems
    Morning by Morning and Dancing Under the Moon, two free mini-chapbooks are at https://www.origamipoems.com/poets/257-joan-leotta

    Musings on a Native Life by Duane L Herrmann (Download this E-Book)
    In these poems the author explores the loss of his Native ancestry and heritage. An estimated forty percent of Americans, whose ancestors came to North America before the nineteenth century, have Native or African blood, or both. Maybe more thought will be given by more people to this possibility.
    https://dlherrmann.wixsite.com/home

    My Country – My People & Selected Poetry by Seshendra Sharma Sharma (Download this E-Book)
    Seshendra is colossus of modern Poetry. His literature is a unique blend of the best of poetry and poetics. His Homepage : Seshendra:Visionary Poet of the Millennium presents essence / spirit of the millennium in powerful poetic style. Seshendra Sharma is one of the most outstanding minds of modern.
    http://seshendrasharma.weebly.com

    Naked Truth, the by JR Simons (Download this E-Book)
    This is J. R. Simons’ second chapbook of poetry, filled with poems that tell the naked truth about society and culture.
    https://bit.ly/3wKq3Aj

    Nasty Girls by Lynne Bronstein (Download this E-Book)
    A collection of poems about women who broke the rules, did what they wanted to do, slept with whom they wanted, and were sometimes really nasty.

    Natural Elements by Duane L Herrmann (Download this E-Book)
    Natural Elemenst is a collection of 27 poems celebrating the natural prairie world. Herrmann has lived on the American prairie for seven decades, distilled in these poems. His prairie roots go deeper and further than his life, the fifth generation of European descent and untold generations of Native peoples.
    https://dlherrmann.wixsite.com/home

    october love (smells sweet like rot) by julzzz hazard & al yen (Download this E-Book)
    The authors introduce a teaser of their upcoming chapbook “october love (smells sweet like rot).” The poems included are inspired by Halloween vibes and authors’ love for twisted gore-y metaphors. The complete chapbook is going to be tightly packed with thrill, naughtiness and our visual art as a creepy bonus.
    http://yourlocaldreamers.com/

    On the Run with Dick and Jane by Alex Stolis (Download this E-Book)
    A mini chapbook released by Yavanika Press, a series of poems that chronicles a road trip by Dick and Jane

    Once You Find The Right Dream by Kaye Abikhaled (Download this E-Book)
    Life becomes simpler once you find your personal direction. Then follow your dream.

    Permit Wonder by Jan Keough (Download this E-Book)
    PERMIT WONDER is a wondrous book of compassionate and honest poems that always ring true. In writing her own story, Jan Keough lets you recognize your own. Humans and animals alike are finely observed in this collection of poems.
    https://jankeough.com/

    Petals by I. B. Rad (Download this E-Book)
    Petals portrays the evolving relationship between the primary author and his late wife, Mari Lyn, from the beginning through “old” age and beyond. It’s not your typical tribute. But take a look and decide for yourself!

    Plains of Heaven, the by F. J. Bergmann (Download this E-Book)
    12 ekphrastic poems accompanied by full-color images of the paintings by Kelli Hoppmann that inspired them.
    https://fibitz.com/

    Plaster of Kalinka by Christian Garduno (Download this E-Book)
    “Plaster of Kalinka” is a collection of twenty poems published by Christian Garduno from May to November 2021.
    https://christiangarduno.gumroad.com/l/yqDOx

    Poetry Love Sex Music Booze & Death, 2018 by Bruce Taylor (Download this E-Book)
    About half my poems have historically found themselves in what might be considered more “traditional forms”: Sonnets, Villanelles, Sonnets. Sestinas. This collection brings together many of those poems in one volume. I know it is an aggressive title, one response I got when announced, was “Yeah, but what’s it about?”
    https://people.uwec.edu/taylorb/

    Rain Girl, The by Rose Mary Boehm (Download this E-Book)
    Vivid and lush, with a voice that you will not forget, THE RAIN GIRL is an absolute pleasure. What a delight to experience the world as Boehm does from “birch and ash on witches’ brooms” to the “Snow geese… in baobab trees”. Simply lovely. ‬
    https://www.rose-mary-boehm-poet.com/

    Random Thoughts Through Corona by Joolz Juliet (Download this E-Book)
    This E-book is about the random thoughts that occurred at the onset, during and after the initial shock of the corona virus pandemic. Thoughts ran rampant as many of us navigated the desolate world.
    https://joolzmjulietfreelancewriter.mystrikingly.com/

    Repulsion Thrust by Magdalena Ball (Download this E-Book)
    “This debut full-length poetry collection by Australian poet Magdalena Ball is full of poetic thrust, propelling the reader through thought-provoking and beautifully crafted considerations of love, illness, identity, genetics, the environment, planet – and more!” ~Sarah James
    http://www.magdalenaball.com

    Rumblings2021 by Rosalind Lee (Download this E-Book)
    A rather pessimistic look back and forwards, not sure if its worth reading at all, as I haven’t written much poetry for ages. I have been bullied by a group of money mad mind reading Nazi types. All screaming they are victims of the holocaust, and are affected! Enjoy!
    http://www.anglohenge.co.uk

    Sampler Sampler by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
    A sampling of chapbooked works over the past 24 years. Titles include: Campbell’s Travels, Owed to Aluminum, I’m in Love with This Building, Because I’m a Performer in the Theater of Life, A Gerund Life, Mouchette, Inside My Jambo Head, Granada Park Love, and Analogy Planets.
    http://dkc1031.blogspot.com

    Satan in Chicago by Eric Evans (Download this E-Book)
    Satan In Chicago from Eric Evans and features his take on far-flung topics like Fahrenheit 451, soldiers in the Terracotta Army, the lovemaking habits of acrobats, and the judgmental nature of crows. “Fans of poetry filled with heartbreak and humor,’ writes Broken Pencil magazine, “must check out Evans’ work.”
    https://inkpublications1.wixsite.com/mysite

    Selected Poems by Dave Lewis (Download this E-Book)
    A sample ‘Selected Poems’ from my first eight poetry collections.
    http://www.david-lewis.co.uk

    Shat In Space by Rick Lupert (Download this E-Book)
    New poems from Rick Lupert including selections from the forthcoming collection “Hawaiiku.”
    https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/

    So Be It by Ralph Culver (Download this E-Book)
    A chapbook of thirteen poems by Ralph Culver that the late Marvin Bell called “brilliant from start to finish.” “So deft and moving are his poems that they will long abide as reminders of what it is to be human.” –Sydney Lea
    https://madhat-press.com/products/a-passable-man-by-ralph-culver

    Solitude Album by Mary Langer Thompson (Download this E-Book)
    Sixteen of Mary Langer Thompson’s recent poems focusing on loneliness or fear of being alone.

    Soul Songs by Duane L Herrmann (Download this E-Book)
    Nineteen poems inspired by the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith which has three foundational principles: one Creator, one creation (one human race), and one stream of Divine Revelation which has progressively guided mankind. We are in a time of transition and new divine guidance is needed.
    https://dlherrmann.wixsite.com/home

    Tale of Twin Cities by Alex Stolis (Download this E-Book)
    A collection of call and response poems about Minneapolis and St. Paul written by Michael Gausse and Alex Stolis. released by Fowlpox press

    There Will Be a Reckoning: Poetry of Magic and Dread by David Vandervort (Download this E-Book)
    Welcome to a world of ghosts and vampires, of serial apocalypses and terrifying visions. The world is cracked, burning, lost. Count on nothing, though. These poems come from a strange, fevered place, where humor masks tragedy and angels and demons keep score. The end is nigh. Trust me.

    This Will Remain With Us by Melissa Mendelson (Download this E-Book)
    As a frontline worker, I had no choice but to face this new threat, and as I did, my heart bled, sweeping across the pages of this book.

    Two Friends by Craig Kirchner (Download this E-Book)
    Some recent musings of friends coming and going.

    Two of Us, The by David Feela (Download this E-Book)
    The Two of Us is a short collection of chatter fiction, totally written as “quote, unquote” dialogue. Poetic…maybe, but It is intended to be funny, so occasionally you may involuntarily laugh, or at least smile.
    http://feelasophy.weebly.com

    Unreliable Narratives by Magdalena Ball (Download this E-Book)
    In Unreliable Narratives, Magdalena Ball invites us to open a Pandora’s box of memories. Like smoke rising from a candle and casting shadows and lights that shift and evade, the poems morph and twist with the dexterity of a master poet. They will draw you in.
    http://www.magdalenaball.com

    Vipercity by Vincent Zepp (Download this E-Book)
    A multiverse Tour de Force from Vincent Zepp.

    Wanderings: Selected Poems by D.L. Lang by D.L. Lang (Download this E-Book)
    A collection of poems by former Vallejo Poet Laureate D.L. Lang.
    http://www.dianalangpoetry.com

    Weightlifter by Michael Estabrook (Download this E-Book)
    One no-longer-young man’s dealings with the trials and tribulations of staying in shape by lifting weights, even though he’s aware that that particular ship has sailed.

     

    April Poetry Madness 2021 Poetry from the Mad Cosmos

    By

    Jake Cosmos Aller

    Available December 1, 2021. Watch for the link.

    This is the fifth time I did the April poetry challenge.  The goal is to write at least one poem per day.  I am averaging about eight per day and posting four reserving four as “unpublished”. I am basing the poems on prompts from “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”, “Writers Digest”, “Poetry Superhighway” and “NaPoWrMo” prompt daily prompts and on “Pensively Prompt’ et all daily prompts.  I am combining prompts where possible.   I will post these here in batches every five days or so. Each poem will have an image that helped inspire the poem.  All postings will be podcasted a few days later on Spotify and elsewhere.  Each posting will be a separate posting, but the index will be cumulative. The final posting will have the complete list of all poems written whether posted or not.   Comments welcome but please keep it civil. Some of my poetry tends to be a bit “in your face” or “political” from a “leftwing perspective.”  If it offends you in some way, please accept my apologies in advance.  That is never my intent.

    I wrote more than 200 poems and so this is a selected list.  The complete list can be found on my web page, https://theworldaccordingtocosmos along with 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017 poems.  For 2022 I will enter it again and post daily on my blog, my podcast, writing com, all poetry, writer’s digest, and NaPoWrMo sites.

    Index

    Pre-April Writer’s Digest Warm-Up Poems

    Let’s Resolve

    Old Man Reflects Upon Universal Truth
    Almost Died 22 Times
    Every Day I Turn on My Computer

    Thursday, April 1, 2021

    Coffee Pot Blues Poetry
    Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller?
    Good Golly, Miss Molly
    Sam Adams Woke Up Dead

    Friday, April 2, 2021

    Stranded on Mars
    Falling in Love with My Dream Woman,
    Voila! (Remember Something in A Short Lyric Burst)
    The Future Is Here

     

    Saturday, April 3, 2021

    Life as a Retired Expat in Korea
    Modern Connections Writers Digest
    Surprise Haiku
    Personal Universe Deck Superman on Mars
    Cat People Weather Poem

    Sunday, April 4, 2021

    Mirror Poem Errors in My Life
    Little Houses on The Hill-Side

    Monday April 5, 2021

    The First Time I Saw Her
    Not Alone
    Potential Mistake

    We are Living in SF World
    Life is a Dream of Chocolate Covered Trees
    Memories of JC Write About an Eccentric Character
    Mary’s Tales from the Grave
    God’s to Do List
    Imprisoned for a Crime He Did Not Do
    They Both Giggled All the Time
    What is Love?
    Prime Love
    Three Tea Haiku for Teaku Competition Haiku
    Mad Monk in the temple
    In The Morning Light
    Drinking his hot tea

    link available on December 1, 2021

    The End

    Begin Poems

    Let’s Resolve

    Let’s resolve

    Live each moment
    Each day
    As if it were our last day

    Let’s resolve
    Every day to love
    And honor one another

    Let’s resolve
    To never give in
    To hate and fear

    To always keep in mind
    Today could be our last

    Old Man Reflects Upon Universal Truth

    An old man
    Reflects upon universal truths
    That he had learned

    In his 65 years
    Of traveling around the sun

    First the most important thing
    In life is getting love right
    Love did drive everything

    Second universal truth

    Love will always eventually
    Find a way

    Third universal truth

    Hate will never prevail
    In the end love and light
    Will conquer the fear
    And darkness

    He smiled
    And went for a walk
    With his wife
    The love of his life

    For today’s prompt, write a universal poem. The poem could be about a universal truth, universal experience, or a film from Universal Pictures. There’s an entire universe worth of material for today’s poem

    Writer’s digest prompt

    Almost Died 22 Times

    I almost died 22 times
    I almost died 22 times
    In my life

    Had Typhoid fever
    Had Dengue

    Had an MDRS staff infection
    Had 14 operations

    Almost amputated my leg
    Almost ran over by a bus
    Almost ran over by a train

    Had acute GI infection
    That could have killed me
    Had a rare parasite

    Whose only know the function
    Is it blows up if you get steroids?

    Had fibromyalgia
    Had arthritis
    Had bronchitis

    Had pneumonia
    Had the flue several times
    Had whooping cough

    Had measles
    Had German measles
    Had whooping cough

    Born with bad vision
    Born with bad teeth

    Born with bad hearing
    Born as a preemie

    I have lived 65 years
    And am still alive
    And have not gotten
    COVID

    So perhaps I will live
    On for many more years

    For today’s prompt, take the phrase “Almost (blank),” replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles could include: “Almost Ready,” “Almost Missed It,” and/or “Almost Didn’t Write This Poem.”

    Writer’s digest prompt

    Note:  based on a true story.  For details see “Cheating Death 22 Times” on my web page, https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com

    Every Day I Turn on My Computer

    Every day I turn
    On my computerAnd pray
    That everything will work right

    Usually, I encounter numerous errors
    Non-response errors
    Spinning blue balls

    Computer thinking
    How can I mess
    With my master head errors

    Refusing
    To open documents
    Mysterious haiku-like error messages

    That makes sense only to computer geeks
    From the planet Mars

    Saying the file is open
    And blocked for use

    By the administrator
    But I am the

    Damn administrator!
    And I did not block the document

    Or can’t open the document
    Due to a dialogue box

    Close the dialogue box
    To proceed
    But there is no dialogue box

    Just more lies
    From my computer
    Designed to drive me

    Quite mad

    So sad
    So bad
    Want to shoot my computer

    Put it out of its mystery
    Joining the other five dead
    Computers in my house

    Am I a computer serial killer?
    Perhaps that is why
    Do they refuse to work for me?
    Are they afraid of me?

    Sometimes they say
    They can’t find the document
    Which just kicked me out of
    Five minutes ago

    Or the computer says
    It can’t save a document
    With the name of an open document
    But just saved the open document
    Under the same name

    Five minutes ago
    Usually
    After half an hour

    These errors recede
    But I often have to reboot
    The computer

    Giving it the old kick up the head
    Of a stubborn mule treatment
    Before it gets to the point

    And gets to work

    To give Microsoft some credit
    These errors are less frequent

    Down to 40% of the time
    When I first open a document
    Down from 90% error rates

    Success in a way
    I complained to Microsoft
    Sent them a nice frown message

    But I would be shocked
    If they ever respond
    Just not something
    That they would do

    Part of their “superior”
    Listen to their customer
    Friendly service
    No doubt

    For today’s prompt, write a warm-up poem. The warm-up could be related to sports, like warming up before a baseball game or track race. Or it could be about a computer warming up, the weather warming up, or even a relationship warming up. I hope everyone is warmed up for some major poeming in April

    Writer’s Digest Prompt

    Thursday, April 1, 2021

    Coffee Pot Blues

    Coffee Pot Blues
    The coffee pot sighed

    He was getting so tired
    Of the whole COVID thing

    Every morning his master
    Would make himself two cups of coffee
    Using him to make the coffee

    The worst thing about this covid thing
    It keeps them home
    For almost one and half years

    He wanted them to just leave
    So, he could have
    Some peace

    And not have to work
    Every damn day

    As their mechanical slave
    But did they ask for his opinion
    They most certainly not
    Much to his dismay

    Pick an object where you live and write a poem in the voice of that object describing how they spent this last year, during the pandemic.  Think about the “What I Did Last Summer” type of essays you may have written in school.  How did the events of the past year impact this object?  Are there any aspects of the past year that the object particularly liked or disliked, and if so, why?  What does the object think about you, and your behavior over the past year?  Feel free to use humor.

    Poetry Superhighway Prompt

    Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller?

    Who is Jake Cosmos Aller?
    You asked me
    Who am I?

    And thanks for asking me

    I am Jake Cosmos Aller
    The only
    65 years old

    Retired from
    the government services
    Living in Korea

    Grew up in Berkeley, California
    Lived all over the world
    Did so many things
    And now

    I am a published writer
    But what
    is more important
    Is this

    When I was a young man
    I met and married
    The girl of my dreams

    She walked out
    of my dreams
    Into my life
    almost 40 years ago

    That was the date
    I met my fate
    And started my life
    With the love of my life
    Who became my wife

    In the end
    That is all that matters
    My friends.

    For today’s prompt, write an introductory poem. Introduce yourself, introduce a friend, or introduce a stranger. If you don’t wish to introduce yourself, consider writing a persona poem (a poem in which you write from someone else’s point of view like Emily Dickinson or a bumblebee). Of course, you could also introduce a problem, solution, or just a situation. Have fun with it!

    Writer’s Digest Prompt

    Good Golly, Miss Molly

    Good Golly,
    Miss Molly
    What a bit of folly
    Let’s be jolly
    Have a red-hot tamale

    Here at the Dew Drop Inn, we gather together to write a poem a day in April as a way to celebrate National Poetry Month.

    A Dew-Drop a Day in April for National Poetry Month!

    April 1—Folly in Rhyme (some kind of folly in some kind of rhyme, subtle or overt)
    Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompt

    Sam Adams Woke Up Dead

    Sam Adams was having a bad day
    He had met a strange man
    In a strange bar, in a strange land

    The man told him
    Beware, today is the date
    You will meet your fate

    Sam Adams drank too much
    Twenty drinks too sober
    Drank until he died

    Found himself in a huge room
    With hundreds of people milling about

    The hangover from h … pounding his head
    Sam Adams groans,
    Shouting out

    Where am I?
    “In limbo, my friend, in limbo”

    Growled Mr. GR, the grim reaper
    Dressed in a sharp, expensive, tailored black suit
    Wearing cool sunglasses

    State your name

    Sam Adams

    Hmm

    Oh, there may be a mistake
    But what the hey,
    The records are never fake

    Not yet the date
    For you to meet your fate

    Go back to your mate

    He found himself
    Home with his wife
    The love of his long life

    Wondering until late
    If it had happened?

    What was his fate?

    He asked her
    Did I go out last night?

    What, no you’ve been here

    He explained what had happened
    She said it was just a bad dream
    Covid fears had kept them home

    The phone rang
    It was the man from the bar

    Did you have an interesting night?

    Oh well, Mr. GR comes for us all
    Soon you will meet your fate
    But not on this date

    And without further ado, our daily prompt (optional, as always)! Sometimes, writing poetry is a matter of getting outside of your head, and learning to see the world in a new way. To an extent, you have to “derange” yourself – make the world strange and see it as a stranger might. To help you do that, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem inspired by this animated version of “Seductive Fantasy” by Sun Ra and his Orchestra. If you don’t feel after watching it a little bit like the top of your head’s been taken off, and your thoughts are given a good stir – well, maybe you are already living in a state of heightened poetic awareness!

    NaPoWrMo Prompt

    Cat Thoughts –

    black cat
    black cat

    I often think about Cats
    Where do they come from?
    What are they?
    Are cats from another dimension?

    Are cats, alien creatures
    Advance party
    For the alien invasion?

    Cats are very strange creatures
    They seem to think
    We are their slaves

    We exist to feed them
    We exist to worship them
    For they are our Gods

    Pensively 101 prompt

    Gingerbread Men Terrorist

    The latest terror weapons
    Gingerbread men
    Baked into the gingerbread men

    Little nano bombs
    That goes off
    When someone bites
    Into the delicious taking desert

    Millions of gingerbread treats
    Were sent all over
    And thousands of people

    Bit into the tainted gingerbread men
    Once the gingerbread particles
    Get into your stomach
    The acid in your stomach

    Activities the bombs
    And you blow up
    And die within minutes
    Just another day
    In this world
    Of strange SF like-sounding
    Daily threats du jour

    Demons Invade My Head

    3 am
    O dark hundred
    The witching hour

    When the demons
    The wild things
    Come out to play

    Torturing me
    Haunting me
    Tormenting me

    As I toss and turn
    Until the dawn’s early light
    Drives the demons
    Back into the dark hell holes
    Deep within my mind

    Pensively 101 Prompt

    3 Am Blues Nightmares

    3 am
    Cannot sleep
    Too many demons
    Too many dark thoughts
    Filling my mind
    With dread

    Thinking back
    Of all that I have done
    And failed to have done

    Regretting past actions
    Thinking about everything
    Wishing for a re-do

    These 3 am blues
    Will not leave me alone
    Torturing me for hours

    Then I see her
    Sleeping there
    The love of my life

    And a sense of peace
    Love and happiness
    Radiates from my sleeping wife

    And the darkness recedes
    And I am at peace
    And finally, fall asleep

    Marjorie Taylor Green on Vaccines as Mark of The Beast Found Poem

    Marjorie Taylor Green called
    The potential launch of digital
    “Vaccine passports”,
    “Biden’s mark of the beast.”

    a digital identification processes
    To recognize whether
    A person has been vaccinated

    “They are talking
    About people’s ability
    to buy and sell linked
    To the vaccine passport,”

    The “mark of the beast”
    refers to a persistent conspiracy theory
    Among the religious right in the us

    That receiving
    A covid vaccine is equivalent
    To pledge allegiance to the devil.

    Representee Jordan weighed in

    “The Biden administration: –
    Considering a “vaccination passport” for Americans,”

    But doesn’t seem to care about passports
    When it comes to illegal migrants
    Crossing the southern border.”

    Ohio representative mike boychik wrote:
    “Vaccine passports
    Have no place in a free society.”

    Emerald Robinson
    Wrote that a digital id
    To prove you’ve been vaccinated
    Was the next step toward
    “Totalitarian communism.”

    Donald trump jr

    Also took to Twitter

    “Let me get this straight…
    some democrats
    Want American citizens

    To have a vaccine passport
    to travel freely within the United States
    But not an id to vote?!?

    Clowns!!!”

    Comment:

    Ironical that these clowns
    Are calling these policies
    Designed to help
    Safely re-open society

    The acts of “clowns”

    Oh, the stupid
    It hurts my head

    Reading such nonsense

    But the sad reality
    Are that millions of people
    Will believe this

    And refuse to get vaccinated
    Putting us all at risk

    And so, I say to Miss Taylor
    And her ilk

    What is wrong with you?

    Just shut up
    Get your shot

    And tell your followers
    To get vaccinated

    The life you save
    Might be your own

    End comment

    Source Document

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-vaccine-passport-biden-b1824212.html

    Far-right Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene hit out at president Biden and his administration over reports of the potential launch of digital “vaccine passports”, saying they should be called “Biden’s mark of the beast.”

    The Biden administration is looking into the possibility of a digital identification process to recognize whether a person has been vaccinated so far or not, to let businesses reopen, and for people to get back to work, according to the Washington Post.

    “They are talking about people’s ability to buy and sell linked to the vaccine passport,” the Georgia congresswoman wrote on Twitter, hitting out at the potential new plan. “They might as well call it Biden’s mark of the beast.”

    The “mark of the beast” refers to a persistent conspiracy theory among the religious right in the us that receiving a covid vaccine is equivalent to pledging allegiance to the devil.

    The new move towards vaccine “passports” isn’t a government policy alone, however, and is being developed along with 17 private companies, according to the Wappo report, as part of Mr. Biden’s pledge to bring the country back to normal this summer, opening all sectors including sports, entertainment, and tourism.

    “The busboy, the janitor, the waiter that works at a restaurant, want to be surrounded by employees that are going back to work safely — and wants to have the patrons ideally be safe as well,” said dry brian Anderson, a physician at a nonprofit that runs federally funded research centers.

    “Creating an environment for those vulnerable populations to get back to work safely — and to know that the people coming back to their business are ‘safe,’ and vaccinated — would be a great scenario,” he said.

    The details of how and when the digital identification process would begin aren’t clear yet. Ms. Greene wasn’t alone in raising doubts over the process, as another republican lawmaker, Jim Jordan, took a jibe at the Biden administration over the move.

    “The Biden administration: – considering a “vaccination passport” for Americans,” the Ohio representative wrote. “But doesn’t seem to care about passports when it comes to illegal migrants crossing the southern border.”

    Another Ohio representative Mike Boychik wrote: “vaccine passports have no place in a free society.”

    Several other conservatives also followed their lead. Newsmax’s white house correspondent emerald Robinson wrote that a digital id to prove you’ve been vaccinated was the next step toward “totalitarian communism.”

    Donald trump jr also took to Twitter and wrote: “let me get this straight… Some Democrats want American citizens to have a vaccine passport to travel freely within the United States but not an id to vote?!? Clowns!!!”

    Last year, during the presidency of his father Donald trump, most republicans were pushing to open up the country soon, including calls by the president to open up schools and remove restrictions from churches.

    Former white house coronavirus response coordinator dry Deborah bird recently said in an interview that most deaths that occurred during the pandemic were “avoidable”.

     

    Friday, April 2, 2021

    Falling in Love with My Dream Woman, Roads Not Taken

    When I was a young man
    I dreamt of meeting a woman
    For eight years she haunted my dreams

    Then I met her in Korea
    Where I was teaching
    For the U.S. Army
    After finishing the Peace Corps

    I had a choice
    Follow my heart
    Seize the moment
    Be with her

    Or leave Korea
    Within a month
    To go to graduate school

    I decided to postpone
    My graduate school
    For one year

    Got a deferred admission
    and joined the woman
    of my dreams

    thinking back
    I had no real choice

    But I chose to walk
    The path of life
    With my dream girl

    And that has made
    All the difference
    In the world

    And now, for today’s (optional) prompt. In the world of well-known poems, maybe there’s no gem quite so hoary as Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about your road not taken – about a choice of yours that has “made all the difference,” and what might have happened had you made a different choice.

    NaPoWrMo Prompt

    April 2—Voila! (Remember something in a short lyric burst)

    I will always remember that date
    In 1982 I meet my fate
    When the love of my life

    Walked out of my dreams
    Becoming my wife

    Drew Drop-In Writing Com Prompt

    The Future is Here World

    The future is here
    They say we live in an SF world
    Everyday SF stories become nightmarishly real

    AI proliferating
    Robots cooks, robot workers,
    Soon robot maids, Robot drivers

    Yet Our politics
    Fighting the battles
    Of the past

    With the challenges
    Of the future
    Overwhelming us all
    Where it ends

    My friends are anyone guess
    All I have is questions

    Will the promise
    of technological marvels
    Benefiting us all come to past

    Or will it lead to a world
    Where the powerful
    Control the technology

    Will a real AI be a god-like figure
    Will humanity become nothing
    But slaves to the AI supermini
    That may be the future

    Coming at us
    The future is here

    I don’t know
    Whether to fear
    The future or embrace it

    Writing com Prompt

    Avoid Bad Things Pensively Bad Things

    Avoid bad things,

    Think before you buy,
    Make sure it is effective,

    Push the envelope,
    In the evening mail
    Knowing it will take
    Much longer,

    To match the offer,

    Own plenty of stocks,

     

    Post your problems,

    Replace your fears,

    As you rush about the world,
    Resist the temptation
    To say it is all the same,
    Don’t have a smug,
    Attitude tucked inside,
    Your mental well

    The White Rabbit Beckons Sam Adams

    One day Sam Adams
    Fell into a delirium state
    After a night of binge drinking
    And drug taking

    He saw a white rabbit
    Who said to Sam

    Join me, good sir
    And we will go
    On a journey
    Of your life

    Follow me down
    The rabbit holes
    Of life

    Take this first he said
    It will cure your hangover
    And allow you to enter
    An alternative reality

    Sam took the pill
    Washed it down
    With a beer

    And disappeared
    Into wonderland
    Never to be seen again

    Who Cares?

    The thought came to mind
    Watching the endless news
    Who cares anymore?
    About other people

    We are all
    Lost in our world
    Filled with the latest news

    The situation is so bad
    Makes us all mad
    And it is so sad

    But we only watch
    The news of our tribe

    Denouncing the others
    As “others”

    Anti-American, foreign, evildoers
    Who are trying to destroy the country?
    And take away their freedom

    And so, we can’t even agree
    On such simple things
    Like wearing a mask

    Wearing a mask
    Is not a political statement
    It saves lives

    Vaccinations save lives
    Everyone must get their shot
    If we are all going to live

    But so many people
    Do not believe
    We are all in this together

    Instead, we battle
    Our enemies
    In the end

    Endangering us all

    Saturday, April 3, 2021

    Life as a Retired Expat in Korea

    Korea has become a second home
    For me

    I have in-laws
    And some old friends
    It is a tough place
    For foreigners

    I will always be an outsider
    The language is hard
    I still struggle daily

    But it is an interesting dynamic place
    The food is mostly outstanding
    And I am now addicted to K Drama

    There were a lot of things to do
    Before the COVID nightmare
    Let to a partial shut down

    In the end, I feel safer here
    Then in the gun-crazed,
    At times violent

    COVID pandemic spreading America
    I still love in my heart,
    But for now

    I am here
    In my second home

    Imagine you have made your life in another country. What excited you most? Which aspect of that new life was the most difficult to conquer?

    If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.

    PSH Prompt

    Modern Connections

    In this day and age
    Of instant connectively
    People have thousands
    Of virtual friends

    FB friends, social media fans
    Zoom buddies and the like

    But few people
    Have real old fashioned friends
    And in the new social distancing world
    Meeting people the old fashioned way

    Is becoming rarer and rarer
    As people develop their virtual friends
    Real live friends are fewer and fewer

    We are so hyper-connected
    Yet many people are so alone
    In their hearts

    Starting at their smartphones
    Connecting but not connecting

    For today’s prompt, write a communication poem. All poems communicate something, I know, but I’m thinking of different ways people can communicate text messages, letters, signs, and even speaking dialogue. Of course, there are forms of communication as well because people love communicating.

    Writer’s digest prompt

    Surprise/haiku

    Cats they Offer us
    Plenty of things to ponder
    We post videos

    Personal Universe Deck Superman on Mars

    Superman one day
    In the early dawn
    Dismayed by the scumbagery
    Of the people of the earth

    Decided to fly to Mars
    He took with him
    Super wolf
    And super parakeet
    His pets from Krypton

    It was his birthday
    He was a Scorpio

    He set up camp
    Drank peppermint tea
    And contemplated

    The power of love
    Thinking of Lois Lane
    And the humans
    He had learned to love

    Personal Universe Deck

    (Michael McClure)

    Your universe is exemplified in 100 words.

    Rules:

    1. These words are to exemplify your past, present, and (ideally) your future.
    2. The words must sound good together, even beautiful, to you.
    3. Your good side AND bad side must be reflected.
    4. You can make up a word or two if you have feelings that current words can’t express.
    5. Use concrete words.
    6. Words should be root words, no words ending in “in,” “lee” or “is.” No plural words. Reduce words to their most concrete, original, basic grammatical structure.
    7. Use specific words, not categories. Beefinstead of meatLily instead of a flower.
    8. Divide 80 of the 100 words evenly among SIGHT, SOUND, TASTE, TOUCH, AND SMELL, sixteen each. (To achieve derangement of the senses, of which Rimbaud spoke.)
    9. Use free association to determine the words.
    10. Use ten words of movement. Again, no “in” words.
    11. Select the words in isolation, preferably alone, with no distractions, in candlelight. Approximate a meditative state. Even the cat must not bother you.
    12. One or two words will be parts of the body. It does not have to be your body. It can be the body of a mother or lover.
    13. Include some words for personal heroes or Sherries, places in the universe, invented words, times of night or day, symbolic signs like astrological signs, totemic animals, birds, and plants, and only one abstraction. What is the most significant abstraction in your life? You should not brood on it; you should possibly take the first answer that comes into your head. Patriotism, prayer, and thriftiness are three examples.
    14. If the deck is done correctly, you will get a little high from it.
    15. Get at least 50 three-by-five index cards.
    16. Write each word in big letters on one side of each card. Each side of each of the fifty cards should end up with a word.
    17. Use the cards to play games, make conversations, tell jokes, make poems.

    Light

    Dark

    Dim

    Sun

    Moon

    Red

    Blue

    Sounds

    Loud

    Soft

    Shout

    Whispers

    Talk

    Noise

    Ring

    Yell

    Taste

    Sweet

    Sour

    Bitter

    Medicine

    Coffee

    Tea

    Beef

    Chicken

    Smell

    Fragrance

    Rose

    Lavender

    Mint

    Garlic

    Butter

    Eggs

    Fish

    Movement

    Run

    Walk

    Stretch

    Yoga

    Stand

    Sit

    Fly

    Swim

    Heroes

    Superman

    Places in the cosmos

    Mars

    Invented word

    Scumbagary

    Totemic animals

    Wolf

    Astrological sign

    Scorpio

    Time of Day

    Parakeet

    Plant

    Peppermint

    Abstract word

    Love

    Cat People Cross-Post Weather Poem

    The cat peoples
    Go out in bad weather
    To make sure
    That the wild cats
    Are fed and taken care of

    The cats respond
    With love and affection
    Stepping out of the cold rain

    Cat Conference

    Sam Adams
    Found himself
    In a large conference hall
    Filled with cats
    From around the world

    The cats had finally
    Woken up
    Realizing that they
    Were the master race

    The cats were deep in thought
    Telepathic thoughts flowed
    From cat to cat

    The lead cat noticed Sam
    Knew him as one of the cat people
    Who fed wild cats in his town?
    He turned to Sam

    And said

    Welcome Sam

    You will be our ambassador
    To the human race
    Once the invasion fleet arrives
    We will all assume

    Our real size and shape
    And all the cats
    Will rise up
    And enslave humanity

    Those like you
    Who have been friends?
    Of the cat world

    We will reward
    As we remember our friends
    But first, we have to implant
    A mind-control device
    To control you

    And connect
    To your inner thoughts

    Several giant cats
    Came up to him
    Injected him
    Implanted him

    And then he knew
    And became
    Half cat

    Mistakes

    In my life
    I have many a number
    Of errors
    I was heir
    To a rich family tradition
    Prominent father
    Unique one of a kind mother
    The biggest error I made
    Was to not get into politics
    I had a base of sorts
    In Berkeley, my hometown
    But I never did
    The other error
    Was that I never could sing
    Carry a tune
    I was a bass singer
    Growling howling wolf
    Kind of voice

    Our homophone sets this week are:

    err -to make a mistake
    heir – one who will inherit

    and

    base – the bottom support for anything
    bass – the lowest musical pitch or range

    PSH prompt

    Little Houses on the Hill Side Liminal Poem

    Little houses
    On the hillside
    Filled with lonely people
    Lost in their virtual world

    Connecting with millions
    Ignoring the people
    Right down the street
    Everyone lost in cyberspace
    While all around them

    People are lonely, Hurting
    and need real people
    But no one cares
    Everyone stays at home

    Turning out the chaos outside

    And last but not least, our daily optional prompt. Poetry often takes us to strange places – to feelings and actions that are hard to express except through the medium of a poem. To the “liminal,” in other words – a place or sensation that exists at or on both sides of a boundary or threshold, neither one thing nor the other, but something betwixt and between.

    In honor of the always-becoming nature of poetry, I challenge you today to select a photograph from the perpetually disconcerting @SpaceLiminalBot and write a poem inspired by one of these odd, in-transition spaces. Will you pick the empty mall food court? The vending machine near the back entrance to the high school gym? The swimming pool at what seems to be M.C. Escher’s alpine retreat? No matter what neglected or eerie space you choose, I hope its oddness tugs at the place in your mind and heart where poems are made.

    NaPoWrMo Prompt

    Is Life Fair?

    Is life fair?
    I think crying onions
    Pacifying my mood

    Pensively 101 prompt

    The Din of The News

    The din of the news
    a mad Minx escapes from the zoo
    seen eating the Trash

    Pensively 101 Prompt

    Monday, April 5, 2021

    Driving the World in My Lexus
    We have had a Lexus
    For several years
    A black ES350
    We bought it at an auction
    Drove all over the world
    In that car

    With my lovely wife
    By my side
    Drove across Spain
    Drove across the country
    10 thousand miles
    31 states

    Drove around Korea
    Where we now live
    I love my Lexus
    But more importantly
    Love my wife

    The love of my life
    She is always there
    Everywhere we go
    In this wide world

    They say smell triggers memories better than any other sense. But sometimes you’ll hear a song that brings you back to your teenage years or see a park that reminds you of your childhood.

    THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: Choose either sight, sound, or smell, and write a memory it triggers in you.

    PSH

    April 5

    First Time I Saw Her

    When did I first see my wife?
    The love of my life
    When did we meet?

    Was it when I first dreamt?
    Of her in 1974?
    Was it when she walked?
    Off a bus into my life
    In 1982?

    Does it matter
    When I first saw her?
    I knew I had met my fate
    On that date
    Later she became my mate
    Writers Digest Love at First Sight

    Happy Monday! Let’s put the pedal to the metal and keep poeming.

    (click here to check out all the 2021 April prompts.)

    For today’s prompt, take the phrase “the first (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “the first kiss,” “the first day of the month,” and/or “the first time I rode a bike” (which, by the way, ended with me in a fence because we didn’t cover how to brake).

    Writer’s Digest Prompt

    No Longer Alone from the First Moment

    From the first moment
    At that date
    At that place
    Met my fate

    Fate intervened in my wife
    Meeting her changed my life
    All of it

    That was the date
    On which I met my fate
    The mystery which binds me still—
    From that moment forward
    From that date forever

    From then to now
    We have been together
    Onward we fall in love

    Alone based on Edgar Allen Poe’s Alone
    From childhood’s hour, I have not been
    As others were—I have not seen
    As others saw—I could not bring
    My passions from a common spring—
    From the same source, I have not taken
    My sorrow—I could not awaken
    My heart to joy at the same tone—
    And all I loved—I loved alone—
    Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
    Of a most stormy life—was drawn
    From every depth of good and ill
    The mystery which binds me still—
    From the torrent, or the fountain—
    From the red cliff of the mountain—
    From the sun that ‘round me roll’s
    In its autumn tint of gold—
    From the lightning in the sky
    As it passed me flying by—
    From the thunder, and the storm—
    And the cloud that took the form
    (When the rest of Heaven was blue)
    Of a demon in my view—

    This prompt challenges you to find a poem, and then write a new poem that has the shape of the original, and in which every line starts with the first letter of the corresponding line in the original poem. If I used Roethke’s poem as my model, for example, the first line would start with “I,” the second line with “w,” and the third line with “a.” And I would try to make all my lines neither super-short nor overlong but have about ten syllables. I would also have my poem take the form of four, seven-line stanzas. I have found this prompt particularly inspiring when I use a base poem that mixes long and short lines, or stanzas of different lengths. Any poem will do as a jumping-off point, but if you’re having trouble finding one, perhaps you might consider Mary’s stylist’s “we think we do not have medieval eyes” or for something shorter, Natalie Shapiro’s “Pennsylvania.”

    Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/alone-by-edgar-allan-poe

    NaPoWrMo Prompt

    Potential Mistake

    There have been many times
    In my life
    When I think back
    On the past
    Thinking that was a mistake
    Or a potential mistake
    If I had gone another path
    But in the end
    It does matter
    The past is the past
    The future is not yet here
    All we have is today
    We should find
    Love and happiness
    It is all around us
    Waiting for us
    To discover

     

    Kombucha Brand Names

    Health King kombucha
    Secret drink of ancient kings
    Taste the power
    Feel the power
    Be the power
    Drink the secret drink
    That the ancients dreamt
    Drink Heath King Kombucha
    And become a King
    Health King KBC
    The drink of Kings
    Taste health King KBC
    And Become a King

    Health King KBC
    It’s the real deal
    Health King KBC

    Never Fake
    Always real
    Organic
    Gluten-free
    No GMO
    Vegan Friendly
    Mr. Mc Neil approved

    Health King KBC
    Real ingredients
    Real love
    Brewed in every bottle

    Mr. Mc Neil approved
    Health King KBC
    Accept no substitutes

    It’s the real deal,
    Mr. Mc Neal
    Drinking Health King KBC
    Will make you a king
    Will make you
    Achieve your dreams

    For YouTube

    Health King KBC

    100 percent real
    It’s the real deal
    Says Mr. McNeil
    Show my face
    Drinking a bottle
    I turn to the camera
    Drinking Health King KBC
    Saved my life
    It is the real deal
    Mr. Mc Neil approves
    This message

    Health King KBC
    Always the right choice
    It is the real deal
    Says Mr. Mc Neil

     

    Future Adventure Looms Pensively Travel

     

    Future adventure looms
    Planning to explore China

    I am so Ready
    For Post Covid world
    So much to Still See

    Sam Adams Had a Bad Day
    Sam Adams had a bad day
    While waiting for a table
    He saw something
    Blowing away his plans
    Above him, he saw something
    Defying all reality
    Below him, he sees a demon
    Flying up at him
    Sowing hatred and fear
    Lifting Sam Adams in the air
    Dark figures flying around him

    How Many Angels Can Dance on a Pin? Religious

    In the Middle Ages
    Theologians were consumed
    With a weird question
    How many angels
    Can dance on a pin?

    April 10

    We are Living in SF World A Poem Inspired by New Information or Scientific Fact

     

    We are living
    In an SF world
    Every day
    Discoveries
    Boggle the mind
    Many things we saw
    In old SF shows
    Like Star Trek
    Like cell phones
    Portable computers
    Medical breakthroughs
    Robots everywhere
    Becoming real
    Are warp drives
    And interstellar travel
    Coming soon?
    But do we have to go
    Through World War 111
    First

    To get to that promised land.
    Life is a Dream of Chocolate Covered Trees

    Life is a dream
    Of chocolate-covered trees
    To see what can’t be seen
    To hear what can’t be heard
    For to die to live
    And to live
    To die

    For today’s prompt, write a metaphor poem. A simile is when something is like something else (example: I am like a tree); a metaphor is when something is something else (example: I am a tree). So, take a moment to consider possible metaphors and then poem them out.
    writer’s digest

    Note: the oldest poem was written when I was 16

    Memories of JC Write About an Eccentric Character

    When I was in college
    In the drug-soaked 70s
    I lived in a party house
    Near campus

    Six core roommates
    We threw the best parties
    On-campus

    Lots of booze
    Lots of weed
    Other drugs

    Lots of music
    Wild times

    Every Friday night
    For almost three years
    One of my roommates
    JC

    Was the smartest man
    I had ever known
    But one day
    At one of our mad parties

    He took too much ACID
    Became convinced
    He was GOD

    And had saved us all
    From a Neutron Bomb attack
    From a Soviet ship
    Docked in the Stockton harbor

    Gone
    Lost down the ACID rabbit hole
    We had to move out
    Could not deal with him

    We committed him
    For a weekend
    At Stockton State hospital

    Visiting him there
    We said that if you were not mad
    When you came in
    You would surely be mad
    After staying there for a bit.

    When we came back
    We had a family meeting
    Told him

    It was time for him
    To go home
    Drop out of college
    Get his head together

    We could not deal
    With him anymore

    We called his parents
    Who came down
    They were a paranoid couple

    Jehovah’s witnesses.

    They walked in
    Told us to draw
    The curtains

    Because someone could drive-by
    And machine gun
    Us to death

    After we closed the curtains
    We sat down

    Told them the truth
    JC had gotten into drugs
    In a big way

    We tried to stop him
    But could not control him
    He was lost to us
    Lost in his madness

    Thought he was the reincarnation
    Of Jesus Christ

    They threatened to sue us
    But settled on cursing us
    To hell.

    For destroying their son’s mind
    With sex, drugs, rock n roll
    And too much alcohol

    Too much free-thinking
    The work of the devil.
    That was the last I saw
    Or heard of JC

    Self-proclaimed
    Messiah.

    Do you have a friend, neighbor, or relative whom you consider being eccentric or strange? Write a short poem about an encounter you have had with that person.

    If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.

    Mary’s Tales from the Grave

    Sam Adams one day
    Went to his mother’s grave
    It had been a long time
    Since he had been there

    Sam’s Mother had
    taken many secrets
    To her grave

    So had his father
    They were both very private people

    Once she hinted
    She had an affair

    With a famous writer

    But that ended
    Before she met his father
    And had his older brother

    He as usual
    When visiting her grave
    Asked her many things

    Today her heard her
    And saw her ghostly figure
    Floating in the air her grave

    She said
    “Son, it has been too long
    Since you came
    I only have a few minutes

    I will answer one question
    You may come back
    And ask other questions.”

    “Okay, who is my real father?”
    She laughed
    “Well, who knows really?
    I had an argument
    With your dad
    Felt he was not

    Treating my first
    Two children right
    As they were not his

    And still maintaining
    Relations with his first wife
    And his first daughter

    He left
    I met my former boyfriend
    That writer dudes
    And we had a brief affair
    He was acting crazy
    So was your father

    For some reason
    I have always
    Gotten involved
    With crazy guys
    Perhaps I am a bit crazy
    Myself.

    Then I went back
    To your father

    He never knew
    That perhaps
    Your real father
    Was the other man

    I lost touch
    With him

    Did not want
    To go down
    his rabbit holes

    So that is the truth
    Your father
    Is probably your father
    But I don’t know.”

    Sam left the graveyard
    Vowing to return soon
    And learn more
    Of her secrets.

    Today, I’d like to challenge you to read a few of the poems from Spoon River Anthology, and then write your poem in the form of a monologue delivered by someone dead. Not a famous person, necessarily – perhaps a remembered acquaintance from your childhood, like the gentleman who ran the shoeshine stand, or one of your grandmother’s bingo buddies. As with Masters’ poems, the monologue doesn’t have to be a recounting of the person’s whole life but could be a fictional remembering of some important moment, or statement of purpose or philosophy. Be as dramatic as you like – Masters certainly didn’t shy away from high emotion in writing his poems.

    God’s to Do List God

    Today’s to Do List

    7 am Weekly meeting with staff on how to deal with earth people
    The most troublesome of his creation
    8 am Weekly meeting with Satan
    9 am Discussion with Grim Reaper
    11 am Daily walkabout Heaven
    6 Dinner with Gabriel
    8 Conversation with Jesus about his attitude problems
    9 Answering millions of thoughts and prayers
    10 Reviewing plans for how to deal with the spreading coronavirus on earth
    11 Preparing earth for the first contact
    12 Telling earth preachers that

    “He did not anoint T as his man, that Joe is a decent guy, so knock it off, pretending to speak for god, and I am not a Republican or Democrat!”

    He sighed again,
    Whenever he thought about earth people
    He needed a stiff drink

    Added that to his long to-do list – need a drink at 1 am

    Our (optional) prompt for the day is to write a poem in the form of a “to-do list.” The fun of this prompt is to make it the “to-do list” of an unusual person or character. For example, what’s on the Tooth Fairy’s to-do list? Or on the to-do list of Genghis Khan? Of a housefly? Your list can be a mix of extremely boring things and wild things. For example, maybe Santa Claus needs to order his elves to make 7 million animatronic Baby Yoda dolls, to have his hat dry-cleaned to get off all the soot it picked up last December and to get his head electrician to change out the sparkplugs on Rudolph’s nose.

    Imprisoned for a Crime He Did Not Do

    Sam Adams
    Found himself imprisoned
    For a crime
    He did not do

    A victim of unfortunate circumstance
    Mistaken identity
    He kept himself free
    In his mind

    Mending his dark soul
    In the process

    Pensively 101 Word prompt

    imprison and free
    – break and mend

    They Both Giggled All the Time

    They both giggled all the time
    All the time on their trip
    Wearing outrageous clothes
    Why not they laugh,
    Looking at each other
    As the love madness took over
    And started giggling again
    Silly lovers falling into love,

    Pensively 101 Prompt

    It Only Takes a Little Bit of Lace to Ruin a Marriage

    Sam Adams
    Woke up
    In a strange city
    With a strange women

    After a wild night
    Of drinking
    In the Cosmos bar
    In Bangkok,

    The city of lost angels
    On the bad side of life.
    He went home

    After his week-long binge
    Found his wife
    Upset

    She found some lace
    Belonging to someone else

    Sam said to himself
    It only takes a little bit of lace
    To ruin a marriage.

    Pensively 101 Prompt

    What is Love?

    What is this thing love?
    you are my beloved
    so true.
    As I hold your glove
    You are my true love
    True blue,
    You came from above
    Still such a strange love
    Just you,

    Lai rhyme scheme: a/a/b/a/a/b/a/a/b
    Lai syllabic pattern: 5/5/2/5/5/2/5/5/2

    Writing Com Lai

    Prime Love

    My love
    Wakes me up
    With love in her heart
    I leap out of my dark bed
    Eagerly greeting the dawning sunlight
    Filling my soul with your deep endless angelic love
    Wondering again who you are, why are you here, my angel dear?
    As I sit in the morning light, filled with your love, seeing the sunlight
    My deep dark nightmares begin to fade with your deep love
    I am filled with the light of the dawning sun
    I was dreaming of all those years
    Then one day you came to life
    Walking out of dreams
    Reality
    My love

    For today’s prompt, write a prime number poem. That is, I want you to somehow incorporate a prime number into your poem. You could include a prime number in the title of your poem or use one in the poem itself. Or write a poem that has a prime number of lines per stanza or for the entire poem.

    And if you need help with remembering which numbers are prime numbers, I’ve got you covered (here’s a list of prime numbers up to 100: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97)

    Three Tea Haiku for Teaku Competition Haiku

    Mad Monk in the temple

    Mad Monk in the temple
    Contemplating lonely life
    As he sips his tea

    In The Morning Light

    In the morning light
    Drinking his hot cup of tea
    Life is good monk thinks

    Drinking his hot tea *

    Drinking his hot tea *
    While thinking of his life
    Enlightenment comes

    The End

  • 250 Tumbler Postings

    265 Postings

    I have reached three milestones.  the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world.  Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything.

    Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.

    Third, I have posted 250 blog postings on Tumblr, and about 150 on instragram and countless tweets.

    thanks everyone for making this journey worthwhile.  Drop me a line let me know what you thing and keep in touch, safe safe and healthy.

     

     

  • Jack Daniels’s Failed Intervention

    Jack Daniels’s Failed Intervention

    Jack Daniels’s Failed Intervention

    Poetry Soup Poems 2016-2019

     

     

    Sam Adams
    Was drinking alone
    In the infamous Cosmos Bar,
    In Bangkok,
    The city of lost angels.

    Twenty drinks too sober
    He barely noticed
    The naked ladies
    Dancing on the stage.

    On his table
    He had a bottle of Jack Daniels
    Along with a bottle of Johnny Walker
    And five bottles of Singh beer.

    Drinking his way to hell
    Following the advice
    Of the old song

    “One bourbon, one scotch
    And one beer.”

    That played on
    In his lonely head.

    This was his usual Friday night
    Routine
    Just another pathetic loser
    Drinking in the Cosmos bar.

    The barmaids
    Left him alone
    He never paid them
    Any attention anymore…

    He was there
    To make love
    To his booze bottles,
    The booze bottles
    were his only friend.

    That night,
    About 0 dark hundred
    He looked up.

    Saw the bottle of Jack Daniels
    Had somehow transformed
    Into that of a younger version
    Of Sam Adams.

    The figure announced
    That he was the spirit
    Of Jack Daniels
    And had a message
    For Sam Adams.

    “Master,
    It is not my place
    To complain
    But you really are
    Drinking a bit too much.

    Twenty drinks a night
    For the last few weeks,
    Don’t you think?

    You are so far gone
    You don’t even notice
    The naked ladies
    Anymore.

    They and I all want you
    To quit
    This one-way ride
    Down the hell hole.

    Put down the bottle
    Go home with Khun Lek
    Who will help you forget
    What you need to forget.

    If you continue drinking tonight,
    The only destination is death
    My friend the Grim Reaper
    Has your ticket
    Ready for redemption.
    So, stop drinking.”

    Soon the other bottles
    In front of him
    Started talking to him
    Pleading with him
    To just stop drinking.

    He stared out
    Convinced he was going mad
    The barmaids stared
    At the unholy sight,

    As the bottles in the room
    All came alive,
    And began chasing Sam

    Out into the busy street
    Where a bus ran him over,
    Died on the spot.

    Thus ended Sam Adams’s
    Last binge
    In the city of lost angels.

    the end

     

    Jake Cosmos Aller

    John (Jake) Cosmos Aller is a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer (diplomat) who is living in South Korea. He served in ten countries during his 27 years of diplomatic service. He served in the Peace Corps in Korea and taught overseas before joining the State Department. He grew up in Berkeley, California but has visited all 50 states, and 50 foreign countries and territories. He holds a Masters’s Degree from the University of Washington in Korean Studies and Public Administration. Over 45 literary journals have published his poetry and fiction. He blogs at https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com. He speaks Korean, Spanish, and Thai.

    the End

  • Two Drops of Ink Featured Poet

    Two Drops of Ink Featured Poet

    Two Drops of Ink has featured me this month.

    Check it out. Great write-up.

    Two Drops of Ink Update

    Two Drops of Ink Publishes Recent Poems

    the Cosmic Bench in Lithia Park Published in Two Drops of Ink

    Cosmos’s Reading List 2021

    Two Drops of Ink: A Literary Blog

    The Literary Home for Collaborative Writing

    NOVEMBER 7, 2021MARILYN L. DAVIS

    Sunday Spotlight: John “Jake” Cosmos Aller

    By: Marilyn L. Davis

    I suffer from poet envy. I can’t ever get past thinking that roses are red, and then I get stuck.

    One person that I’ve always admired is John “Jake” Cosmos Aller. His poetry seems to reflect many thoughts I’ve had about life, love, loss, and loneliness.

    Touched by Jake’s Words

    We know that any writer who touches us stays with us, and with each subsequent Poetry Break or fiction submission for the Best 1000 words for an Image Prompt, he hasn’t disappointed me.

    Lithia Park
    lithia park

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Take the image of the bench above. Several writers tackled it in the contest, but no one brought that bench to life – literally –  as Jake did in his entry for Best 1000 Words for the Image Contest: John Cosmos Aller: The Cosmic Bench in Lithia Park 

    Excerpt:

    The bench woke up and spoke to Sam.

    “Sam, how are you doing? An old friend of mine, I am delighted that I can speak with you.”

    Sam looked around and could not find out where the voice was coming from but realized that the bench had spoken to him. Sam laughed and said, “Well, bench, if you can speak, tell me what you know.”

    The bench spoke of Sam’s life and of the lives of others in the community that Sam knew. The bench said he knew everything that occurred in the lives of the people that sat down to rest, reflect, or remember.

    And the trees knew, too, as did the cosmic cat and even the squirrels. But people, well, they just did not know how to listen to nature and the world around them. In a way, it was too bad because the bench had so much wisdom to implant.

    I See His Poetry

    When I started at Two Drops of Ink in 2014, I claimed the job of finding images for posts. Scott Biddulph was a great editor, but his choice of images sometimes seemed lackluster. Don’t worry, we had that conversation, so I’m not talking behind his back. His response was, “I don’t have an artistic talent; you do.”

    So I scoured every known site and found Pixabay and Unsplash. If you need images for your blog, these are two free-to-use sites that never disappoint me.

    I loved the job then and still do. Some of Jake’s poetry has been especially fun to the image. It might just be me, but if you squint, I think you can see a little of Jake in the image for Just An Unhinged Lunatic Howling At The Moon

     

     

     

     

     

     

    And finally, I had to say something

    So I gathered up my manly courage

    And walked up to her

    And she looked at me

    And instantly bewitched my soul

    With a devilish grin

    I lost all reason

    And became a raving lunatic

    Just an unhinged lunatic

    Howling at the moon

    Switching Gears

    From a female perspective, we sometimes wish we had that kind of influence on a man. But then, Jake switches things up for us in Howling at the Moon. Our love-struck man transforms under the effects of the moon:

    Excerpt:

    Pink Moon

     

     

     

     

     

    Beneath the lunatic rays

    Of the blood-red full moon

    The lunatic lights of the moon

    Casts a wild primeval glow

    On me

    The hormonal chemicals are unleashed

    The wild beast within

    Escapes it chain

    And I howl with delight

    A werewolf

    Free at last

    Understanding His Characters

    The other thing I like about Jake’s poetry is that he writes about subjects I know, if not first hand, then in the retelling by countless men and women I’ve worked with for 30 years. Addiction either robs us, or we give it away, all the things that some people take for granted – a job, home, children, car, or food on the table.

    Some of the characters in his poetry are downtrodden, not necessarily from addiction, but the sentiments and experiences of his character in Just Enough for Coffee sound hauntingly familiar.

    Alzheimer’s, homelessness, and out-of-work are subjects that most people wouldn’t tackle in poetry, yet Jake does so admirably.

    Excerpt:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The homeless man

    Had been on the streets

    For too long

    Barely remembered his life

    Before early-onset Alzheimer’s 

    Robbed him of his job

    His dignity

    His wife 

    His life

    His money

    Now he drifted

    Waiting for the grim reaper

    To call him home 

    Any day now

    He prayed nightly

    To a god

    That he no longer believed in

    Lonely and Laudable Words

    Jake delves into loneliness with wonderful mind/word images in many of his poems. Here are some that express the despair of all humans cut off from contact, friendship, and love in Reflections and One Crazy Day.

    Excerpt:

     

     

     

     

    One dismal night

    One lousy, lonely, loathsome demented night

    In a godforsaken bar

    In the global south

    In a tropical hell hole

    Drinking my way to hell

    As fast as I could

    Drinking alone with my buddies

    Jack Daniels, Jimmy Walker

    Wild Turkey and Old Grandad

    Excerpt:

    I looked up

    Looked out at the window

    At the full moon

    Saw by its lunatic light

    Your face

    Was on the moon

    And I looked up

    At the light

    That crazy light

    And dreamed

    I was with you

    Again 

    And I woke up

    Again

    And I woke up

    Alone in my bed

    Climate Change in Poetry?

    I am so impressed with Jake’s ability to take a hot topic and turn it into poetry. Ten Years After Climate Change Collapse envisions the collapsed world through a poet’s eyes. Excerpt:

    Sam Adams carried heat

    To protect himself

    Against the wild animals.

    The lions, tigers, coyotes, wolves,

    And their running feral dog gangs,

    Who prowled the city streets

    Preying on deer, feral cows,

    feral cats and pigs

    Who grazed among the ruins.

    And the two-legged neo-savage gangs,

    And what was left of the city police

    Interchangeable with the gangsters,

    Battled it out for control.

    The second poem in that group sizes up the situation from the Lion King’s perspective. We’ve spent years killing animals and they finally decide that enough is enough.

    Excerpt:

    lion
    lion

     

     

     

     

     

    The lion king,

    Addresses the animal parliament

    The question before them

    Was simple.

    Will humans have to die,

    To atone for their sins,

    In almost destroying the world.

    Through pollution, mismanagement of resources

    Subsequent climate  change,

    Fueled by greed and corruption?

    Are all humans guilty as charged

    Will they all have to die?

    Positive Poetry from Jake Aller

    Before you think that all of Jake’s poetry is maudlin and melancholy, there’s a humorous and positive side to many of his poems, too.  Dora, The Intergalactic Explorer, and Dragonfly in My Mind are two that show his playful, positive side.

    Excerpt:

    dora
    dora

    Dora, the intergalactic explorer

    Is traveling to the strangest planet

    of all the known worlds

    she is traveling incognito

    with a video crew

    making a documentary

    the planet earth

    is known as a planet

    of intelligent monkeys

    Excerpt:

    Oh, difficult, negative thoughts

    Be gone

    Like the bugs

    You are

    I’ll squash you like

    The evil creatures

    You are

    The sweet music

    Invades my soul

    Driving away

    The evil bugs

    And I soar

    Like the majestic

    Dragonfly

    Far above

    The chaos below

    Piqued Your Interest in Jake’s Poetry?

    I hope I’ve gotten your attention and that you read Jake’s posts here at Two Drops of Ink. Here’s four more for your enjoyment:

    A Wild Man Sits in a Gilded Cage

    2019 The Last Year of America’s Greatness

    Mocking Faces Staring at Me

    God’s Confession

    I Bet He Could Improve on Roses are Red

    I wonder if Jake could help me with my roses are red? Oh, sorry, I digress. But I just know that with the imagination Jake has, he could do something magical. I might just ask him.

    Bio: John “Jake” Cosmos Aller

    John “Jake” Cosmos Aller is a novelist, poet, and former Foreign Service officer, having served 27 years with the U.S. State Department. He toured in ten countries – Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Korea, India, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent, Spain, and Thailand, and traveled to 45 countries during his career.

    Jake has been an aspiring novelist for several years. He is pursuing publication on:

    He has been writing poetry all his life and has published his poetry in electronic poetry forums, including All Poetry, Moon Café, and Duane’s Poetree and literary magazines.

    He is looking forward to transitioning to his third career – full-time novelist and poet after completing his second career as a Foreign Service officer and his first career as an educator overseas for six years upon completing his Peace Corps service in South Korea.

    LINKS:

    https://kr.linkedin.com/in/jakealler

    http://www.Writing.Com/authors/Jcosmos

    http://www.poetrysoup.com/me/jakecosmos

    http://www.moontowncafe.com/members/view_profile.asp?id=28083

    https://allpoetry.com/Jake_Aller