Make it stand out.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Poem for the Downtown Music Gallery. 

Hi, I’m Ken. 

I usually write on my phone, not with a pen.

If I read political work 

What if all the president’s men

See a video, what then?

Will it all go to Hell?

I’m not on S.N. L.

Black lives matter. 

All lives do. 

Here’s 

Intro 

TAKE TWO...

True, it’s not morning in America.

But too, too soon to be mourning our nation built on the backs of immigrants. Everyone of us, including Native Americans had ancestors who came from somewhere else. 

We as a nation

As a people once the beacon, the shining city on the hill 

must return to the Bill 

of Rights

Righting wrongs through work and song. 

We all want the same thing:

Safety, health, love, connection, a livable planet where we can make a decent living doing interesting work  

The freedom to explore our curious nature with family and friends

Amend the recently exacerbated atmosphere of self-reinforcing hate. 

It is late in this lethal game. 

Put down weapons 

Lessen intensity 

Listen to the other. 

Note our anger. 

Remember: we’re all sisters and brothers. 

Take Three 

“Sad” said bulky bully from the bully pulpit. 

The gangsterismo 

Of the reality POTUS show. 

Don’t sell our country short

shorter than Wayne Shorter on sax 

No need for political panic attacks. 

Sack that old half forgotten racial hate. 

Did Pres. In his infinite wisdom’s needling 

quite quote the Beatles song?

“Get back to where you once belonged.”

Take Five is played too often.  

So we’ll call this Take Six at Fort Dix 

Listen to Bix shout out trumpet tricks. 

Nix Nixon no need. Noodnik nixed himself. 

Will dumpf do that too?

I’m dumbfounded. 

But wait!

Where’s intro four?

Should it not have come before?

Ok, you do the math. 

Take Four

here it is 

A little late 

A little out of sequence 

No consequence 

Take two wars as before, said Bush. I’ll throw in a tax cut. Gee what a great guy. Try to balance the budget but not while Republicans are in power because they have to shower ever more money and gifts on the super rich throwing the poor and those in the middle into a ditch, under a bus. Yes, that’s us. 

Our EPA, currently The Environmental Pollution Agency is relaxing regulations to help the coal industry. 

Dumpf tried to subsidize a big coal company. The firm went bust before they got government largess. 

Guess whose campaign the company’s owner donated to big time. 

Of course says our resident slime- the genius of all time, who knows more best than the best scientist, now is the time to use more coal. 

Gee, what a great goal. Let’s party with shale, oil and blow up a few mountains while we’re at it. Never mind the runoff. 

We’ll blame the locals’ fouled drinking water on their lazy sloth. 

Guess which country used to have cleaner air. It’s gotten dirtier under the dumpster because environmental regulations have been relaxed in that old gaslighting trick of conflating profits with deregulation. Plenty of green jobs could boost the economy but dumpf says coal miners, “big, strong coal miners” does he have crush on them too? “They shouldn’t have to learn new tech jobs in elite cities.”

A pity it was earlier Republican presidents who disabled timely efforts to prevent more global heating. So in this sense, dumpf is in good company with Saint Ronald and the daddy and junior bush. 

But don’t rush to any...

Collusions.  

Our glorious leader fixates on our southern border while destroying the world order

banning Muslims except for his friend Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. 

Brothers in murder and betrayal as our brilliant stable genius stood down for Turkey to slaughter our allies. He says they are much safer now. I guess if you are dead you can’t be hurt anymore, except that he claims to have saved millions of lives...  his alternative facts point of view. 

He threw 

a gift to that viscous KGB despot with a lot of shooting and thousands of daily lies. 

He caused the deaths of our allies. 

Putin’s puppet tendered gifts to isis and Syria- essentially an attack on Western Europe. 

The former Soviet republic got not only more influence but also our hastily evacuated bases. Who gets the fifty nuclear weapons we left behind?

“I wouldn’t mind” says Turkey’s Erdoğan, 

there he goes again 

with his nuclear and aggressive murderous zeal. 

Our real tasteless tweeter announced himself the chosen one, perhaps king of Israel. 

Kids in cages, which he says: “like summer camps”

Incites violence, civil war, genocide 

Hiding in plain sight, he won’t fight to keep us safe just to fill his palace, pockets and plate before his next extramarital date.

Fate might make it in 

Placating North Korea. “It’s a good idea,” he says because Putin told him little rocket man doesn’t really have nuclear weapons. And anyway Kim Jong-un and dumpf are in love. He puts his trust in Putin 

while our country he daily is... lootin’.

Abdel Fatah al-Sissi has become  President dumpf’s favorite dictator to whom he acts all kissy. 

They’re kindred spirits:

One is in Egypt. 

The other, everyone he gyps. 

Add Xi from China. 

Couldn’t be finer in Carolina even though Alabama did escape hurricane Donald. 

The smile-mugging, big bellied, small minded, cold hearted wannabe king thinks it’s a great thing the Chinese have a president for life and we should consider this thing too. 

Just for fun, ask Thing Number One. 

Our king is a pox

perpetrated by none other than Fox. 

A pox from Fox for their brainwashed listeners, foxholes all twisted and tricked. 

Mick Mulvaney who said “you throw in a favor, we’ll give you aid but we want to hold it up.” 

Yup, we do this all the time. 

Not only in Crimea, this gives Putin a head start. 

Not that S.T.A.R.T. the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty has any meaning for dumpf. 

Let ‘em all have nuclear weapons and “slug it out like a couple of kids getting it out of their system. And while they’re at it, let’s nuke those hurricanes before they reach our shores. No prob since those storms originate off of Africa. And speaking of our shores, we’re full, we’re closed. No more immigrants except from Norway... let’s buy Denmark and throw in Greenland for free. 

Let’s change those pathetic liberal words on the Statue of Liberty. 

Let the rest of the world keep their pathetic poor. 

Let those hard-working underpaid indigent, suckers, those immigrant poor go to some other shore. 

Our country should no longer be a melting pot. It’s got too many people not 

like us that our victimized rich, white Christians feel threatened. And yes when the alt right, neo-nazis killed in Charlottesville and at synagogues and mosques and black churches there were fine, very fine people on both sides.” 

Eliding to Elija Cummings whose comings and goings were of a very fine man.

You’ve got to hand it to the dumpster:

By tweet he can rule. 

Not a mean feat. 

He’s nobodies fool. 

He can brag about grabbing women

And being a Russian tool. 

He’s a rapist and let us know his daughter was hot when she was a teen. 

Between you and me he’s mean and means harm. 

He’d be on firm footing in a harem on a farm. 

He can defile and continue to pillage this village which he single-handedly hand delivered and ushered to Russia, making it great again.

When sporting his smirking smirk

From a padded cell, penned up in a penitentiary pen with a bunch of big strong blue collar men

But will some be of color?

Could we then 

Smuggle in some porn stars behind bars?

I sure miss Jeffrey

Though his fees were high. 

Oh the young pleasures you could buy. 

Again and again, I prove and you can’t deny

“I am the most Presidential of men.”

“And then there’s that huge mistake George Washington made: not putting his name on everything. If you don’t put your name on everything no one will remember you.”

All true. I say, “don’t believe what you see or hear” just trust in god and me then you’ll be free to be as white as you want. Yes we’re going in the white direction. 

Asked if he was about the 2016 election bitter

Or about being called semi- literate 

Replied “You can’t deny

I’m the white guy for the job. 

I’m not any old snobbish slob

Just look at those liberals sob. 

I’m the real deal. 

Lack of real fealty is my personal code of dishonor. 

But back to your question, Mark Zuckerberg 

Is a faceless hero for allowing Russian trolls to do much of my dirty work 

which few of my own clerks knew how to do. Especially my FBI which needs its nerds to comply with the cronies and patsies I’ve installed at the DOJ. 

Now I sure hope there’s a way 

those drunken molesters I put on the Supreme Court which should be my dream team cohort repealing every act of Obama who by the way might not have bern born in our country. His middle name is Hussein. Pretty insane how a guy like that with so little experience got to run our country which I single handedly made greedy again. Great. I mean great Gatsby. Did I tell you I own more golf courses and hotels? Did I tell you... My bankers love me. Those who don’t are bonkers. 

Oh yes. Your question. Well you know I don’t give press conferences but ok. 

I’m not bitter about being called a runt of the mental litter. 

My great, stable genius is evidenced by my use, including to make foreign policy and subject critics to abuse...

No, of course I’m not bitter about being called the tiny, dinosaur-brained runt of the mental litter. 

As proof just look at what I’ve accomplished on Twitter. 

***

In 2020, let’s turn the page. 

Return to 

Safety and reason with a leader who is sage. 

***

OK, Take Seven 

But who’s counting?

Rethink, restart 

Before we part. 

Heart to heart 

There’s no need to fall victim to fear, ignorance  hurting, wounds smarting. 

Take note: 

Be caring, compassionate 

And... get out the vote. 

Thanks for listening. 

A good night to all. 

A special good thanks to Jesse whose heart of caring is huge not small. 

A digestive enzyme 

Is helpful from time to time. 

Like a bit of a bite of lemon sorbet 

Between courses clearing the palette letting flavors play 

At a fancy French meal 

Is really no big deal. 

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Her Red rouge puppy she named

Kamir after the Cambodian war crimson criminals. 

Though the pup’s name is upsetting on many levels, some subliminal, she 

Said to said pup, when time to 

Come sup:

Come here, Kamir.

Turns out she got her pet in Kismet not for from Kashmir where she picked up a sweater for said pup at a doggy kennel where she discovered her pup likes to sup on fennel. 

***

The type of mental illness I have

Though barely bearable 

Turns out to be medically quite curable. 

Blessed be from our youthful jokes about bulls. 

Now I’ll add, seagulls, beagles, Beatles and legal eagles. 

What about free love?

See above for word salad. 

With dressing?

Ask Diane Lessing. 

***

I’m clear that looking in the mirror view rear 

I was miserable in part because I was not

Continually making art. 

I tried to be student-centered 

I lacked the humility to see a shrink 

So my career went down the drain in the sink. 

I sunk so low 

I couldn’t hear my own reed crow. 

The crowning anti-glory is a sorry but common tale. 

I no longer pale at the thought of opportunity lost. 

At what cost!

Ah and ugh!

So painful to regret and live in the past. 

Yes, I tried to be student-centered

I spied a misconception. 

Being a teacher is not a dopamine-infused self-gratifying confection. 

****

To wit. 

To want. 

A dopamine fast. 

An idea to which I hold not slow but fast receding leading to pleading:

Couldn’t last 

Could I do it for one day 

Addictions are saying 

“No way!”

****

With word salad-like poems and little Jesus Jests and jokes justly justifying 

Whiling away only the hours of the day in playfully playful word play yesterday, today who knows what the morrow will put in play. Each new rising of the sun will have begun what will be in store. It could be more. 

It could be less. 

Baseless is any truly reliable predictable prediction as far from perfect performance perfection’s perfectionism as any teacher’s tea leaves or anything anyone has up their sleeves. 

Jeez!

Can I stop and rest now? 

Please. 

***

You’re married, you fool. 

It is not cool to stare a beautiful young women 

Not matter how hungry I am. 

People deserve respect. 

Elect to choose a personality with greater 

Executive function 

And towards those I fear, less unction. 

***

Nervous energy and tough love

Shiver and shove anger into a closet 

Not to bother Beth, brother in Norwalk or Syoset 

sister, friend or foment a rent in my tenth rent-paying dental adventurous rental 

Dourly, hourly a debt I owe to those who helped this crazy, tortured soul be a bit bolder-appropriately bold yet overall calmer as I enjoy getting older hopefully a drop more wise...cracking. 

***

I want to send that poem to Hernandez. 

I’m desperate for an audience. 

Well, tomorrow I’ll have one. 

I greedy for this long-delayed pun-filled fun. 

Interesting that writing those lines reduced 

My compulsive need to share with Ira, Beth or Ray

At least for a few seconds on this very fine, clear beautiful day. 

What a change from this morning’s mood 

Which was ever so slightly annoying and strange. 

Inspired by Patrick

This little wordplay trick. 

What!No poems yesterday?Your bassoon you did not play?!You helped no homeless. Less than no money did you make. You found no cures for cancer Did not further world peace At least you could have gotten a job. Oh you lazy slob. You’re a fool and a fake. You take up someone else’s real estate. You lazy bum. Come clean. Did you lie around eating nonFat bonbons?Oh you were too busy composing,Exercising, cleaning, studying. Well, that’s hardly an excuse. You barely got to zero; you’re obtuse. For a necktie, you worthless pariste Last night you should have worn for a necktie a nice little noose. Clownish silly goose. Whew!Glad I got that out of my systemOff my chest it is best to stem That tide as I elide into better health Love, utility connection with humanity. Do I have negative self talk?Does the bear Russian Sit in the Oval Office?I wrote all that with a smile. It is a long, not at a necessarily glacial paced mileThat I learn to love and enjoy my own face. ****BALANCE THERAPIST HAS NEW MARKETING CAMPAIGN. Read all about it!Based on an old pop song:“I feel the Earth Move Under my Feet.”Using his power of eminent domain Pres. took it to Ukraine “You should fear the earth moving under your feet each and every time I tweet.”Yes you Marie YovanovitchI’m just itching to have you watch your back Of course I’m not threatening an attack. My second amendment folks will know what to do. To you. I’m rich and you’re a bad news...Witness intimidation a la mafia heroes Just one wrong word.I meant mafia bosses. Ha! What a joke. What a scam. You think from this witch hunt I should scream and scram?I’m the chosen one, I am!I could rush to Russia. Vlad would give me a plush pad. Had I not helped him so much He wouldn’t keep in touch. Some of my kids fear Once I’m no longer of service to that foreign prince He’ll not mince words sending me to the rear with nary a million rubles for my high crimes. I meant service. *****Thursday, November 14, 2019I need a stronger dose of sertraline. I mean between the drug and the therapy There’s little cessation of anger or violent intrusive thoughts. Why am I out of sorts?Today more so. Oh no!Though Beth finds me better. Maybe the energy freed up by composing Fights the tranquilizing effects of the med. Zoloft is not primarily a tranquilizer. I’m an energizer glued to OCDCould I be...Nah.Let the docs do the job. No need for a back seat cognitively distorting pyscho-babbling slobWho couldn’t learn on the job. Alienated almost everyone including Bob. I lost the skills I hadWas a stick stuck in the muck of the past. Whoa! Not so fast. I’m in a tough, rough spot, blasting out of my self-hardening restrictive cast. What I’ve got is agita with No agitation save for the political mess messing up the world and many people’s lives. I talk and fume but do nothing to Subsume these problems as my ownI’ve grown accustomed to feeling impotent except when I’m alone. ***I keep getting up as if each station were my stop. Drop the hard school of knocks and pop and mom Will rest on peace. Jesus, man. Come on man. There he goes again. On with the show. One’s a showman, corrupt, evil, insidious, a smiling con man, corrupt to the bottom of his bottomless soul. His story is ancient- even old. The other is the leader of a pack of saviors. All better than the destructo illicit, semi-literate, treasonous maniac in tweeterville. ***I’m angry. I’m enraged.Not enough exercise To burn off steam Not that I want to wean Myself from exercise or intense feeling. Just stop the wheels from wheeling. Wheedling? Yeah, I did that too. Who the duck is Mr. McGoo?A cartoon character A bad actor A double agent Energy unspent Yeah, that’s me Barking up a thousand trees. ***Republicans are blind. They don’t mind Being controlled by RussiaUshering in a regime not benign The future holds encroachments Ever gradually tightening the noose around our necks at the beck and call of the thrall Putin puts on his puppet putrefying our Constitution trampledFor example:As long as they get their tax cuts No ifs and eager butsThey aided and abetted buddies Ivan and Igor, not to mention that VladIs happy and glad That KGB beast gets more power in the Middle East Threatening neighbors more easily As our weakly messily messed up Pres. Gives him free rein via Turkey killing our allies, Syria and isis weakening our position and power as Putin projects his armies westward our nut-job white wing is allowed to spread their evil wings bringing us close to a surcease of peace. What?!So as noted above At U.S. dot gov. Tacky tax cuts for the rich at the expense of those below Show that no ifs and or butt-heads Will stop brutalizing and brainwashing Bastions of America’s downtrodden Into becoming ever more mired into the troubles they have into us gotten. But there is No rebuttal for this- it ain’t just scuttlebutt. ***Cope with stress.Imagine a better future.Have empathy and especially compassion For myself, those I love, those about whom I care.Don’t stare, be more cognizant and aware. Know how I am, so I can respond appropriately not just react. In fact, I feel good, golden, a little beholden to Beth for the article about the beneficial particles of doing art. For my part, seeing her reading such things is a good start.  Making art lessens negative emotions increases the positivereduces depression, anxiety, stressImproves physical health reducing cortisol which unchecked assaults adults and children all. Older folks spoke of improved perception of health, less sloth, more alive with happy froth. With that happy frothRequired less meds, visited docs more oft. Openness to experience getting out of my comfort zone Especially leaving the overly embracing comforts of home to at least get some sun. In sum, whether at a lecture, studying or enjoying dim-sumArt improves recall. So I recall all that this article, neither overly long nor very, very tiny and small, held my interest in thrall. With improved cognition maybe my stalled career will get ignited with intuition’s ignition. Reduced stress might help me love Beth better. And what if she does art?Now that would be a pleasure to take to heart. ***Respect all living creatures.But and yet what about animals and bugs and bacteria? Germs, rodents, insects cause me no little hysteria. What about eating meat and dairy?That the implications are obvious make them no less scary. So while I agree in principle with those beneficial particles of this article, I prefer to be safe and healthy and apologize deeply for thinking it best To not allow certain vectors and threats anywhere near our home where we nest. ***Beth is concerned that I’m up this late. If I were a prelate could I urge control to abate this creative surge?It’s almost one a.m. A layered, late-night bird I am. Why should she give a damnIf creativity flourishes Past midnight At the height of my creative power Hypomania Ironically making me less insanely strained but definitely more branier. ***The coffee, two cups or three?I don’t recall because was tipsy at the time. Ok. Fine. But now I can’t sleep. Think deep. What will keep me slower downMaking no snores nor puffing sounds?*****I’m more compulsive than ever. Who’s Ever?I’ve used that joke before.A good line, like a good yarn or sweet wine Should be savored for it’s unique flavor.