Maurer/Timm Quail Ridge UCD Student Endowment Order Books here Original Poems and Thoughts website Email Frank here: frankmaurer41@gmail.com

Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

Search for:   All Poems   Topics   Titles   Help

Politics

Needed Energy Power in Canada opus 17

A Texted Response to a Canadian Friend During the Energy Crisis.

Use some Acer saccharum sap
To feed the generators, Maple Man!

White Streets?!? opus 18

Trained falcons nor artificial gun noises will ever change their minds--and those and more have been attempted. The warmth of the city is too alluring. But, do these crows continue this practice during the warmer months of the year? No. The fields and arboral areas around the city are generally 10 F degrees cooler than the heat sink of the city!

What to do? Not only are the crows affected by the city's heat sink, but so are humans: heat stroke; uncomfortable, hot pavement to traverse; higher AC electric bills; more watering of lawns, etc.

Is there a solution to this local problem, mingled with the huge--harder to solve--worldly climate change? One solution is to lighten to a light gray, the darker areas of our cities: roofs, parking lots, and, indeed, our myriad of city streets. I have measured, in January, the difference between the temperatures of white streets (measured on a new neighborhood white cement bridge) and black asphalt within 20 feet of the lighter cement pavement where the difference was 10 F degrees with an ambient temperature of 56 F degrees. Just four months later, in April, with an ambient temperature of 88 F degrees, the two temperatures differed by 21 F degrees! In July the difference was 25 F degrees. Los Angeles during hot summers, have recorded more than 25 F degrees difference.

Why do we humans wait to do something? One helpful solution is now clear and easy to solve. Davis, CA proposed to experiment on a city parking lot and indeed, did so in May 2022 (see Cool Pavement Project--Davis, CA).

In conclusion, as a biologist, watching our planet slowly dessicate from the Arctic ice shelves to the wonderful Kalahari (through which I have wandered), I am in agony. As long ago as 30 years, I was struggling with my overheating house and lethal temperatures in my free range chicken barns, where they would crowd together from the heat (that is a chicken's reaction to heat!) and die of suffocation. My house roof was then foamed and painted white, as well as the chicken barn, and the problem was greatly reduced by as much as 15 F degrees.

If an old farmer can partially solve this problem, locally, why can't our cities do the same with thousands of human beings (some with chickens!)? One other point I have contemplated. In the winter, if a street where crows roost is lightened in color, would the temperature differential be enough to actually discourage crows from roosting there and go to a warmer street that is not treated? This could help further solve the winter roosting problem question and would empirically demonstrate that the white streets have an effect on roosting crows.

Of course there are still pros and cons concerning this procedure, but there are enough cities starting this that it is heartening to see we are willing to try. The question is, are we doing it in time?

Disrupters opus 19

Oh, here they go again.
Yet another perfect cause:
Demonstrate for voting rights,
Demonstrate for women to own their own bodies,
Demonstrate to not wear masks--flaunting one's politics,
Demonstrate to block a bridge, stopping vaccinations,
Demonstrate to stop a wrongful war,
Demonstrate to publicize wrongful racism,
Demonstrate to stop prayer in the schools,
Demonstrate to maintain prayer in the schools,
Demonstrate to save open space for wildlife.

And on and on with our human causes.
How to align oneself with the right side?
One must objectively study the "real facts",
And one must continually listen to the "other side".

Aggression and Love opus 24

Love of country.
    Love of Another.
        Love of property.
            Love of possessions.
                Love of a food.
                Love of a pet.
            Love of a sports team.
        Love of a political party.
    Love of a religion.
Love of freedom.

Love of all these things gives one meaning
And a sense of belonging.
But when events are challenged and go awry,
Everything of Love might bring out
The strong human feelings of conflict and then aggression--
Another human emotion which often
Wells up in resulting human behavior:
We mirror the schizophrenic ups and downs of chimpanzees
When we might have evolutionarily followed the peaceful,
Loving interactions of the Bonobos, the Lesser Chimp!

Will we always be destined for an aggressive existence,
Or follow the better supplications for a loving reality?

Dear Mr. Garamendi. US Representative. (Letter) opus 30

To start, I admire your work. I am now 81 and have lived on my farm on County Road 95, Davis, since 1978. I have raised vegetables and flowers for local farmers markets, catfish for restaurants, some of the first ground-raised chickens (for Chez Panisse Restaurant), turkeys and ducks, and conducted educational tours for school groups. I am the founder (along with my late wife, Prof. Lenora Timm) of the 2000 acre Quail Ridge Reserve, part of the Natural Reserve System of the UC system and, specifically UC Davis. I wrote the legislation for our State Grass (Stipa pulchra) used by 4th graders in their study of California history and California's state symbols.

I have also lived and taught 5 years in Turkey (Robert College), 4 years in Lesotho, Africa (University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland) and conducted research for one year at the University in Uppsala, Sweden.

I have always been concerned about the difficult weather problems of the islands off of Florida. Now it is Puerto Rico, in the limelight once again. The storms are constantly destroying the infrastructure of the island at great cost along with the human and animal loss of life.

I would like to propose a program to improve this terrible situation:

1. Encourage willing people to be resettled (where and when to be decided) with compensation.

2. Those who remain, would start to reclaim and restore native habitat and be compensated for their work.

The ultimate goal is to create an island with native plants and animals which would develop into ecotours, education, and research (the benefits of which would be socially shared). In addition, there would be areas for standard tourism, recreation and sports. This would create jobs as well. Structures would be built to withstand storms and flooding (at least for some period of time). Of course by 2100, much of the island may be submerged because of the ever-ominous climate change.

This project would save millions of dollars and lives and would create a more stable state; if Puerto Rico follows the path of statehood: "Puerto Rico, the Environmental State"! This might at first appear as an impossible task, but upon contemplation and some planning, it may be a winning choice.

I urge you to consider this as a viable plan, realizing the implications of our changing planet and what will occur. The forced movement of human populations is inevitable and is already occurring in many parts of the world, including our own country.

Most sincerely,
Frank W Maurer, Jr.

(Please read: NOMAD CENTURY How climate migration will reshape our world, by Gaia Vince.

Climate Change opus 32

Slowly the temperature rises on our home planet.
We argue, deny, affirm; and many of our politicians
Ignore the predictions of 'most all of our scientists.
We foolishly identify ourselves by our stand politically
As to what should be done--if anything--
For our slowly changing--frog in the pot--climate,
Until it is definitely too late to survive comfortably,
Except, perhaps, in the far north and a bit in the distant south?
Our potential 11 billion may be shaved down to 3?

Humans have always migrated to save themselves,
As have many of our fellow species.
Will our mass migration to the poles,
Having our generally aggressive innate behaviour--
So un-Bonobo-like-- be our ultimate undoing?
Please dear people, heed what may be the new pending nomadic century
And, for us, our descendants, and most, its absolute
watery or fiery deleterious outcome!

Who's Really in Charge? opus 40

Oh, we humans are so clever
With our ability to precisely measure
Altitude or depth (anywhere)
Distance (down the road or the distance to Mars)
Time (sundials, a pocket watch, or a precise atomic clock)
Temperature (of the body or of a physical location)
Speed (of a Tesla or of a space station)
Ballots cast (hmm, well perhaps not this one!)
And so many more, but the question is

Why is there only a good but limited ten day weather forecast?

Who's really in charge?

Contemplation opus 42

I contemplate the Russian destruction of Ukraine with tragic amazement.
How can the whole world allow such savagery to occur?
Ah, the blackmail of that possible nuclear retort.

Have we really come to this?
That we can obliterate a nation bit by bit
And no finger is lifted to oppose the oppressor directly,
Because of the fear held that the entire world
Will be terminated in a Nuclear Winter.

When will North Korea begin to truly spread its wings?

USA! opus 43

This is a country which is butchering (harvesting?) its young.
USA!   USA!   USA!
This is a country which is held hostage by the gun industry.
USA!   USA!   USA!
This is a country which may never be able to make the humane choice.
USA!   USA!   USA!
This is a country which, if the guns don't destroy it,
The thoughtless inability to stop the creeping CO2
and methane and flooding will.

USA!    Usa?    usa??

Have a thoughtful Thanksgiving.

Our Second Amendment opus 46

"A WELL-REGULATED MILITIA, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Now we interpret an 18th century document
To fit our 20 and 21st century desires.
Do we adhere to the Collective Rights Theory,
Or cling to the Individual Rights of our egotistic culture?
Was this written to protect the State or the Nation,
Or to be used to wantonly murder fellow citizens?
"We" have made one choice through Supreme Court decisions,
When the larger population favors another.

"Things smell rotten in the State of Denmark."
Where are we now, and where on earth will we ever go?

Fundraising: Raising Remunerations for a Good Cause opus 53

How many years I have toiled raising funds--
Telling many about the plight of this and that:
A myriad of creatures, their habitats, and needy students who study them.
How does one go out there and ask?
What makes one wish or dare to do such?

The Cause; -- of course the Cause.
If chosen well, there is no shame,
But rather joy that another sees what I see
And feels what I feel and offers something towards the goal.

If one strives for something positive
And is able to bring another along,
There is no shame, no reluctance, no hesitation.
And in the end, I hear an angel gently crying "bravo"!

Mutation opus 55

The announcer reads out
"Be advised of the newest Covid variant."
Listeners take it in with a sigh.
Few really comprehend what is occuring:
Half of us, even after elementary high school biology,
Do not realize that this is evolution, screaming through mutation.

And they continue to deny that adaptation
Through biological evolution even exists!

Treichel opus 56

"Ich möchte mit euch treicheln."
Perhaps bad German, but the intention is there.
"I wish with you (plural) to 'treichel' (march together ringing cowbells)."
This act is done on New Years to cleanse all the village houses.
Ghosts of Swiss villages are purged from human habitations--
The huge cowbells are rung steadily--once--as each leg steps
And the smaller ones are rhythmically shaken to fill the bass of the lower.

At 19 years, teaching in the Alps of Switzerland,
I was asked (honorably) to join the men.
After showing me the method to work a large bell,
I marched off to cleanse, into the darkened village, with the others.

Out Of Africa opus 66

I am a human, Homo sapiens, whose phylogeny is out of Africa.
After I lived several decades in the Northern Hemisphere,
I "returned" to Africa, Lesotho (Le su tu), to teach biology.
I viewed, often, the great remaining herds of migrating creatures,
The valley villages in the early morning, with a hovering cloud of smoke over the huts,
And remember the breeding of my Basotho mare with a local magnificent Appaloosa stallion.

We rode from Roma, Lesotho, to a Ladybrand farm in South Africa,
To leave the mare for breeding on the Amm's place for a few days.
Weeks later, back in Roma, a beautiful foal emerged
With a Nez Perce (Ney Pair say--French) blanket of white, scattered with black spots on her rump:
Perhaps the first of such a gene recombination in Lesotho!
The transport of a North American horse breed (bred by the Nez Perce),
Combined with the 'blood' of the African bred Basotho pony:
Such a sweet, lovely creature to be created on the continent of our human origin.

A Time to Decide opus 74

I am a sun child; A flower child.
And a child of pacifism and peace.

As a child, when confronted with a fight, I ran.
When my brother, John, would confront me pugnaciously
I would turn and run into the bathroom and lock the door;
I knew I was bigger and would hurt him.

Later, real decisions were to be pondered.
A war, the 'Vietnam War' was raging.
I was in graduate school studying,
But working with the Cornell Young Quakers as well.
In protest, we carried medical supplies
Across the Peace Bridge to Canada
Symbolically stating that the American Red Cross
Should not be restricted to help only US soldiers
And not others in need.

Then the government applications for the status of Pacifist.
My lottery number was 374 and all I could do was wait.
My choices were to serve as a medic in the military;
Or to serve time in prison as a non-cooperator;
Or flee to Canada to live a new and different life.

No choice, in the end, had to be made:
The war, as all wars eventually do, ended.
I had stood up for what I thought was right.
Then, with some mental wounds,
I was obliged to responsibly carry on with the rest of my life.

Just What are We all About? opus 93

I am listening to NPR and their continual reporting
Of the Russian atrocities committed on the defiant Ukrainians.
It is sickening how we, Homo sapiens, treat each other.
We continually manifest the output of our reptilian brain:
The 'us and the them' with a coin flip as to how 'the them' is treated.
On the one hand we react with tremendous evilness.

The Turks on the Armenians;
The English on the Scots and other Celts;
The French on the Breton population;
The Germans and Austrians on the Jews;
The US whites on the African black slaves;
A. Lincoln on the severing of the Western lands
So as to cripple its Native Peoples
With the 'gifting' of the 40 acres and a mule.

On the other hand, the total opposite manifests:

William Penn peacefully negotiating and paying for the first PA territories;
The great female Russian ruler, Catherine, abolishing slavery;
The Germans and the Dutch, harboring Jewish families;
All those involved in the 'Underground RailRoad';
The brave pilots delivering supplies during the AirLift to Berlin;
Martin Luther King continually braving racist threats;
Susan B. Anthony and the other women on a fast to create the vote for women.
Such violence contrasted with such compassion.

Wouldn't it be so simple to create true peace,
As our cousins, the Bonobos, have evolved to do,
By abolishing aggression, culminating with a gentle act of intercourse.?

Paul, the South African opus 101

Paul of South Africa, a sensitive, gentle man.
One who became one with the wondrous creatures
Of his continent--the great remnants of former planetary creatures.
Massive herds; an ebb and flow of migration;
Even the intimacy of close encounters with ancient rhinos.

Now married to a North American
And a new interaction with his world.
An expatriate, notified that all who have left the MotherLand,
Must return or lose their citizenship.
Much like Joseph and Mary required to sign into their birthplace,
Even though Mary is with child
And it is with difficulty that she travels.
Or that Paul, linguistically tattooed
With his magical accent,
Defining him to his place of birth,
Is separated from that place
And his very being.
Like the tattooed Jew, ostracized from Austria,
Landless, countryless, Serengeti-less
From his true natal origins.
Conundrum, confusion, anger, angst.
Where is his center, his identification,
His Mother Africa?

Some Thoughts opus 106

I am older now--coming on 82 years!
I wonder how, with so many dropping dead around me,
That I have made it so far.
The ones close and still around me--many--ignore me
Or are short, and only text--seeing that they
Have such 'demanding' pressure to exist!

I remember the (Newton, MA) neighbor children
Across the street banging their kitchen pots--
The end of WWII of which I was not really cognisant
Nor of its horrors.
I did learn later how my father designed
The Army Aircorps oxygen masks to fly--freeze free--
Higher above the Axis powers' aircraft.

I timidly was involved in the Civil Rights movement,
But when Vietnam loomed into our lives,
I was strongly involved in protests and countering wherever I could.

The planet is now challenged with our neglect of the air and sea.
The remainder of my life will be towards staving off this disaster.

But as I age, there are those who respect my efforts
And those who do not yet recognize my worth:
Strong statements to put me in my place.
Loving outreach which I wish for;
Lost because of the new communication--
Little talk and only the cold world of texting and emails.

I am not sure of what will become of me or my conservation attempts.
I feel helpless in the looming of inevitable death.
I will be in eternal darkness and powerlessness.
No longer able to care nor help nor act.
Will someone reach out with a soft, warm, loving hand?

AI (Artificial Intelligence) opus 108

What sort of warped mind
Would fake the countenance and words of the Pope?
Or fake those of presidents or film stars?
Will AI be utilized to rewrite our 'holy' scriptures?
(Hmmm--substituting one set of myths for another?)
Will there be a time when counterfeit news
Won't be discerned from what actually occurred
So that populations will be manipulated like a circus elephant?

What of our science reporting--
Completely constructed from AI--
(Many papers now submitted, are already based on this horrible flaw.)

And students--from high school to university--
Will their degrees be as fake as their 'research'?
Will our society ultimately be just a house of cards
And collapse around us in a heap of confused rubble?

Will missiles be so supersonic
That only AI might be able to intercept?--
Decisions required to be made so fast--way beyond human ken.
Regarding this; one voice has cried out:
'May such systems at least be programmed
With compassion and understanding
To result in a more 'human' outcome.'

There are of course, positive uses for AI;
In medicine, engineering, bioscience, various devices, and possibly even art.
But is the tradeoff otherwise worth these AI 'advances'?.

Atomic energy was once viewed as a 'saveall' for the world,
But, as is now occurring with nuclear-armed Russia over Ukraine,
Will the world be held helplessly as a hostage
To the possible outcome of our own creation?

Who Will Win? opus 115

As with so many who sacrificed during WWII,
My father with a weakened heart, afflicted with Scarlet Fever in childhood,
Invented, tested, and produced his high altitude breathing equipment
To enable our pilots to outmaneuver their Axis counterparts;
He suffered the bends and stress at 41,000 feet
And died young at 59 years of age.
Many more sacrificed their lives much quicker,
From exploding bombs and direct bullets.

Why did so many sacrifice so much, so intensively?
Well, the world finally realized that a world under Hitler
Would be a life under a mad dictator.

Today, an analogous situation obtains.
The Earth's lungs are being polluted and suffocated.
Fires, flooding, melting, the disappearing Rainforest and pandemics--
All occurring too fast; unnecessarily.
Who is the Hitler now? Who wishes to control everything for Hiser* pleasure?
It is Us; and shamefully so, as indeed Pogo Possum** once uttered.

The question is: Will we truly unite and muster our efforts,
Realizing the terrific, self-destructive, pending danger?

Dedicated to Maureen and George

* Heesh, Hiser, Herm, Hermself; nonsexist pronouns coined by
Prof. L. A. Timm, linguist, 1966 and my late wife.

** Pogo Possum; Walt Kelly comic strip, political satirist, opossum:
'We have met the enemy and he is us' 1970 (first Earth Day in San Francisco).

The Wonderful Horseshoe Crab opus 118

The Wonderful Horseshoe Crab's existence is being torn between two worlds.
Our American Horseshoe crab, Limulus polyplemus,
(Which has been extant for 200 million years--a fossil for 480 million!),
Arrives each year to lay its eggs on our eastern shores--
Masses crawl up the beach, dig holes to lay; eggs fertilized in situ.
The egg laying timing coincides with the migration of the Red knot, Calidris canutus,
Flying, and requiring added 'egg' energy for its voyage from South America to the far north.
Both species thus coincide--except now for climate change,
When the egg laying and birds' arrival time are slowly shifting out of sync
The FIRST pending calamity manifesting from human activity.

Now come humans, with all their enquiring and invention;
The blue blood of the crab is desired and harvested.
Whatever for?
When added to tested medications, clotting occurs,
If and when impurities obtain in any otherwise desired result.
Millions of crabs are harvested and bled,
Some are returned to the wild to assuage the human conscience,
But most ultimately, surely succumb and are no more.
The crab population needlessly and tragically dwindles
Even though there is now a less expensive manufactured replacement,
Less used, but perfectly ready to be substituted!
Why? Perhaps the gatherers of the crabs, being shielded, will lose employment;
So let's just continue with the status quo.
This, the SECOND pending calamity manifesting from human activity.

The Crab's welfare versus Human welfare--a certain dilemma in an ever-complicated world.

Humanism opus 119

Religion reigns supreme throughout the world.
Whose god is stronger, more benevolent, more just?
We also feel free to kill and conquer to ensure the survival of our philosophy.
"That group does not have our saviour in their lives
And we need to involve ourselves in their lives
To enlighten them to comprehend our text of truth!"
What encourages people to be obligated to conquer minds?
To convince that their belief is definitely the way to a truly free death,
To allow one to slip into the final level of supreme existence?

But there is another way to enlightenment:
The love and respect of all life around us;
Understanding that there was no miraculous, godly creation,
But rather an evolutionary struggle of adaptation--
To fit into the great mosaic of life,
To survive successfully and replicate
To reach a positive reproductive level.
That is the basis of all life on our planet of life--
Oh, and nothing more is needed for all this incredible productivity!

The Octopus opus 121

A creature with incredible intelligence.
Eyes that rival those of many creatures in the world:
The ability to recognize different human faces;
Acrobats, with the "dexterity" to escape through small outlets;
Possessing small pigment sacks, allowing complex color changes.

But the profound and sympathetic question is--
Why with potentially toxic bodily hormones,
Must these fascinating creatures die within one year?
If octopuses were to live to 80 years as we do,
Might they be able to take over the world
And possibly improve the place of our constantly conflicted species?

Can Slavery Really be Justified? opus 148

There were 'original' arguments to justify slavery by quoting the bible.
Then, finally, with Martin Luther King, most realized the horrors of slavery.
Now at the beginning of the 21st century,
Southern politicians (from Florida, for one) are audaciously blurting out
That slavery was good for a slave--
'Became civilized, had shelter, learned skills, could read. . . . '
Really? Are we starting all over again?

Emmett Till opus 152

Emmett Till was born a black child on 25 July 1941.
Next month I will, from 25 August 1941, be 82.
Listening to a program about Till, it struck me hard,
That he and I were companions in time--
He, an exact month older than I.
But he lasted only, through terrible tragedy, to the age of 14.
I, at 14, was in junior high school, absorbing a Shakespeare play,
Never being moved to whistle at a woman (if that ever occurred),
But I certainly thought women were something special.

Emmett took a trip from Chicago to visit family in the South.
I took a Mohawk Airlines flight from Boston
To my grandparents' farm in Watkins Glen, NY.
But how each voyage ended was--well, black and white.
I am so sad my divided country treated him with such violence.
I was fortunate that chromosomes
Assorted themselves as they did to create me.
But my trial--though I lived through it all,
Was my ostracism when I opposed the Vietnam war--
Uncles and aunts wanted nothing to do with me as an 'unpatriot'.

Much culminated for Emmett and me when I taught for three years in Africa
To see the source-land of all Homo sapiens,
And walk in the dust of Oldovai with the Leakeys.
The plunder of Africans for basically free labor--
1609 became as important for me as 1066.
My aura drifts into that open casket with Emmett's mangled body.
The Holocaust and the Scottish Clearances and 1609. ...
Somehow all of us have shared that casket with Emmett.

Ahmen.

Temporal 'Fight or Flight' opus 163

There is a critical physical distance
At which a creature 'fights' or takes 'flight'.
Temporally, there is an equivalent 'time distance',
Where one party wants sooner discourse ('fight'),
And another wants much more temporal space between discourses ('flight').
Sooner or later interaction is equally painful, respectively.
The trick is to work out a temporal compromise
So that the 'sum of the pain' is the least possible.
If the two parties are not able to understand this principle,
Then unnecessary agony shall simply remain ceaseless.

Banning Shakespeare? opus 166

Besides Banobos, Humans are the most sexually oriented primate on the planet.
Is it any wonder that our plays, films, novels, or poetry reflect this?
We have a presidential candidate, also governor of Florida,
Who, as governor, is now actually banning the high school study
Of the complete works of William Shakespeare!
A student will encounter a watered-down presentation of a play,
Cleansed of anything that is 'racy or sexual'.
(A reading of the complete works must be accomplished by the student hermself*.)
This is to 'protect students, from anything untoward'.
These are students, who, if following high school 21st century behavior,
Are kissing, flirting, tempting, petting, masturbating, pleasing each other orally,
Or, heaven forbid, actually indulging in copulation!
This is not to mention all the 'dirty' novels and ubiquitous pornography.

Who is protecting whom from what?
By watering down or banning something from a young human,
It guarantees that, without wise instruction, complete works will be incompetently read!

* Non-sexist pronoun; Prof. Lenora Timm, 1966.

Blacks and Country Music opus 169

I have heard several stories about Black singers getting into today's Country music.
(Remember Elvis and how he got into originally Black Rock and Roll.)
It seems to be more difficult for Blacks, being a minority, to 'quietly' be Country today.
Those Blacks who have done so and spoken out,
Tell of the hardships and negativity towards them,
For venturing into a genre which, on its facade, should be white.
(To go back again, remember that there were in real life--not movies--
Many Black cowboys.)

Humans are all the same species--Homo sapiens--with superficial variations.
All humans are imitators--from childhood, we take on behaviors of all sorts:
Our voices, our language, our behaviourisms, even our hand movements!
But humans are also gregarious joiners.
We must-- at least most of us--must be in some sort of group,
Which gives us identity to be part, with others, of some identifying category.
(Consider religion, politics, sports, caste, musical genres,
Racism, gender, educational level, profession, etc.)
This is just normal human, primate behavior.

Humans exhibiting differing polymorphisms, when entering a 'fixed stereotype' group,
Can ruffle feathers and cause anxiety and the blood pressure to rise:
Consider skin color, eye shape, various behaviors, accents, or hair morphology.
'They just don't belong here; they don't 'fit in' '
What is to be remembered is that we are basically all one species
With a few polymorphisms sprinkled in!

Two Declarations for Freedom opus 174

As most of us are aware, T. Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence.
But from where did he ferret out his material?
He used several old documents, including the Magna Carta
and the Scottish Declaration of Arbroath of 1320.
The latter was an attempt by the Scots to demonstrate to Pope John XXII of France
That Scotland was a 'pedigreed' nation, wishing to be free of the English yoke.
(B. Franklin gently chided Jefferson as to, 'Why he used so many old documents?'.
Jefferson replied, 'Well they worked, didn't they?'.)

One can peruse the two documents, side by side, and compare a logical sequence.
There is a point of conflict and need for protection in both:
'He (George III of Britain) has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us,
And has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers,
The merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare,
Is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.'

A bit more distant, but still with the same sort of conflict in mind,
The Scots are bargaining with the Pope for recognition,
By volunteering for a next Crusade against the Muslims (ie., the heathens).
Both documents declare the need for quelling heathens or savages for various reasons :
'This truly concerns you, Holy Father, since you see the savagery of the heathen raging
Against the Christians,. . . and the frontiers of Christendom being pressed inward every day.'

In today's world one sees anti-Muslim retoric in the one, and anti-Native American in the other.
Today, both statements are 'uncomfortable' in a world attempting tolerance,
But in the reality of those past times, when things were more 'black and white',
Statements were bold and crisp and 'self-evident'!

(Do remember, though, Roger Williams' friendship with the native people,
And the eventual founding of Rhode Island,
As well as the founding of Pennsylvania with William Penn's attempts to be peaceable and fair;
Leading to the State of Penn--sylvania--'Penn's Woods'!)

Humans, as Other Primates, Must Have Leaders, Idols, Stars, Heroes opus 183

It is rare for a human to dispose of its heroes.
Leaders lead us in and out of successful exploits.
Stars are great until they disappoint us with some crime or misdemeanor.
Idols are swooned over until we find out what really occurs behind the scenes.
Heroes are often comic characters until the creator is bored and disposes of them.
Even after a leader commits crimes, many followers will tenaciously adhere.

Beyonce asked that 'Renaissance' tour attendees
Wear silver during the Virgo season for her 42nd birthday.
Many fans say they already have purchased outfits;
Some can't afford such special attire; "We won't! She doesn't own us."
"Swifties have the option to wear what they want."
This is the human problem of needing an idol.
(And there are a few who actually see through it all!)
In the meantime, Beyonce is making millions and laughing all the way to the bank.

The Plight of the Hellbender opus 186

The Hellbender is a neotenous* form of the largest US salamander.
Its range covers 15 states, but its numbers are decreasing.
Climate change, pollution, and habitat loss,
Challenge the existence of this fascinating creature,
Which must live in cold, clear flowing water.

Please Mr. Trump, et al, our changing climate is not a farce!

* Retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult form of a species.

The Olive Saga opus 191

Trees, as with all earthly life require water,
Otherwise desiccation is the slow path to demise.
Trees, as with all earthly life require a comfortable mean temperature,
Otherwise desiccation and the 'bodily' functions eventually cease.
With the climate crisis, death from excessive heat is now obtaining.
More and ever more, birds, fish, mammals,
And of course the human mammal
Are migrating--shifting their earthly coordinates--
Desperately seeking out conditions they once enjoyed.

And now to feature yet another organism in this plight:
Our tree of human symbolic peace--the olive.
Humans and olive trees have coevolved for millenia--
Olives receiving greater care and genetic improvement,
And humans harvesting possibly the finest of oils.
But now, with the terrifying change in the climate earthwide,
Even our precious olive tree is severely suffering.
Olive oil production is reduced everywhere--in Spain by 50 percent.
Look around us dear people, and recognize the pending disaster we face.
By taking a weak response, humans with their fossil fuels
Are basically murdering their fellow earthly inhabitants.
My plea as a biologist is to take individual action
And always take the greater democratic action as well,
By voting in leaders who dare to understand and properly move ahead.

The House opus 196

(1220 Hours)There once was a House with many members.
This House had a leader. The House was divided in thought.
There came a great disagreement.
One side was even divided within itself.

A very necessary government decision had to be made,
But there were not enough votes within that one side;
That side was barely in power in the House.
The leader refused to use votes from the other side.
If he did, his side threatened to replace him.
The leader tried to make decisions using only his side's votes.
Nothing worked because the vote did not reach the necessary majority.
In desperation, the leader attempted to include the other side.

(1810 Hours) News Flash! The leader saw the light
And successfully included the other side in a vote--
Perhaps to his own detriment,
Gaining 45 days to allay the government shutdown.
There remains some humanity and wisdom in our ever-dividing society!
But now the question. Must this all be repeated soon again?

{The answer now is yes because the leader
Was instantly voted out--seemingly betraying his comrades.
The split and great gulf is now more hopeless than ever.}

Darian vs Darien / Any Connections? opus 198

I have always admired the name Darian.
When I meet someone named such,
I often ask if they understand its history or its meaning.
My Scottish ancestry, back to MacAlpin,
One of the first kings of that land (843 AD),
Reminds me of the Scottish attempt at a trading company (1697),
To emulate the English Hudson's Bay Trading Company.
Two attempts were made to establish their company
In Darien, now on the border of Panama and Colombia.
The name was Hispanicized from the Tanela River,
Called such by the Cueva people, an indigenous tribe
Destroyed by the conquistadors during the 16th century.
As a result of the hardships of the area, the unfriendly natives,
And mostly the Spanish, who controlled the area,
The whole experiment failed,
Along with the loss of a third of the Scottish GNP.

Today we hear of the migrants from the southern areas,
Walking north and confronting the Darien Gap,
A 66 mile wilderness swamp and forest,
Through which there is no Pacific Highway,
Only trails and purposely left open as a valuable wildlife sanctuary.
Many travellers have died, attempting to cross this challenging territory.
So, history repeats itself with the Darien area,
Blocking the Scottish attempt at colonization
And now the northern-bound migrants.

But what of the name Darian? Used by the English,
And perhaps first used by the Persians (and Iranians),
Meaning 'Upholder of the Good'--also 'Wealthy' and/or 'Kingly',
Continuing, the present name, Darian, is now seldom used,
And those I question, rarely know its derivation.
But from the early Persian times, to 1697,
To today's migrants traversing the challenging Gap,
It has shown itself throughout history with several manifestations.
Also, one must wonder if there is possibly
A more ancient linguistic connection!

Proper Treatment of the Vanquished opus 199

For centuries--and even millennia--
Humans, being territorial, consistently, as groups,
Would continually steal land areas from others.
The motives would be as a result of coveted space,
Resources, historical motives, greed, or philosophy.

The consequence of a takeover is how the conquerors
Treat the vanquished--are they 'equals'
Or are they 'lesser' in the eyes of the 'masters'.

Across our world there are examples of both results.
The Romans would conquer and then offer property and citizenship
To those who served their new nation;
Opposite examples are myriad and easy to recall throughout history,
Including our US revolution where the colonists had had enough.

When a conquered group is strictly held down
And treated unjustly, with no power to resist peacefully,
The only way to attempt for freedom or equal conditions,
Is to retaliate with violence and aggression.
When such a group does rack seemingly unjust destruction,
One who judges, must always keep in mind,
As to how the rebelling group was treated previously.
For humans, as several other fellow creatures might behave,
There exists a tipping point, beyond which existence is impossible.

As enlightened fellow humans, we who understand,
Must always recognize and work to alleviate
Such situations on our planet, resulting in justice
And an attempt to lessen unnecessary potential pending human disasters.

A Thought opus 202

Arrogance leads to ignorance which manifests
Misunderstandings, mistakes, and ultimately revolt.
This pertains to individual interaction
As well as between nations.

A Text to an Old HS Fellow Student opus 204

As always. The lopsided, unjust civilian butchery has commenced.
Things might be different, when Israel is reliant less on
The figmentary illusion of military might and much more
On true, hard, tenacious diplomacy towards peaceful coexistence.
If such had been done, history (and the future?) might be different.
This insanity will continue until it is done.
Israelis are permanently leaving their country, having no trust
In their failing, conservative, 'eye for an eye' government.
I long for a continually desired, enlightened era.
I have waited 50 years, as I am 82.
Ahmen. Frank

The Question opus 206

How many innocent human lives in conflict are worth losing,
To preserve a political ideology, a religious system,
A so-called sacred or holy area on our planet,
A scientific hypothesis or theory, or an accurate understanding
Of human biology?

Perhaps to answer this, one must consider
Who is asking, where it is asked,
And just when, considering all accompanying implications,
A questioner dares to raise such often-sensitive queries.

Turkiye, Celebrating 100 Years Today opus 208

Having lived in Turkey (now renamed Turkiye), for several years, teaching biology,
I am aware that today, 29 October, Turkiye will be 100 years old.
Kamil Mustafa Atta Turk carved out his new country,
Following bitter fighting, including the exclusion of the Armenians.
Atta Turk's mindset was always 'black and white'--
One was either a Turk in the new country or not.
He changed the Hijri Arabic calendar, jumping 600 years
To the Gregorian calendar.
He changed the Turkish language, written in Arabic, to Latin lettering.
He changed all surnames, requiring only Turkish names.
He banned the fez, naming a brimmed cap
Which he intended to interfere with the bowing practice of prayer.

Turkiye has undergone many changes over its hundred years,
But Atta Turk is still very present and cared for in his created country.

White Boards opus 211

What have we come up with now??
Instead of government controlling extravagant killer guns,
Society, in our Republic, must always attempt defensive methods
To protect our children and their teachers in schools!
Entrepreneurs are now trying to gain 'benevolent' profits,
By producing a teaching white board to be used in schools
Which can be transformed into a bullet-proof shield
So that teachers and pupils might hide themselves,
Waiting for (Texas) reluctant 'peace' officers
To decide just when they might invade a 'dying' classroom,
With THEIR protective shields enabling their safety,
Rather than quickly moving in to restore sanity!

11/11/11--Veterans Day opus 216

Would it be so, that on this day,
Sometime in the mist and fog of the future,
That there would be no further murdered bodies
To revere and remember.
The entire world might have learned
That war and killing does nothing to solve things;
Rather that the future day would be for those
Who served and died long ago--
Warfare would have become an obsolete word and action
And the children of the world
Would travel and meet, and laugh and understand each other
And prejudice and hatred would be unknown.

Trees and Turkeys opus 217

Displaying a DC Christmas tree each year from a different state,
Is far superior than pardoning an innocent turkey at Thanksgiving--
One, the death of a tree in its prime,
The other, life for a domesticated totally innocent bird,
Which is a genetic corruption of a magnificent wild creature.

(Remember the feud between Jefferson and Franklin
to name the national bird--the eagle vs the turkey!
I guess it is best we are not mass slaughtering
our national bird for human consumption,
celebrating a mythical (?) dinner with those whom
we would soon annihilate.)

Gaza opus 219

At present 12,000 taken / gone.
Many, now unknown.
Taken by whom?
So many--
Does it really matter?
How many innocents must be sacrificed
From any side
To justify the end?

Remembrance of WWII and Vietnam. An Email from Loren opus 222

An email from Loren appeared, responding to my 'Gaza' poem--

'Beyond a threshold. It is hard to understand the scale of tragedy and loss.
I recently looked back on the tragedy that was WWII.
I knew it was catastrophic, but comprehending death
In the thousands/hundreds of thousands/millions is near impossible.
Difficult subject to tackle at 0800 Hours (the time of my 'Gaza' poem) or any time!'

My email response to Loren--
Yes, WWII. I was four, but remember the conclusion.
My father was involved in developing
The O2 pilots' breathing mask.
He had many interesting and harrowing tales
Which he related to his three children over the years.

I cannot look at the horrible films about such any more.
I declared myself a pacifist in 1966 amidst the Vietnam fiasco.
Trying times with all that and attempting to finish Grad school!
My number for the draft was never called,
But I was ready to choose among three--
A1 ambulance, prison, or flee to Canada.
I believe now I would have chosen Canada
And I would have become a passionate patriot!
(Who knows.)

Be well and stay in touch. I need the voice of youth
To surround me and help maintain some equilibrium.
As ever, Frank.

An Atomic Tragedy opus 226

No atomic blast has yet occurred,
But we witness slow, deliberate Ukraine destruction in spite.
How could this murder and mayhem tenaciously obtain,
When no atomic blast has even been ignited?
Fear, blackmail, bullying, unfair advantage, holding hostage,
And no one dares to counter
For fear of horrible reprisal--
Basically, any direct counteraction,
Undoubtedly, could lead to world-wide devastation.
Paralyzed to counter directly,
For fear of direct self-ruin,
Allows the annihilation, murder, and mutilation
To uncontrollably continue.

Climate Panic opus 230

Will science be lost in the abyss of ignorance?
Denial of our climate future
Has led to death threats of meteorologists,
Who are just attempting to warn the population
That the world climate is indeed changing,
Implying that local weather patterns are moderating.

The old Romans would kill the messenger carrying bad news.
Have we actually resorted now, even with science,
To threatening those merely voicing
The pending challenges to which
We must all eventually need to adjust?

A Tribute to Sandra Day O'Connor opus 231

Sandra Day O'Connor died today at 93.
She was the first woman on the US Supreme Court (1981).
She was a role model for an ever-increasing
Number of young women entering the law.
She championed women, generally, towards greater rights.
She encouraged a mood of tolerance and moderation on the Court.
Her influence on society will remain for many years;
However, with the now conservative Court,
Much of what she attempted to mediate there
Is sadly now, at present, lost in this new intolerant era.

Must There Always be Perpetual War? opus 236

I was born in 1941 and was old enough
To comprehend the meaning in 1945,
As to why the neighbor children were banging pots with joy!
Then came the Korean War, I listening to PBS at 12,
And the horrible situation which eventually divided Korea.
Once again later, another conflict in Vietnam
To block a possible 'domino effect',
Resulting yet again, in a divided nation.
So many further wars throughout Africa,
Where I taught for many years.
Now we witness the basic genocide
By the Russians and Israelis,
Pulverizing their hapless opponents,
Completely outnumbered and outgunned.
One claims historic ownership, voicing the desire
To reunite the old Union,
The other claims revenge, even though they originally invaded,
Reclaiming land, historically, after a 2000 year hiatus.

Is there no way we all can just view, from a spatial distance,
And realize how very unique our planet actually is--
From space we see no borders, nor politics, nor religions?
We must somehow, sometime soon, learn how to live together
As one species, ensuring life also for our fellow creatures
And not be divided by our cultural foibles and impediments.

An Email to a Jewish Friend opus 238

I just can't talk about all this horror.
It might have been predicted,
Which really makes it even more tragic
And just terrible for both sides.
It is tearing our country apart,
Including the challenge to the
Traditional 'free speech' in our places of learning--
Even your Harvard is crumbling.

I am overwhelmed with pain.

F.

Two Types of Blackmail opus 240

Two types of blackmail are holding at present the modern world at bay--
One needed solution is how to counter the slaughter of the Ukranians
Where if pressed too hard, there is the constant fear of nuclear retaliation.
The second needed solution is how to counter the slaughter of Palestinians
When there is the continual religious guilt and pain, knowing that at one time,
The aggressor was once the victim of slaughter of its own.
With more love, compassion, and understanding from all,
This totality of basic cruelty might be mercifully obliterated and resolved.

So, Who Has Suffered Most? opus 245

Is the tragedy in Gaza today
The equivalent to the Jewish Holocaust--
Or to the gypsies annihilated alongside the Jews--
Or to that of the early Christians thrown to the lions--
Or to the genocide of the Armenians--
Or to the terrible Clearances of the Scots
From their bucolic pastures--
Or to the cruel transport of Africans to the New World--
Or, indeed, to all slavery throughout history--
Or to the religious fury of Sudan
With its new South Sudanese neighbors--
Or to the punishment of the Bretons
By the French government--
Or to the persecution by the Puritans of MA
Of Roger Williams who then became the founder of RI--
Or to the extermination of Russian dissidents by Stalin--
Or to the victims of the Alamo who were
'Defending' territory stolen from Mexico--
Or to the mass Agent Orange killing of
The Vietnamese by the American bombers--
Or to the subtile psychological takeover of the world
By those who no longer support the fair,
But cumbersome methods of Democracy------

Is it the number involved or the general cruelty?
Is this all due to our species, who (which) evolved
Parallel to the Chimpanzees rather than to the Bonobos?

A Vietnam Memory opus 246

The war was waiting for all the young.
I had read the New Republic which questioned our involvement.
I joined the Cornell Quakers Youth Group and was soon elevated to President.
This resulted in a protest march across the Peace Bridge into Canada.
What to do? What to do? What to do?
My choices soon became clear, if my number in the 300's came to the fore--
Become an A1, weaponless medic or ambulance driver--
Become a non-cooperator and go to prison--
Or emigrate to Canada as a persona-non-grata, with a price on my head--
Such decisions for a 19 year old were terrifying.
I could well imagine the reality of each choice:
Horrible death / isolation in a cell / or a stranger in a foreign land.

The draft ended and my number never came up--
Relief, guilt, life continuing, finding work in a strained economy.
I survived, but with mental scars which would last a lifetime.

6 January 2024 opus 258

Today, the 6th of January is three years from the time,
When we all watched in real time, the invasion of our Capitol.
Today, in spite of the actual empirical evidence,
There are many, potentially destroying our democracy,
By actually denying that such a disruption ever occurred--
"It was only a group of enthusiastic tourists visiting their Capitol ."
Are we on the verge of a crumbling and destroyed democracy,
Where lies become the final truth?
Are we actually in this adumbration of a terrible future?

Lies are always, historically, uncovered and found out.

Replications opus 260

Is there a differentiation between
The confining, inescapable borders of Gaza,
Or the cattle car walls, transporting people
To their potential demise?
See how the protagonists shift, but a similar model
Often appears in our contentious human history.
There are only so many models of historical outcomes
Which can be replicated by this 'intelligent' human animal!

(2 to 12 to 21 to 22K at present.)

How Wonderful to be so Royally Goosed! opus 266

I woke on 7 January as usual, ready for the day.
As always, I gazed out the large window,
Overlooking my smallish pond.
Many mornings, there are no waterfowl to excite me,
But this day, twenty Canada Geese were gliding here and there,
Swimming, interacting, and feeding,
Necks disappearing under the surface.
Suddenly, I realized there were three similar, but smaller individuals.
A shot went through my heart, as I recognized that different species!
Although moderately rare in my Davis area,
These were indeed the smaller Cackling Geese,
Intermingling, unopposed with their larger cousins.
For a naturalist, such minor observations of our modern dinosaurs
Give one a jolt of joy, just to behold such a wonderful encounter.

I do wonder, if we could introduce all of our leaders
To ornithology and nature-observation thereof,
Might peace and caring then reign throughout the world?

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii)
    {Only 'recently' split off.}

The Glitter Problem opus 267

Living in the country, one always feels clean and fresh,
Until that deflated birthday balloon plops down in one's field.
I had enough, and went to the supervisors of Davis,
The people of which often celebrated by releasing balloons.
Explaining the problem, they voted to cease such a practice!.
Good! But now I hear of a micro mode of pollution:
The increased use of very small glitter,
Especially on women's attire--even lipstick!
As these tiny particles disperse,
They literally diffuse into everything--
Oceans, lakes, rivers, fields, cities and towns--
Basically everywhere;
Composed of micro plastics that give a visual thrill,
But then a major headache as to their disposal.
These miniscule pollutants are ingested into many living creatures--
Fish, birds, mammals--hey, that includes us!

Do we really have any idea how we are
Just plain screwing up our living quarters??

The USS Constitution: Recollections of a Boy on One of Our Greatest Ships opus 272

Now sitting in Boston Harbor--Still commissioned!
The USS Constitution was visited by a small school boy.
A very large ship for a little boy,
Who imagined all that might have occurred,
While this ship was a weapon maintaining freedom.

Quick maneuvering, flashing cannons on her decks,
Dexterously guided by her captains.
It is said, cannon balls were deflated by her oaken hull.
That is the origin for the name 'Old Ironsides'.
Very low decks, as remembered by one
Who imagined how much bending would be needed
To be a tall man in amongst such quarters.
Used by Jefferson to quell
The ravaging Tripoli pirates in the Barbary War!
This beautiful wind powered ship
Shall always be a memory of inspiration
To now a grown, experienced cosmopolitan man,
Who continually revered every moment,
While conducting his own sailing.

(Reviewing sections of Kilmeade's and Yeager's
'Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates', I was jolted
into what was done with pirates blocking US trade and
today's efforts to break the world blockade of the Red Sea
and Suez by the Yemeni Houthis. History does repeat itself--
the Mediterranean and now the Red Sea. I was truly
overwhelmed reviewing our history.
My breath was taken away, almost to tears.)

Book Banning opus 275

Why do certain groups of the species, sapiens,
Now that this species reads and writes,
Battle each other to abolish written knowledge
Of that of the other group,
Forcing contrary 'themes' to overwhelm, ideologically?
Well, perhaps,--idiocentric beliefs
That 'I am right--down with the other'.

A wise person, coping with this enigma, once said:
'Anger (or an absolute adherence to a dogma)
Is a form of ignorance.'
Consider the college kid who returns home, vacationing.
I was such a kid, but thankfully, I had educated parents,
Who only gently chided me for my 'outlandish' thoughts,
Knowing the same, they had endured.

Ellie The Governor opus 276

I just heard that the state of New Hampshire
Has an interesting annual event--
Namely, the government invites a fifth grader
To be 'governor for a day'.
This year the young governor was Ellie Lively
Who proclaimed her 'haupt' agenda--
Combating animal cruelty,
Educating Fifth Graders to visit animal shelters,
And follow Ellie's example of regularly
Reading to shelter animals in her local shelter.
If she is successful, other students will do the same,
Wherever they reside in the state.

We need more of this type of thinking,
Also for our 'unsheltered' wild neighbors.

United Columns opus 278

As a child, I was fascinated with the heads of columns;
The crown of each pillar, giving it quite a distinct personality:
First the Doric, a no nonsense head of squared, simple edges;
Then the Ionic, knowledgeable scrolls on two of its perimeters;
Lastly the Corinthian, an artistic uprising of clustered feathers.
The function of a column is to uphold the structure of the protecting roof.
All three superficially distinct,
But their function, no matter what their appearance,
Serve exactly the same, still maintaining a similar task--
To continue the shielding of that below.

So is the function of the varied citizens of our land;
To maintain the democratic strength and beauty of this incredible nation,
Which we citizens must never forget, even with our differences.
We must always realize that if we do not act in ultimate unity,
This great unique experiment may become
Just one more roofless Roman ruin.

The Enlightenment of a Man opus 279

Benjamin Franklin, with all his several flaws,
Was and still is one of this country's greatest citizens.
While defending himself in a hearing, but remaining silent,
Meeting in the CockPit, a former room
Where Henry VIII conducted his cock fights,
Franklin realized he and his country were being falsely accused.
Thus, he entered that room with its (English) British officials
As a loyal officer of the Crown and English,
Then exiting in enlightened retaliation
As a 'newborn' citizen of America.

If one is alert--certain words and thoughts swirling around us--
We sometimes are 'miraculously' able
To completely convert our very core of thinking.

    (This was inspired after seeing a Ken Burns
     film on Benjamin Franklin.)

Friend or Foe: The Red Cedar opus 282

Fifty years ago, the moderately scarce Red Cedar
Was often sought out for a Christmas tree on the landscape.
Now, with the Climate Crisis and drought in the Midwest,
Red Cedar are spreading and covering the landscape,
Out competing other plants in water efficiency.
This phenomenon, of course, increases fire incidents
As well as transpiring millions of gallons of much needed water.
Do we choose control burns to prevent fire?
Or to mass cut or chain drag populated treed areas--
Resulting in mass destruction to wipe out one renegade species?

Is this at all analogous to Israel's quandry
Of eliminating masses of innocent population, in order
To ferret out the fewer Hamas, who challenge Israel's existence?
Control of nature seems to often mirror the conundrums
Challenging human population's welfare.

The World's Panama Canal opus 283

The Panama Canal, like the Suez Canal,
Is critical for economizing world shipping,
Resulting from the hard-won excavation of miles of terrain.
Today, though, with so many actual and pending earth changes,
Drought is challenging the Canal's water levels,
Reducing the daily number and size of ships passing through.
Unknown to many, the Canal's water is not sea-, but fresh--
There are several springs in the local lakes providing such
And these water bodies are manifesting lowering levels.
These lakes also provide water
For several million inhabitants of Panama.
Once again, as will occur multiple times over,
Water for agriculture vs the cities
And at the Canal, water for transport vs the same,
Will be in constant competition to provide the growing demands
For food production, transport, and the ever increasing humankind.

The Tipping Point opus 284

To date, almost 26,000 dead, 60,000 plus wounded--
When does self defence become murder?
(South Africa is now asking in the World Court.)
A terrible conundrum for Israel.
A country--now nation?--created by depopulation of others,
And now, as always, is surrounded by hatred--
A delayed disruption by 2000 years.

Our own William Penn 'invaded' the now Pennsylvania area,
Through peaceful, bargained discussion
And not, as occurred elsewhere, with violent encounter.
Would Israel's present situation have been altered,
If their 'invasion' had been more similar
To the former 'invasion' of Penn?

Stirring up CO2 opus 285

A report just coming out states that bottom trawling
Is releasing CO2 from the substrate,
By stirring up, as well as , destroying such.
The results may show that this method of fishing
Is doubling the released once estimated CO2,
Relating to the whole world-wide fishing fleet.
There have been many former voices
Decrying the destruction of the seabed,
When not even considering the CO2 problem!

As with many human processes,
The Climate Crisis may force us
To reevaluate and then modify procedures,
Creating more favorable results
For both humans and our planet.

A Twenty-first Century Human Dilemma opus 291

For good or evil / better or worse, Israel was created by force,
Aided by Britain, the United States of America, and the UN.
We all know the reasons why this act was performed.
We (the USA), especially, pledged to be a steadfast ally at all cost.
We have also weekly, financially supported this new country,
Which also is, of course, a legitimate sovereign nation.

Today, our octogenarian president, having lived during
That pioneer period and well aware of our former pacts,
Strongly stood by Israel, because of our original treaty and promises.
But the world has changed and by oblitering so many Gazan civilians,
While defending itself against the aggressing political organization,
It has created an enigma as to the best approach to warfare.
By backing Israel's blitz, Biden has been condemned
Because of 'backing' so many deaths.
How to rectify this nightmarish situation will be temporarily solved,
But the only final and needed conclusion is a Two State Solution,
Where the Palestinian people will at last, once again, govern themselves.

My only futuristic thought is, would it be best
To exchange territory so that the Nation of Palestine
Will control a single area, creating a more manageable nation-state?
Causing a great catastrophe, Pakistan was carved
Out of the Indian territory, both east and west portions.

Of course, other such human 'experiments' were artificially formed
To appease religious, historical, ethnic, or political tensions.
The planet is basically 'neutral': the complication and conflict
Are its human overlords!

The Abortion Argument opus 295

Because of the power of European governmental religious groups,
Our Constitution made it clear that religion and government were separate.
Along with that, religious freedom was guaranteed for the new citizens.

Today the picture is changing with religion encroaching evermore into our government.
A major division division is the abortion argument.
One side argues that the future unborn 'child' must never be aborted,
While the other pleads that the future mother has rights over her own body and health.
Is there any way there might be a compromise between these opposing views
Both, living in this country and nation, following our Constitution?

Perhaps, if these groups agree that they should follow our law of the Land,
Then either side, having the right to freedom of individual expression,
Must live freely together, interacting in peace
And use only the logic of their beliefs to persuade the other
That all must compromise, thus acting justly under the original law.

1. We have the separation of religion and government.
2. We have freedom of religion.
3. We have freedom of speech.

If these were followed, could our nation not evolve peaceably
Towards a synergy of mutual coexistence,
As the Founders had originally intended?

Nikki: A Benevolent One or a Potential Dictatress? opus 296

Nikki Haley is wondrously standing up to Trump,
Even though she forwarns, as he,
Of repressive potential laws to curb women's freedoms, etc.
It is said she met her potential husband, William Michael Haley,
Declared he did not look like a Bill (nickname for William),
And to this day, he was then, and is now, (her name),
Michael!
Should we admire a woman who 'officially' renames her husband,
Or should we fear that she, if coming into power,
Would also be a dictatress 'for a day'?

Alexei Navalny opus 302

Such a waste of an incredible mind.
Such a devotion to freedom and democracy.
Such patriotism for a lost cause country.
What could have been obtained, if he were in charge?
A country with such a past
Of tragedy, drama, color, and history.
Oh, Russia, what have you lost
By your leaders murdering such a being?
We will never know,
But there is always anticipation
That such a miracle might ever occur again.

Our Holy Land opus 306

One side, still consuming food blessed by the priest,
While the other is now ingesting grasses and animal feed.
Dear people, what have you done to each other?
From the first invasion in '48
To the continual rebellions of discontent;
Why must all this pass amongst you?
Is there no way to at least somehow coexist?
Why must you both practice necropolitics--
Holding the bodies of each to bargain,
Knowing that you each must bury the dead the same day!
Can the claims of belief not be modified,
To reach a softer dogmatic tolerance
And perhaps a more realistic and democratic governance?

The former horror borne by one group is now transformed,
By attempting to right things, into a horror of both.

If human history could be redone, how might you rewrite such?

What Are We Governing? opus 308

Sadly, it has now come to the point,
Where one governor, out of spite, busses immigrants
Arriving to his (and it is 'his') state, to a fellow governor's state
With no discussion, warning, nor planning together.
Political differences of old, have now mutated to plain dislike
And this dislike is making us numb with inaction--so far!
This inaction is exasperating the ever-increasing and required action
To, together, quell the greater crisis of planetary temperature increase,
Looming on the horizon of our children's lives, throughout the entire nation.
Can we not, please, work together?

The New Palestinian Nation--A Proposal opus 309

Is it a good idea--wise--to create a new Palestinian Nation,
Divided between two territories--Gaza and the West Bank?
I am suggesting that the two areas be combined to one,
Total acreage would be the same, but a question--
To which general area would the combined Nation be established?
My thought, without profound research, is possibly that
The West Bank area should be 'transferred' to Gaza
So that Palestine would border Egypt, having a substantial seacoast.
This would cause a great uprooting of the established Israeli population,
But Israel did cause the centuries-old uprooting of the Palestinian people in '48.
This would establish a strong nation, having a connection with the world.
One way or another, this potential challenge could be faced.
So much was formerly taken from the Palestians
And if the Jews could have carved out a new Israel-Nation,
The Palestinians might be given the equivalent for THEIR new nation.

Invaders, Conquerors, and 'Gentle' Expansionists opus 312

Introduction: I was born in and have travelled through or lived in
Many areas of the world where aggression was used to occupy.
Areas are taken over by another, generally,
Because of politics, history, religion, or for natural resources.
The means and methods of these conquests
Will usually determine the ultimate outcome.
These are the basic thoughts I have when I ponder this human trait.

Now, we are living through the present Gaza-Israeli War
With all its complications to sort out for proper comprehension.
Going back to historical examples, we have the Gauls,
Gengis Kong, and Alexander, among others,
Who basically invaded and conquered outright,
Often leaving military to continually oversee the vanquished population.
The Romans had a different approach: they conquered, then offered citizenship--
'Join the military, serve Rome, and retire with rank and property.'
This method of conquest incorporated the losers into the system, with all its benefits.
William Penn, a Quaker, 'created' Pennsylvania by negotiation, bargaining,
And thus demonstrated that two 'opposing' groups could actually survive together.

Then, there is the other side of the coin, those using blatant invasion and force alone.
A tiny example is the Scottish attempt (1695) to create a trading post in Darien, (Panama).
Today, we hear of the dense, miles-long jungle through which migrants now must encounter.
The Scots lasted a few years, politically alone, with no backup
From possible forces (England, Germany, Netherlands),
Which could have aided a forceful establishment in Darien--
The native people felt threatened and thus destroyed the whole project.
A second attempt was finalized with an attack by the Spanish!
Another--England desired a foothold in Ireland and carved out Northern Ireland;
The brutal takeover was so severe, augmented with tremendous religious difference
That only hundreds of years later was the continual smoldering hatred softened.

No group can knowingly take over another, to be occupied territory,
Without expecting violence and continual hatred, unless there is
Gentle and negotiated preparation for a population's entry.
Israel, where I have lived for a while is today manifesting
The horror of rebellion, because of a lack of proper planning.
With only a surrogate US/British/UN force for backing,
The State was created by placing the 'conquered' population
Into segregated camps, where they just simply languished.
(I remember my grade school weekly newsreels clearly depicting these scenes.)
By not properly preparing the existing population and surrounding Muslim countries,
It was only inevitable that continual hatred and violence would endure.
Demanding, for good reason perhaps, a one-religion state,
Plunked into the middle of an 'adversary' religious milieu,
Could one have not, without good introductory 'PR', expected anything else?
(While touring around Jerusalem (1970's) with a fellow professor,
He showed me many neighborhoods, explaining that it was his opinion
That the black segregated Jews in ghettos, the division of
Orthodox and Reformed Jews, and the Arab-Israelis with lesser status,
Juxtaposed with the arrogance of the European Jews
Towards those other non-European believers of the same faith,
All, he felt, would be the possible internal reasons
Why Israel might fail as an experiment.)

Religion-wise, look at the cleverness of the ever-spreading Catholic Church.
They 'conquered' (sometimes with an army) many areas
With their brand of a pathway to god,
But as they infiltrated, they merely renamed the native religious ceremonies,
Saying that they were basically the same (as they might have been!),
But the acceptance of the new names would include those conquered
In the greater power now available to them with this new religion.
To remain a conqueror with unwavering, complete purist dogma, often leads to downfall--
A successful conquering group must always compromise in order to reign,
Even if it results in a new reality for both groups--the conquered and the conquerors.

The Irish Stand for the Palestinians opus 318

The Irish people were conquered by England and were under its control.
This was finally remediated and Ireland is now a free nation-state.
When Israel was first formed in 1948 under the direction
Of the Palestinian area foreign secretary,
The brutal Arthur James Balfour,
Who also was chief secretary of Ireland before its freedom.
It was Balfour in 1917 who proposed a national home
In Palestine for the Jewish people.
Ronald Storres, governor of Jerusalem (1917-1926),
Wrote that if enough Jewish people moved to Palestine,
It could "form for England a 'little loyal Jewish Ulster'
In a sea of potentially hostile Arabism."
When the English settled in Northern Ireland,
It became known as the 'plantation of Ulster'.

Ireland sided with the new Israel
With all its challenges as a fellow underdog.
Of course Northern Ireland remained
As a constant reminder of English hegemony.
Israel began to secure more territory
And displaced more indigenous Palestinians.
Slowly, the Irish national sympathy shifted more
Towards the Palestinian dilemma and cause.
Today Ireland laments the horror of the 7 October Gaza attack,
But also questions the 'revenge' of the Israeli counter attacks.
Of the 5.3 million Irish citizens, there are only 2,700 Muslims,
But because of the similar history of conquest,
Irish sympathies towards the Palestinian plight
Is, at present, steadfast.

Indeed, the Irish do wish all those in Israel and Palestine
'That there's always hope and may your miracle
Come soon, as it did for us.'

Lady Justice opus 323

Lady Justice stands before us, blindfolded,
And holding up her scales of Rightful Balance.
So, to give a verdict, how does she judge:

The taking of territory and killing to maintain a presence
Occurring, perhaps for the thousands of years of human history;

The raping of the other's women and girls to humiliate and anger;

To conquer in the name of a religion which is always 'right and true';

To initiate genocide to rid the undesirable other;

To maintain schools and centers of propaganda to influence minds;

To block commerce in order to starve the other into submission;

To threaten with deadly weapons to cause inaction of the 'rightful other';

And on to whatever action of injustice the human mind might concoct.

Hats Which Define Us opus 326

It struck me hard, to see Marjorie Taylor Greene,
Defiantly wearing the MAGA red hat in Congress,
Where traditionally, no one ever wore a hat,
Especially not with a logo portraying tension and challenge.

Head coverings, historically, have always manifested meaning--
Kafias, Yamakas, team caps, helmets, scarfs--
Even in the ancient past to define a new religious position.
Paul in First Corinthians (11:2-16),
To announce the new religion's identification,
That instead of a man covering his head to honor god,
And a woman, leaving her head uncovered to honor her man,
Paul wrote that a man should uncover his head to honor god,
And a woman should always cover her head to honor her man.

Head coverings, like T-shirts with logos,
Scream out a person's position in life.
Do not be complacent and let these messages pass by you--
The silent messages on headgear around us,
Mark philosophical territory,
Like the territory of a wolf is marked with his urine.

Our relations with world events opus 330

Dear Arthur,
We have known each other, off and on, for many years.
When I was talking with you about insects in the diet,
You became flustered and suggested we only email each other.
(My research determines that at least grasshoppers are acceptable.)
I replied that I would not have such a relationship and we must wait.
We had a pause and then the Gaza crisis occured.
I am heartbroken that this is happening.
As a Jew, I am quite sure you constantly have lived a defensive life.
(You have told me several incidences of such in your life.)
I have therefore stopped communicating to lessen your anguish.
Whenever all this is resolved, we might continue.
I am sure my interpretation of history and events are different from yours--
You have already countered me on such.
No matter what our opinions or interpretations are,
You and I will not change any of the unfolding terrible events.
But, better, to argue or avoid the subject in silence--
Both would be painful and therefore silence is best at present.
There may come a time when this might change.
In the meantime, we must, each in our own way,
Simply suffer during this horrible man-made catastrophe.

Be as well as is possible.  Frank.

Our Two Critical Compromises opus 333

In order to muster strength enough to counter British rule,
Conflicting opinions of the worth of African humans, transferred to the New World,
Were compromised in our Constitution in Article 1, section 2,
Valuing the 'voting population' worth of slaves.
This decision has plagued our nation to this day.

Additionally, in order to maintain the individual autonomy of each state,
Versus the need to create a strong, legitimate nation,
A balance had to be decided to allow the demands and will of both needs--State versus Federal.
For this nation, the two outcomes of these two compromises,
Has now and ever shall be the continual give and take,
Determining the ultimate outcome of this experiment in democracy,
Manifesting the final result in our human 'pursuit of happiness'.

(The Texas--Federal border conflict is a present-day example of such.)
(The Florida education laws are a present-day example of the former point.)

Slavery--Here?--In OUR History? opus 336

During the '70's, I was hired to teach by the University in Lesotho, Africa.
Lesotho, being very small, I would occasionally travel to the surrounding South Africa.
This large, Apartheid country had a white ruling minority.
Apartheid means 'apartness' and mimicked the segregation in my US country.
There, I witnessed many examples of cruelty and segregation between 'races'.

Many years later, I heard Nikki Haley question slavery in historical US,
While challenging Trump for the presidency.
I, and many others, were incredulous listening to her denials!
A citizen here must admit that our White House construction used slave labor.
Now Florida's governor has created laws to soften historical facts.

My point here, is that the aftermath of our sad history
Has left many 'historical fossils', manifesting what actually occurred.

I heard today about the founding of 'Easter Monday',
When Blacks in our country started this celebration after 1878,
(When segregated egg rolling at the White House was initiated as an Easter celebration),
Because Black people were forced to work on Easter sunday.
They appeared on Monday and celebrated in all their finery,
(Just as their white counterparts did on Sunday!),
On the next, closest day to the period, when hopes for some of the white world members
Celebrated the new Sunday day of--'hope for the world has arisen'.
If one leafs through the fossil historical recorded accounts,
One finds numerous reported facts which, of course, clinch this slave history.

In the light of Florida's actions today, do many really wish to 'leaf through'?

Can Revolution be Justified? opus 337

Revolutions by 'imprisoned populations' against powerful powers
Have occurred throughout history.
Our own U.S. revolution erupted when the once devoted population,
Had been taxed, countered, and had their freedoms slowly removed.
The French followed, revolting against their haughty Royalty.
Many such revolutions have erupted with similar motivations--
Haiti in 1804 being another, which freaked out President T. Jefferson!

Now we have the eruption of Hamas in Gaza,
Revolting, once again, because of a controlled population
Which basically has been held in an 'open air prison' since 1948.
What they did on 7 October 2023, was an horrid act,
But nonetheless a revolt, poorly, ideally, representing 'their people',
Screaming out once again that enough is enough.

The world, in the past, could have guided events,
So that the Palestians, who forcibly lost all their land,
Could have maintained dignity by possessing their own Nation-State
In a Two State Solution, created at that time,
So that these 'losers' at least maintained some dignity
With their own continuing, prideful legacy.
In this light, and compared to the origins of many other world revolutions,
Is it really so mysterious as to why this horror actually erupted?

Coping With the Climate Crisis opus 342

The temperature in our world is absolutely ever-gradually rising.
This is a result of our own success in polluting technology.
Industry, transportation, cooling and heating of our living quarters.
There are two approaches to this problem:
The first is to temporarily alleviate the great heat--
Planting more trees, covering irrigation canals with solar panels,
Painting all rooftops white, lightening black asphalt with coatings,
Photovoltaic panels, batteries, solar box cooking,
Using methane production from human waste to burn for energy.
But these are only environmental bandages.
The second and ultimate effort must be to radically change our technology
To less polluting systems and attitudes therewith in how we basically live.
This change will take willpower,
But it is a must for a comfortable and successful future.

Heat--The Silent Killer opus 344

Our farm workers are laboring in rising temperatures.
When will they completely revolt to defend their lives
In conditions of blistering heat
While the rest of us are consuming our nourishment
In artificially cooled and comfortable environs?
Do we truly appreciate and are we grateful
That these invincible workers labor on?

The basic question, though,
Is why would certain (e.g. FL and TX) governors
Sign laws to counter efforts
Of more humane members in their governments
To allow temporary shade and water and rest when needed
For harvesters of our food, toiling over the heated earth?
One governor is caught blurting out
If heat remedies "are enacted here and there, it will cause
A lot of problems 'down there' for our farming businesses."

We still, sadly, value our fellow persons on a scale.

The Tragic Separation by War opus 352

The two of us were not anywhere near the war,
Raging fiercely and cruelly,
The rightful cause being justified by both sides.
One of us is a devout and practicing believer,
While the other is a Humanist, historian,
Devoted to all life with no god.
They had schooled together, performed music together,
And then lost track for many activity-filled decades.
One chose the military as a doctor (for refuge?) during Vietnam.
The other fiercely opposed the war, declared a pacifistic stand,
Ready to be a 'noncombatant', go to prison, or flee to Canada.

At their fiftieth High School reunion, we met again and even later,
At the capitol of Rhode Island, when the second
Was presenting a hand-carved 'Tartan Stone' to that state.
Communication began once again in earnest,
Until it happened--the Gaza-Israeli War.
Because of our backgrounds, beliefs, philosophies, and life outlook,
Suddenly we were not able to comfortably communicate
And at 80 for both, we were drawn apart,
Much as had occurred in our Civil War,
Where, brother against brother, father against son,
And mother against daughter's husband
Divided once united and steadfast relationships.

Humans, unfortunately, go beyond their fellow creatures
Because they think--creating philosophy, politics, and religion--
All which can divide humans and of which
Other creatures know nothing thereof.

(Ok, you got me on the territory argument, if you wish to diverge.)
(That's another 'Thought' coming out soon!--
'A Mammalian (Human) Territorial Flaw'.)

Any Compensation for Palestinian Lands? opus 356

Much before the creation of Israel in 1948,
Palestine endured great turmoil
With continual internal harassment,
From those anticipating, at last, a Jewish State--
Even to the point of poisoning drinking wells
To remove both human and animal from their homes.
The oppressed side calls it Nakba which it seems
Will never be forgotten, thus perpetuating
The present great unrest.

Perhaps if established today, in the light of justice,
Might there not be from the start,
A logically created two state solution--
Each side maintaining its national dignity and pride?
How simple and straightforward a conclusion
For the equality and autonomy of both--
And how, so much strife might thus be avoided,
Both in Palestine and for the concerned world at large.

The Wisdom of the Inexperienced opus 358

I was talking with my ophthalmologist about world affairs
In the few extra minutes we are allowed in our pressured medical world.
He said it was, "Too bad that our (USA) students
Should be demonstrating about Gaza."
His thought took me back to my Vietnam-demonstrating days.
The country was then in turmoil, some of my family even disowning me,
But we finally stopped the brutal, horrible, unnecessary war,
And now we are friendly and trading-allies!

Today, the Palestinian situation of injustice has commenced long enough,
And a just Two State Solution is what must obtain.
Religion, guilt and fervor entwined us in this--mess.
For my whole life I have endured and anguished with these conflicting peoples.
Uncomfortable as it may be, are once again our students correct?
Students are lacking in much experience and knowledge,
But there is a childlike, youthful innocence towards what is right.
Thinking human animals often create uncomfortable situations,
But youth, where and when they are allowed to speak,
Often show what is the right and just path.
They are the ones, when contemplating the implications of their future lives,
Who resist their stagnant elders, mired in their indecision,
And cry out, "We do not want to inherit the world you are presenting us!"
Unlike their tired elders, youth are full of energy
And that energy often is directed towards a better life
Which they wish to pursue into their unknown futures.

Mohammed of Gaza opus 363

His name is Mohammed.
He lives in Gaza.
At 14 he was exploring
The ruins of his home
And came across a canister.
Resulting from the powerful explosion,
He has no left arm
Nor any right-hand fingers.
(His brother helps him to urinate.)
Saved by four doctors,
He may still die--
There is no medical backup.

Ten percent of all bombs
Remain dangerously unexploded.
It will take 40 years in the future
To clear all unexploded explosives.
During that period many inquisitive children
Will continue to die.

So Many Choices are Dividing Us opus 365

As our technology continually fragments,
It results in a kaleidoscope of competing means of communication.
How our news is transmitted from many rival sources
As well as what type of means we just 'talk' to each other,
Has divided our society, our politics, our religious groups,
As well as our basic family structure!
'I listen only to this or that--the others are fake.'
'I do not and will not talk with you on such and such a technology--
I use only such and such a means to communicate.'
The old fashioned telephone is now considered slow, intrusive,
And the voice is obsolete!
Faxing, Email, and texting plus others go quickly out of mode and fashion.
With our present many means of learning what is going on (news!),
Or how we just talk with each other,
Has no longer brought us together, but has divided us,
To the point that we just plain refuse to interact,
Merely because of the 'brand' of the means used.
With all this technology, we are being brainwashed
Into separated states of isolation.

Memorial Day--May 2024 opus 368

Once again we commemorate a day
To remember those who died amidst the horrors of war,
Participating in conflicts which most personally never chose.
Being very aggressive and yet just another animal life form,
Humans have endeavored, but not yet learned
How to solve potential conflicts relating to territory and ideology.
Yes, attempts have continually been made, but with no final success.
Are we locked into the confines of our reptilian brain,
Or will we be, at some time in our future history,
Able to gently and peaceably come to the necessary compromises
Which will insure our successful sojourn
On this beautiful, very special blue planet?

Why the Denial? opus 372

So much evidence accumulating;
So many denying that anything is happening.

When did you last hear of such violent turbulence manifesting,
That two planes, within days, experienced such turmoil,
That many passengers, even one who died,
Resulting from huge destructive loss of altitude,
Pounding travellers against the cabin roof and racks?
I am almost 83, have followed aviation history,
And cannot recollect such atmospheric strength.
It is more and more evident that these changes
Will be increasing as a result of the ravages
Of the prevailing Climate Crisis.

It is noteworthy that most governing our Southeast
Absolutely deny even the mention of such change,
In spite of the revenge of the Climate
With its ever-greater tornadoes, both in size and number,
Crying out to demand the choosing of either our survival,
Or Climate's increasing destruction.

Historically, after great effort and cost,
We have vanquished dictators.
Why is it we cannot marshal and vanquish
An even worse and more horrible creeping foe?

An Eye for an Eye opus 378

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Or is it 30,000 eyes for an eye
And 30,000 teeth for a tooth?
War crimes pronounced on both sides.
The question emerges after so many eons
Of human history and warfare--
What on earth is true justice
For our century today?

Ukraine opus 379

There once was an ancient nation
Which slowly claimed an empire.
Too big, too unwieldy, too costly;
Then later giving the various parts their freedom.

A leader reemerges from the past, with eyes on the past.
Claiming historical 'right'; a brutal invasion occurs--
Basic murder and attrition.
At this time of writing the outcome is unknown.
Shall right prevail for the small nation,
Or shall false claims prevail,
Wrongly reciting 'history' on the other side?

Wouldn't it be Wonderful opus 380

Might you be able to contemplate
If all the resources which humans utilize
To kill, maim and wound others,
In order to prove some stupid point,
Might be mustered to aid each other
To solve or ameliorate the pending Climate Crisis
Which, in the end, will tragically challenge us all?
We need a Great Climate Crisis Truce
To stop senseless wars and focus on the nitty gritty
Of real-life actual survival of Humanity.

Is Our World Losing its Finest Democratic Republic? opus 381

Its Supreme Court is now destroying long-term precedents.
A candidate is running again, despite his crimes and untruths.
A party of the House is following that candidate, gobbling all.
Basic human freedoms, including power over women's bodies,
Are slowly eroding to nothing.

Unheard of power is now allowed for the presidency.
"No man is above the Law."
I recollect the history of Russia and Germany,
Including so many small powers throughout history.
Will the logic of the people utilizing their pending vote
Block at least a part of this potential huge shift in law and history?
Four months remain. . . . .

Dear Women opus 385

Have you completely thought through the implications of how you will vote?
Remedying the Climate Crisis--how it will affect your children.
Maintaining our world treaties, thus stability for your child's future.
Women's health--how the wrong choice will jeopardize
Your sisters' and your daughters' and your fellow women's lives.
Please use your feminine intuition in making this most important choice!

I speak as a humble man.

To live by the Sword opus 392

If one lives by the sword---
If one speaks in a tone of violence---
If one encourages use of weapons---
If one frivolously calls demeaning names---
If one denies facts and truths---
If one uses the religious for personal gain---
If one uses curtailment of women's health for political gain---
If one aspires to govern with absolute power---
If one proposes to dismantle a democratic government---

Will our free lifestyle with a democratic way of life
Metamorphose, by definition, to a state of hemorrhage and desiccation?
Aura is created around and by one.

Woman Power opus 393

No wimps, they--
Did you notice the Woman Power
Around wounded Trump,
As they moved him to his vehicle,
Their guns drawn beside the men?

Did you notice, as only a woman might,
The female Secret Service person
Who continued to shield the Former President,
Deftly reached down, swept up his red MAGA hat,
And carried it for him with her to the vehicle?

A touch of caring and class for a woman with power.

Making Peace opus 397

There was a Swedish peace group (out of New York City?),
Which used the philosophy of attempting to gather hostile groups,
Find a common life challenge and merge them together to talk.
One such attempt was made at UC Davis in the nineties
To engage the Egyptians and the Israelis in such a situation.
With all the irrigation in California, the top soils were becoming mineralized.
UC Davis was developing plant varieties which would better survive in
such soils.
Egypt and Israel both have mineralized soils from the remains of ancient seas.
I learned that the two groups were attempting to interact.
First two separate rooms, then together but with translators,
Then as their scientists wanted faster communication results,
They just started to talk together--problem solving!
As the barriers were dissolved, field trips were created.
I was honored by receiving this mixed group of scientists,
To host a tour of my polyculture, small 37 acre farm.
To learn what had been accomplished in our nearby university was exciting
And I shall never forget the 'frosting' I added to the conclusion
Of a tremendous breakthrough between two hostile nations.

A Regrettable Decision? opus 405

{I do not write this as a criticism, but rather as just a future question,
given the difficult and often tragic situation in which Israel
continually finds itself.}

At the present time a never before phenomenon is occurring--
With the horrors of Gaza, many Israeli Jews are deciding to leave their country.
Since 1948, continual conflict, death, and constant disorder has obtained.
By adding a group's theology into the sea
Of an 'antagonist's' territory it seems no rest will result.
Will historians of the future be studying the question:
Was the creation of the State of Israel
Possibly be one of the most regrettable decisions (for all)
Made by basically compassionate thinkers?
In one hundred years what might be the majority opinion?

Challenges opus 406

We are now, regrettably, truly witnessing
Many adumbrations of pending planetary chaos (challenge?):
Food production, transportation challenges, new needs for shelter,
Extinction of many fellow creatures and plants,
Increasing range of disease, survival with rising temperatures,
New needs for nonpolluting energy sources,
Now even new rotation times for our very own planet,--
(The melting ice becomes increased weight of water at the equator),
All will be presenting a new existence for humans,
As well as for all companion flora and fauna on our planet.

How Long a Bully? opus 408

There was one who bullied his way into the presidency.
Now with unforeseen events, there is another,
Like Boudica (Victorios Queen), a Celtic Queen of the Iceni,
Comes to the fore, not with a sword, but an honest, strong tongue
Which might just shame the bully to a shrivelled heap.

A Deceptive Account opus 410

Three hostages returned from Russia in the middle of the night.
The President and VP were there to welcome them.
After the greetings, the elderly President entered the parked plane.
A myth started that the old President entered an 'empty plane',
Thinking it was his Air Force One.
So incorrect. Obviously he entered to compliment the pilots,
As well as congratulating the seven staffers remaining in the plane.
Unless one does a little checking and uses some common sense,
A completely false recounting might always be believed.
BEWARE!
Falsely misleading one's opponents to gain power
Is continually an increasingly negative phenomenon
We must now sadly live with in an ever-complicated existence of lies.

Another Twisted Bit of History opus 413

One side claims that Kamala Harris is now the 'Border Czar',
'No progress has been made and the 'Czar' has failed.'
Actually she was sent, not to fix the problem at the border,
But to look into and remedy the problem originating from the source--
Just why so many are streaming to our border.
She followed through, partially remedying some 'source difficulties',
With a resulting measurable decline in the displaced numbers!
For any problem, one must inspect the origin of a phenomenon
And not always attempt a remedial bandaging
Far from the source of the flowing spring.

Hear Me Dear People opus 414

If one from a certain much metamorphosed party
Gains the upper hand,
It will not be only the 12 million who will be deported,
But also those who oppose his regime.
Beware of the pending danger.
Voting, if it survives, may be our only salvation.
    (Anonymous)

Afternoon of my 83rd Birthday (Train of Thoughts) opus 423

Guests at 1700 Hours have departed and I sit alone
By my small pond in a gentle breeze.
Quiet, with a bucolic sense all around.
A Great Egret patiently fishes, then slowly rises up and disappears.
Recounting my birth certificate, recording the time I emerged into the world--
0115 EDT--if daylight time had been created then (it had--March 1918).
That would mean the exact time of 83 years,
Would have been 2215 Hours PDT on 24 August 2024.
Funny how things shift around our planet.

So, at 1100 Hours, Pierre's and Basil's mother, Christine, came to celebrate!
When your ex-wife comes to truly visit, you have done something right!
(I think she might be a little bored, lacking a challenging
conversation now and then.)

Then Pierre (son) and Julia (his wife) and belatedly Rebecca (a friend)
Tumbled in for a moment of greetings and tumbled out, just as fast, to
Burning Man.
Christine and I were left with cake and South African Gem squash and figs
To discuss for a full four hours--she was to stay only for one or two.
Reluctantly on both our parts--so different in life's orientation,
I had to send Christine on her way into the five-o'clock Sunday traffic.
A very nice interaction of two, who seldom interact.
How wonderful if Kamala and Trump and their followers
Could interact in such a peaceful and sane manner.
This was, indeed, a thoughtful and meaningful meeting of two differing minds.
Thank you, Christine, to take the time and be tolerant enough
To propose, to expound, to contemplate and allow the possibilities of compromise,
Which could exist in a world of needless, non-empirical debate.

Several Modern Sources for Instant Death opus 432

We are living now in a world where the unknown moment of instant death
Is completely possible, leading to nervousness, fear, weariness,
And sometimes just plain defiance.

Russia has continually bombed the Ukrainian people;
They never know where the unjust explosives will land.
But in spite of all this, the brave people have become weary but defiant.

Israel is retaliating from a cruel Hamas attack,
But now the innocent Gaza population is herded and bombed; herded and bombed--
To the extreme that the 'eye for an eye' has reached an unequal tipping point.

Now, suddenly, in Lebanon 37 are dead and thousands maimed from pager
explosions.
Two children near the pagers are amongst the dead.
Israel has admitted (at least to the US) that they are behind this
possible war crime.
After a second day of random explosions, the Lebanese population is in turmoil.

How can we all stand by, helplessly, and witness such heinous acts?
The 21st century began with such positiveness and now look at us.

A Good Intention, Drowns Some Hopes opus 435

I taught Biology at the University of Lesotho, Africa,
For several years.
While there, I befriended a Swiss fish farmer,
Who in all innocence created a large fish pond,
By damming up a donga or deep crevasse,
Formed from excessive erosion.
The countryside was riddled with these long, deep wastelands.
The intention of my Swiss friend was to create
An aquaculture industry for the country.
In this case good intentions ended in disaster.
One of the challenges was to teach a landlocked nation to eat fish,
But that was not the route of these troubles.

One late morning an alarmed villager quickly knocked
On the doors of our campus.
Three teenagers had slipped down the steep,
Muddy banks of the new pond,
Struggled into ever-deeper water, and had drowned--all three!
What to do? Villagers had been digging away for hours at the dam.
Their intention was only to lower the water and retrieve the bodies.
It would take days. No one wished to, nor was really able,
To swim and recover bodies in the muddy water.
Suddenly (and long before I became an aquaculturist),
It hit me, there must be seines nearby which were used for fish harvesting.
One long one was immediately employed and our 'fishing' commenced.
Soon, sadly, the net was drawn onto the bank,
And three young bodies were seen in this netted tangle.
Their arms were frozen in a painful, as if reaching-for-air position,
Their fingers and ears had been badly nibbled, feeding the innocent fish.
The whole operation had been sickening with a terrible tinge of tragedy.
The campus rescue teachers quietly returned home.

Coincidentally, the University had an outdoor swimming pool
For teachers and their guests. The school was far from a town or city,
And perhaps the designers of the campus felt
The pool would help entertain foreign, urban staff.
So, then, teachers, being teachers, invited students to learn to swim.
However, also at that time, a native Mosotho
Was chosen as the new Vice Chancellor.
The VC, perhaps in a surge of nationalism (?), closed down the pool.
He viewed it as a western, useless pastime.
This action took place just after the staff volunteered
To recover the bodies of those drowned teens.
True, nets were used to retrieve the victims,
And no swimming actually occurred,
But if those three were able to swim--an unknown skill--
The horror of that day would have been just an hypothesis.
The rightful feeling of the Mosotho concerning foreigners
Taking only seeming pleasure in the pool--
Opposed to considering the good being done
By innocently teaching swimming--
Draws out the conflicts of one culture benevolently imposed on another.

If the fish industry were successful and many dongas were aqueously filled,
Swimming would have become a natural ability,
As well as adding fish -- a wholesome protein source for the people.

A Leaden History opus 438

Most of us are aware of the silent death and quiet ailments
Due to the Romans' elaborate plumbing systems, using lead pipes
To shift water throughout their civilizations.
They did not know, but lead is one of the most toxic elements in the
Periodic Table--
A great idea, using an easily malleable metal to connect their water labyrinths.
Today, an equivalently brilliant idea using exciting color
To make a spice more attractive for increasing sales,
Has lead (led, no pun) many into a horrible health problem similar to
that of the ancients.

Bangladeshi women and their children in Flint, Michigan, and in NY City,
All had relatively higher levels of lead in their blood,
Causing lead-related health problems and death.
Why, these people from this part of the world?
Much sleuthing and research, but no clues at all.
Finally, a female Californian researcher decided to actually go to Bangladesh--
No lead paint on their tin houses, no lead-painted toys,
No lead in molded pots, no food with direct lead poisoning.
What then?

Wholesalers of turmeric began using (1980's) lead chromate powder
To brighten the color of the yellow spice.
Then later, when floods blackened the turmeric roots,
Even more lead chromate was freely used on the harvest.
This boosted sales of the artificially yellowed product,
But it was literally poisoning the people of Bangladesh--
Who, sadly, were also privately importing this product to the US.
Studies were done; miraculously the Bangladashi government stepped in,
And this poisoning dropped to almost 0%.

Today, more research follows looking at other spices, cosmetics, and
painted toys.
There is much to be done to ferret out this lead terror--
It pervades our societies, utilizing 7 percent of our US gross national product,
With a global cost of $6 trillion, all coping with lead.

Who would have known? What else lies out there undiscovered?

Alex Salmond (Former Scottish Prime Minister) opus 442

So many around me are passing on their mortal coil.
This, of course, is because of my age of 83.
I just learned of the passing of Scottish Alex Salmond, 69,
Who fought politically so fervently for Scottish Independence.
I met Alex in San Francisco, while he reached out to California
To increase Scottish trade with the world's 6th largest economic entity.
Alex loved horse racing, so our meeting occurred at a Bay Area race track--
Including kilts, talk of Scottish history, scotch,
And a display of my hand-carved stones.
There, I made a presentation of a small stone carving,
Depicting a knot overlaid by the Scottish thistle.

Days later, Upon Salmond's return to Scotland,
I received a wonderful, much treasured thank you note, from Alex,
Expressing his warm thanks, praising my ancient carving methods.
Alex Salmond will truly be a part of Scotland's continual attempts
To be once again an independent nation-state,
And I am so proud to have known him.

Columbus Was a Jew? opus 443

After more than two decades of research,
Scientists have confirmed that Christopher Columbus
Was a Sephardic Jew from (Spain?) Western Europe.
(Sephardic is derived from Sefarad, meaning 'Spain' in Hebrew.)

Oh dear, I hear it coming now from both sides--
Of course the expressed pride of the Jewish people,
That such an important historical person was 'one of them',
And conversely, that it had to be a Jew,
Who caused the opening of the New World,
With its consequential destruction
Of those two continents' native peoples.

Just wait and see--perhaps everyone will leave 'it' alone for once!

No comment!  F.

Water, Water Everywhere, but For How Long? opus 448

When I returned to California once again in 1978,
The purpose was quite different in that I was to be a small farmer.
The way I looked at my environment was indeed also quite different.
I already knew that this state had at most very few months of rain
And that agriculture depended mostly on its many aquifers.
These waters had remained eternally deep under the Earth's surface,
Until about the early 1900's when the first deep-water wells invaded below.
I also knew that California had no regulations
On well construction and the numbers thereof.
Thus, it struck me deeply during my first forays into ag land,
Witnessing field after field being watered with a torrent of sprinklers.
My first thoughts went deep down to the unseen aquifers below,
Wondering how long this kingdom of agriculture would survive.

Thankfully, 10 years ago, to most, the invisible
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was passed,
Which started to regulate the amount of water taken out
To match that which comes in.
Lands taken out of agriculture are now harboring
Native species of plant and animal, as well as buffering flooding.
More recently, added to this was the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program,
A support plan for the transition toward a smaller irrigated footprint.

The great question is, of course, are these efforts far too late,
Or will those in charge be able to make definitive decisions--
Or will food demands, economy, and political party mantras
Overwhelm reason and empirical evidence guiding outcomes,
Driving our way of life, as we know it, to simply collapse, unnecessarily?
I have witnessed the loss of historical forests in eastern Turkiye
As well as loss of the water table in now parched lands of India.

Political Order opus 450

In order to make good POLITICAL decisions for a SOCIETY,
There needs to be a strong, unifying CULTURE.
After which that SOCIETY must work in its best unison,
Resulting in strong, just, POLITICAL decisions for that population.

POLITICS out of that sequential order,
Results in disharmony and possible dictatorship.

Time Revisited opus 453

Humans have created an illusion with the measurement of time.
Today, Daylight Savings Time (DST) ended at 0200 Hours, pushing the clock back.
Announcers and others cried out joyfully, "We have gained an hour!"
Likewise at autumn-time an opposite lamentation is heard.
Are we really so completely brainwashed?
Humans, as well as other Earthly life,
Are locked into a circadian rhythm coordinated with the sun.
Before the invention of clocks, no conflict occurred.
With clocks, humans could just coordinate more precisely,
But still not challenging their circadian rhythms.
Standard Time (ST) is basically coordinated with the sun and our bodies.
And it must be emphasized that light exposure is vital
For the health of our circadian rhythm and its proper functioning.
Most, including farmers, worked from sunup to sundown.
The clock often extended the work day from dawn to darkness,
But the circadian rhythm was not challenged or shifted.
Then, because of the rationales of war, farming,
And school children walking in the dark,
The subtle biological conflict of the sun vs clocks began.
With the artificial creation of Daylight Saving Time;
Nice for many now 'having' long summer evenings,
But, as warned by many psychologists, detrimental
To our cryptic, but very real circadian rhythm.

Now politics enters to raise its uninformed head;
Always considering votes, business, and a feeling of control.
Two years ago, I sent an email to all 50 senators,
Warning them of the pending chaos, if a free-for-all were allowed.
Only two states have thus far legislated for only Standard Time--AZ and HI.
If future states choose just what they desire, permanent DST or ST,
Our country will be a chaotic mosaic of time changes,
And, we do this not fully understanding the detriment to ourselves
Which manifests our normal circadian rhythms
Grinding against a seasonally changing time,
Part of the cycle being unhealthy for our very well being.

Yet Another Plight of Women opus 455

'We' retreated from Afghanistan
To the detriment of its women.
Now we have chosen a leader
(Once again!)
To the detriment of our own women.

Having two 'X' chromosomes,
Women are genetically powerful,
But when will their societal power
Be rightfully honored?

Alien Enemies Act of 1798 -- 'Operation Aurora' (Trump) opus 456

In 1798 the new United States was facing
A possible 'Quasi-War' with France;
An irony, as they were the ones who bailed us out,
During the revolution with Britain!
On 6 February 1778 during the Revolutionary War
The US and France signed the Treaty of Alliance,
Which set up a military alliance between the two
And aided the Americans and their cause against the British.
But in 1793 a war between England and France commenced,
Causing John Jay to negotiate a trade treaty with Britain,
Increasing trade between the two and averted war again with Britain.
However, France saw it as a violation of their 1778 treaty with the US,
Jay now giving preferential treatment to Britain!
Also the US refused to continue paying the Revolutionary French debt.
In 1796, France started to harass US merchant ships,
Which also sparked the creation of the US Navy.
France tried to bribe the US delegation attempting peaceful negotiations,
In the so called XYZ Affair, which created anti French chaos at home
And the creation of the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts intended to keep
Foreigners (French!) living in the US from influencing American opinions.
It was Napoleon in 1799 who stopped the French hostilities with the US
And in 1800 a treaty was signed ending the undeclared war.

Much more history ensued, but this is the Treaty,
Desired to be used by the 'new', incoming US administration of 2025.
The questions now to use this in the present day
Require answers from our present conservative Supreme Court:

--Are we at war--a point which is in the Treaty;

--What can we do legally with immigrants with several stati;

--Using this Treaty, are actions subject to abuse in peacetime;

--Are immigrants part of an 'invasion' or 'predatory incursion';

--When can the president act without a congressional vote
  (The Constitution gives only the Congress, the power to declare war);

--Could noncitizens be treated as prisoners of war;

--Could the president proclaim a rhetorical invasion;

--Could there be a non-literal reading of the Act--
  To invoke the unlawful migration and cross-border narcotics trafficking;

--Is there any way in which this Act could be used outside of war?

There are many other questions which must be answered.
I await somewhat in trepidation to witness what will unfold.

A Scottish Influence opus 457

Early America fought a Revolution against Britain--England and Scotland.
To address the royalty of England, one said, 'Your Majesty',
Yielding the power to the royal figure,
While addressing Scottish royalty, one said, 'My Liege',
Reminding the royal that the power was to serve and protect the subject.
This latter tradition derived from the clan system,
Where the chief was responsible for his people.
Whether or not it was conscience in the Founders' minds,
The final decision to have a President or a King,
Most likely was a result of the Scottish mindset and influence,
Where the President was to serve the people,
And not have power over them--
Yes, to serve the country and its people,
Through the ultimate power--that of the Constitution.
Even in these tumultuous times, most desire this tradition to maintain.

Shortsightedness? opus 462

We recently voted for our own personal pocketbooks--
But have we opened a greater Pandora's Box,
Far beyond anything most would imagine?
How might Adams and Hamilton have argued this one?

A Prayer for All Tyrants opus 467

Will an angel of mercy come down
And numb them into immobility?

A Culturally Blending World opus 480

On the news this morning, it was announced
That the 'new' Syria, having just ousted its dictator (Asad),
Is even singing Christmas songs in their great joy--
Know what the carol was, chosen to be broadcast?--
'Feliz Navidad', a Mexican tune well known in the US!
So we have come to a Muslim country,
Celebrating by airing a Christian song in Spanish
To celebrate their hard fought-for political victory--
All influenced by a country--the US--
A multicultural friendly (basically) nation,
Attempting to be accepting of all diverse people!

Reaching Out to Those 'Others' opus 488

Many radio programs I have been listening to during this holiday season,
Ask that we try to reach out 'to the other side'.
Well, it took hold, so I texted my quick Holiday greetings
To both my closer friends, but also to those I have for several
reasons lost touch.
It is difficult to reach out to people who are adamant and unyielding.
I am truly in a quandary, but I shall send more 'innocuous' messages
And see if anything softens in our interactions.

A Gaza-Israeli Progress Report opus 492

The last hospital in Gaza has been taken over and closed by Israeli troops.
Accusations claim that even the head doctor works with Hezbollah.
Will continued bombardments solve anything?--
Walls eventually stop no one and continual bombardments
Result in about the same--someone will always hold on in hiding.
True negotiations are desperately needed
And compromise of some sort must manifest--
Otherwise no 'progress' will ever see the light of day.
I wrote before, that 'an eye for 3000 eyes' is becoming questionable,
But now we must ask is 'an eye for 45,000 eyes' at all just?
Our violence is way outdoing, even our pugnacious relatives, the chimpanzee!

Our National Mindset opus 496

It is not guns alone causing our chaos,
But rather a national state of mind, 'allowing' a source of violence.
As long as we elect leaders who use 'violent speak',
Our national mentality will increasingly shift from a loving, caring center,
To a state of accepting and even approving the violent approach.
(Greenland, to be taken over by our military?? etc.)

The LA Fires opus 502

They watched in grieved silence as their church,
Then a synagogue, then a mosque burned to nothing.
Four major fires have ravaged, so far, more than 1200 structures.
Where is their god, to which many have sent earnest prayers?
In our wasteful life of comfort and ease,
Has the voice of god been all around, but has not been heeded?
Surely our collective inner voice has attempted to guide us,
But we are blinded by our votes and present way of life.
Was Carter's then plea, to reduce our use of energy overall,
And our public disdain and impatience with this visionary man,
The very voice which we should have,
Almost five decades ago, wisely heeded?

Our Future? opus 504

Oh, those of you who switched your votes,
Do you really know what you have unleashed?
Will we now be once again flooded continually with misinformation?
Check out the purchase of Greenland with all its new duties?
The declaration that Canada is the 51st State and all those duties?
Future steps to make women a non-reproductive entity?
Destroying the FBI which, with all its faults, does maintain the law?
Abolishing the Department of Education, which was an attempt
At more equal access to learning opportunities?
Reduction of food and fuel prices--both now reneged upon?
And god knows what else will obtain in this murky future.
Well, you voted for whatever, and we must now
All live with the consequences.

Those Illegals! opus 505

Are most illegal immigrants crooks and drug dealers?
Los Angeles is now an inferno--already 10,000 structures lost.
Sadly, six with more to come, have lost their homes and lives.
One homeowner, it is reported, remained to attempt to save his home.
He also battled for hours to stop a neighbor's burning home
From spreading to destroy his own.
Exhausted after several hours, he lay down in his house to rest.
Upon returning, he discovered a band of Guatemalan illegals,
Bucketing, in a line, water from a neighbor's pool to stop the fire!
He was overwhelmed and asked them why were they doing this?
This was not their neighborhood, nor did they know anyone.
They simply replied, 'our parents taught us to always do good
And this catastrophe is beyond and above us all for personal safety.'

A Haggis Repast opus 507

I dozed off to the pending news of our redundant politicians;
Such continual anger against almost everything.

I longed for a change-- something to put in my mouth.
Oh, the last portion of my can of Scottish Haggis.
Chopped into smaller portions, special oil poured thereupon.
Heated to soften the Haggis and yield a bubbling oil.
One of my last four eggs, held for a special occasion--
Eggs--the last--from my young hens--
Dog-murdered beside my house.
Now almost imbibing the heated oil-soaked meat,
I left it on my tongue to taste my Scottish heritage--
Washed down gently with not Scotch, but Sake--
A cosmopolitan repast at midnight.

Tariffs--A Remedy for All Things? opus 511

We are told that tariffs will fill our coffers.
The truth is that tariffs are paid for by the receiving country;
Definitely not the country sending the product.
Any funds received by the 'tariffing' country
Are paid for by the citizens, who contribute
To the increased price of each item.
Prices will go up to cover the tariff and the tariff 'income'
Will go, in addition, into the treasury of the tariffer.
Will those citizens learn they are paying for this new 'tax'?
One more deception for what is really, actually occurring.

A New Country Called California! opus 512

Since I have come to California in 1978,
I have seen two attempts to divide the state
Into two or three separate and independent states.
Now there is a new initiative,
Signature collecting starting 23 January 2025,
That proposes a vote on whether or not California
Should become a free and independent country!
(This has also occurred in the history of this state.)
Perhaps some fear for the possible future of California,
Being part of an ever-more conservative world.
This is, of course, serious business for the state;
But to add a touch of humor to this pending vote,
I am wondering if the new national anthem
Will be officially sung in English or in Spanish?
Might it also mention that this territory is being
Now turned back to its original "European' owners?

A New Gaza Playa Report? opus 523

'Someone' has proposed that the ruins of Gaza should be cleared,
The indigenous population be removed elsewhere,
And the enclave be opened to international pleasure.
Might this violate a few international rules of law and ethics?
Not so sure, but the proposal is out there in the ether!

If Only, If Only opus 532

Slowly, painfully, the Israeli hostages are being returned.
So joyfully those few lucky ones are greeted and hugged.
So cruelly taken and held by those 'others'.
But wait and ponder how those 'others'
Have been held since 1948 in an open air prison.
Human emotion and anger and despair can only be controlled for so long.
If only, if only, everyone, forming the new Israeli State, in 1948,
Had considered both sides, creating equal territories for each people--
Sovereign, equivalent, nation states.
If so, there might have been no hostages,
No hate, no revenge, and perhaps,
Equal trading partners and equal neighboring States.
They would have been living juxtaposed in peace.
Will those in power now finally realize, this is the only long-term solution?

Only Two Sexes! opus 535

Our new (and repeat) president has declared there are only two sexes.
Scientific studies and enquiries show there are many more orientations.
Of course, there is now political reaction
Against these restricted, officially declared dual sexual orientations.
Perhaps history will replicate itself as, for instance,
Occurred in Black Sports History.
Blacks were ostracized from baseball,
So they created the infamous Black Leagues,
After which Whites, upon seeing the potential value of Black players,
And posing Jackie Robinson as the 'change agent',
Blacks are now dominant in the baseball legacy.
Prejudice and hate sometimes melt into a new positive reality.

Possibly True? opus 545

Is it possibly true
That the richest person
Can wield such power
That by dictating
The cessation of funds,
Thousands of children
Depending on supplemental food
And life-saving medications
Will actually die during his watch?
It is unconscionable that this
Is actually occurring with his cognisance.

A Pseudo Peace (For Patrick) opus 547

I have a former acquaintance
Who boycotts me because of my verbal outburst,
Against the government of a certain nation,
The leaders of which are seeking revenge
Based on a ratio of 1200 to 51,000.
My math says that sort of ratio
Is not a 'balanced equation'.
Does one finally scream out
Or hold one's peace for a pseudo peace?

Benjamin Franklin and Canada as the 14th Colony opus 548

Franklin and Washington felt it was inevitable
That the thinly populated British possessions
To the north, would eventually join the future US.
Before the Declaration of Independence was signed,
Two colonists, Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold,
Came very close to convincing Canada to join.
After Yorktown, Washington wanted to make another attempt.
With a well equipped army, and the French allies,
He wish to capture Quebec and drive the British out of Canada.
Now, with more detail, John Allen, a Nova Scotia politician,
Wrote Washington that his crown colony may join the 13 Colonies--
About three-quarters of that then population of 20,000 were New Englanders!
However, as a result of several difficult historical incidents,
Nova Scotia, nor Quebec were included in the new US.

Are the Statue of Liberty's Words Now a Cliche? opus 553

With the harsh reductions of the US government,
Orchestrated by the returning executive,
Among so many issues concerning so many departments,
What will now occur concerning our scientific research in all fields?
This tragic move has already been taken advantage of
By several European universities which are
Offering (luring) positions in their still progressive
And edified research programs.
Is this a clear adumbration of the end of the US magnificence
In being the epitome and 'hope' of the human world?
Will we be shunned, avoided, left to rot in our own misery?
Will the French politician be correct to demand
For the return of the Statue of Liberty?

Tariffs on Chicken Feet?? opus 560

At present, we are diving up and down economically,
As a result of the singular thinking of our second-time repeat leader.
Our farmers depend on a world trade which maintains stability.
Meddling too much in that agricultural trade-stability
Results in unstable pricing and loss of markets to other countries.
Well, ok, but how do chicken feet fit in to all this chaos?
Tariffs on chicken meat are clearly understood,
But with this meat are feet--attached thereto!
One country only, which consumes and adores these is China.
Even in our own country, chicken feet are slipped in via their restaurants.
Ironic, that our chief tariff competitor is China,
The very major consumer and importer of our chicken feet!

Playing Chess with Tariffs opus 563

Well, at this moment, we have tariffs flying in and out--
A frantic display of minimal planning wielded by outrageous power.
In the latest round (4th?). electronics are spared the tariff-tax,
While our farmers and their products are left in the fray.
Interesting that our leaders spare electronics,
While leaving farm products and food on the shelf (or not)
To languish for our population--
Are we really able to ingest electronics?
Our addiction to the latter, may starve us with neglect of the farmers!

Chlorinated Chickens! opus 564

Did you know that butchered US chickens are bathed in a chlorine solution?
This procedure is done to hygienically cleanse the bodies of possible Salmonella.
The EU and Britain have conducted surveys and found 80% reject such US chickens.
Concerning food poisoning, statistics show it is seven times more likely
To get ill from food in the US than in the UK.
The European agricultural centers emphasize that disinfecting poultry
Is a way, chemically, to mask food safety in the US.
Basically, Europe relies on 'pre-harvesting' interventions with living animals,
Including vaccination and various types of feed additives,
While the US focuses on chemicals and other methods
To eliminate pathogens once the animal has been slaughtered.
Such different approaches, preparing one of our most popular and common foods!

Assault on Democracy? opus 567

So many drastic changes (executive orders) in fewer than 100 days,
Which already concerns and brings fear to much of the population.
In fewer than four years, which will now unfold,
What chaos and disorder might be then fixed in our government
And in the general cosmopolitan population?

A 21st Century Book Burning opus 573

Most of us, especially older persons who grew up with books,
Distinctly remember historical films, showing books being thrown into bonfires.
Since the 1400's, when the Gutenburg printing press was invented,
Education and information about the world was multiplied by many factors;
So it was with the creation of organized educational institutions.
Today, the slow 'destruction' (ie 'burning') of educational organizations,
Formerly reaching out to free thought and encouraging individual choices of ideas,
Is peeking out at the adumbrations of a terrible one-sided educational format,
Which will stymie the present, golden-age of knowledge-seeking.
In a democratic, free-thinking world, one must be exposed
To all thought, discuss everything , and freely make up one's own mind.

Compassionate Leadership opus 574

There was a leader of a certain country,
Who treated most of his fellow leaders in a demeaning manner.
A certain pope of Italy died and world leaders attended his funeral.
As the leader of that certain country entered with his wife,
The whole gathering remained absolutely silent.
Whereas, as the leader governing previously to that certain leader,
Who was compassionate and caring for his people and his fellow leaders,
Entered and received a loud welcome from those fellow leaders.
A compassionate leader will always be greeted and perceived positively,
Even if not every one of his attempts at governing was always successful.

To Coal or not to Coal? opus 576

Coal mining is a dirty, dangerous business.
Many leaders have attempted to shift to other safer energy sources.
Now, the new returning US leadership, to maintain certain votes,
Wishes, once again, increased coal production and use--
BUT, at the same moment, this 'new enlightened' leadership
Has ironically disbanded all research and medical testing,
For those workers who continue to harvest this killer product!

Memorial Day, 26 May 2025 opus 578

First, Decoration Day, commencing just after the Civil War,
Later, became Memorial Day to remember the fallen in all wars.
Unfolding are heroic stories, related by those who accomplished and survived;
But, as well, there are many stories of suffering and death.
On this day, we should also remember those relatively few
Who have striven and strive now to stop war as a means to solve differences.
There must come a time when resolving problems with violence
Will be unheard of and never chosen as a solution.

Will TACO Make a Difference? opus 581

I have realized that our neighbors to the south have invaded us with revenge,
Not with might, but with their alluring food--
One being the ubiquitous TACO.
It has come so far that our leadership here has gone totally TACO.
Lips extended over, and drawing in that crispy, stuffed goody,
All manner of thought has left his body
And in his gourmand madness, he has succumbed,
Belittling all his subjects, that none do matter--
Only his fellow Oligarchs with yachts from which,
They can disgorge any excess, unwanted, and unnecessary frivolous TACOs.

(Written for a presentation on the web.)

Exaggeration or Untruth? opus 583

Two political parties recently vied against each other,
Both claiming reduced food prices for their public.
Now the party presently in power have touted
That 'prices are down'; even eggs are now 400% reduced in price!
Actually, egg prices have fallen by only 67%.
Many other food prices also remain higher than they were previously.
Do we, the public, take these continual claims with a grain of salt,
Or realize that there is a continual shift towards a new reality?

Does Banning Things Ever Succeed? opus 591

Just recently, the Taliban of Afghanistan
Have begun to ban the ancient game of Chess.
This revered 'sport' has been pegged as a form of betting.

As authoritative power creeps into our democracy,
Are we witnessing the banning of the ancient 'game' of sex,
Similar, of that occurring in Afghanistan?
Namely, in spite of decades of research,
We now hear the proclamation that there are only two sexes!
All others of the 57 sexual orientations just do not exist--
A true limitation of that variation of this ancient 'game'.

An Unintended Holiday Consequence opus 597

Tariffs are slowly (?) seeping into our society and economy.
China, the recipient of many tariffs, has this year pulled a 'fast one',
Or better, we have pulled the 'fast one' on ourselves!
For the 2026 US 250th anniversary, when fireworks are a paramount item,
Tariffs now at 30% and possibly may suddenly rise to as much as 140%,
Are already placing a real damper on both 'back yard'
And professionally performed ceremonies around the nation.
Beyond that, the commercial purchasers of fireworks
Have no idea as to what to do for next year,
Because our fireworks, almost 95% of which are Chinese manufactured,
Must be ordered one year ahead of time.
A possible balanced conclusion could be
That our ceremonies might be dimmer,
But with climate change, the danger of fires may burn less bright.

Mass Deportation and the Cost to Society opus 598

Mass deportation is being attempted, but there is a new (?) recognition
That farm workers, as well as hotel and restaurant laborers and meat packers are vital.
The decision to spare these 'personnel' goes back and forth.
When one looks at just immigrants, let alone illegal immigrants,
Their economic contributions goes into the trillions of dollars--
To completely remove this group or groups of people, depending on their length of stay,
Would be an absolute economic loss to our economy.
The only way to replace these workers is through the recruitment of more immigrants!
Are our leaders so filled with their deportation goals
That they are paying no attention to the effects of their efforts on the economy?
Also the cost for increased law enforcement and for deportation camps,
Could total 80% of all of the federal law enforcement budget.
What could save all this is a year-round 'farm worker visa'.
This would prevent the negative consequences and future illegal immigration.
Why was this relatively simple solution not implemented long ago?

More Guns and More Gas opus 602

As the numbers of guns increase,
So also, shall more mindless deaths.

As earthly CO2 levels increase,
So shall the entire world be profoundly affected.

And, now--the newer challenge of Methane as the Arctic thaws;
How might we humans react to this even more profound challenge?

Lesotho--Where's That? opus 614

Did you happen to catch it, when President Trump said,
"No one has ever heard of Lesotho."
 (Pronounced LES SOO TOO, a very small Southern African country.)
The subject of Lesotho came up because Trump placed a 50% tariff thereon.
Trump may not have heard of Lesotho, but the Basotho have heard of him.
I, personally, had heard of Lesotho, the country,
Because I was an 'English lecturer' (assistant professor) in their university about 1976.
This country was and still is one of the poorest countries in the world.
When I lived and taught there, the poverty was evident.
Young boys, tending goats in the wild, were still hunting mice,
To be roasted over a small fire, providing a small amount of needed protein.
The hunting weapon was a sharpened stick called a Tsenene.
In the winter, children wrapped themselves in a single blanket,
And walked around with bare feet on a very cold earth-surface.
As I remember, perhaps Denmark (?), had started a clothing company to create jobs.
This infant industry has now grown to produce and become 'the denim capitol' of Africa.
They also produce the golf shirts of clothing, which even Trump himself wears!
The 50% huge tariff, Trump placed on Lesotho because of the 'trade imbalance'--
Lesotho actually exports more to the US, because it is so poor; US products being relatively too expensive.
As a result, their clothing companies are challenged, losing trade because of the excessive prices--
Businesses are closing, workers are being laid off,
And a long fought-for national industry is, because of Trump's complete ignorance of the situation,
experiencing crumbling sources of desperately needed employment.
Meanwhile the tariff has somewhat mercifully been reduced to 15%,
But the Mosotho Secretary of State reports it will require many months for the needed recovery.
Yet one more tragedy in a long line of uninformed legislation.

Challenges for a Professional Female Pilot opus 615

As you may have read in my previous writing,
I learned to meet the challenges of flying as a young pilot.
I realized there were many difficult tasks to learn.
I did not become a professional commercial pilot
And had never thought about the additional challenges,
If I were a female, seeking to become a professional pilot.
Besides having to wear a man's shirt and tie in my uniform,
I would have to work, and still have proper leave for childbirth,
And beyond that, just how would the health regulations
Deal with the vagaries of menopause?
Women today are dealing with these female-related challenges,
As they enter, as women, into yet another very man-oriented profession.

Are We Witnessing the Downfall of a Great Democracy? opus 616

So many 'props' for so many are being kicked out from under.
Our democracy, our parks, our research, our meds, our schools,
Our information sources, our relationships with each other.
Such phenomena have rarely been witnessed before.
As an old elder, there are feelings streaming through my bones.

Do Voters Choose Their Politicians OR Do the Politicians Choose Their Voters? opus 626

The simple thought is that, of course, voters choose their candidates.
In a perfect world, that is what ideally occurs.
But there is a device, disparagingly named Gerrymandering*--
The politicians' manipulation of voting boundaries,
Resulting in the reverse--the politicians' determining their voters.
See what Texas Republicans are now doing
To create five new Representatives in Congress;
And realize the reaction of California--using the same opposing manipulation.
And then multiply another Gerrymandered state, and then another.
We are no longer governing for the good of the people,
But spending all our energy to simply gain power,
With little time to govern wisely for the people.
A tragedy, indeed: A manifestation of insatiable human territorial greed.

(* Gerrymandering was named after Elbridge Gerry (pronounced originally with a hard G),
Massachusetts governor in 1812, who signed a bill, creating a partisan district in the Boston area,
in the shape of a mythical salamander, thus creating the portmanteau 'Gerry-mander'.)

Deep Sea Mining of Polymetallic Nodules opus 636

The new potential of deep sea mining 
For ever-more-needed metals is looming large.
The seabed in places is littered with polymetallic nodules,
Containing nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper.
Mining firms claim the deep seabed could provide 
A major new source for these minerals.
The nodules could be retrieved with an uncrewed collector--bus size,
By crawling along the seabed, hoovering up nodules, 
Which are sent up in a miles-long tube to a waiting ship.
Are there environmental impacts with this method?
Supporters say it will cause less disturbance than terrestrial mining.
However, many marine scientists and policy makers disagree--
Sea sponges and anemones grow on the nodules;
Sediment plumes from the mining may harm creatures used to clear water;
Noise pollution could interfere with animal communication and navigation;
Yet unknown species may be eliminated before identification.
Hundreds of researchers have called for a pause because of a knowledge gap.
Some companies like auto makers and tech firms
Have pledged not to use seabed minerals.
One mining company is developing robots that would hover above the seabed,
With mechanical arms to pluck only uncolonized nodules,
Thus eliminating sediment plumes, reduce noise pollution, leaving the seabed intact
Such a robot needs further deep sea testing for validation.
International regulations are in a turmoil, with several mining firms ready to begin!
Once again desperation for resources, accompanied with capitalism,
May result in yet one more environmental habitat to be in great danger.

Katrina Devastates New Orleans opus 637

Katrina--20 years ago today. (29 August 2005).
A storm avenging a city built below seabed.
A city surrounded by inferior levees.
People receiving inadequate warnings.
And many others who would have no way to retreat.
The transport, rescuing people, but refusing their pets.
Water rising so fast, even a rooftop was inadequate. 
Corpses bound to poles to prevent their washing away.
Many dispersing to neighboring states,
Where soon thereafter were once again struck by Hugo's deluge!
How can we live? Where might we go?
Is our manner of living actually the very cause
Of our ultimate downfall?

Yet Another School Shooting opus 640

School shootings are becoming regular affairs.
For a twisted mind, killing children 
Has a similar lustful draw as to that of pornography.
Those in Congress who refuse to vote against guns of any sort,
Do so, simply, for fear of the gun industry
As well as for losing votes from constituents
Who interpret the Second Amendment 
Far from what the original writers would have allowed,
With a State Armory to hold state (not private) weapons.
We are frozen in a tragic, deadly deadlock.

Usurpation of a Family Name opus 643

There was a family immigrating to the US,
Many decades ago, when Ellis Island was in vogue.
They were sitting on the hard-wooden benches,
Listening for their surname to be called out,
But which seemed never to be announced.
Suddenly a name commenced to be called--
Repeatedly.
No one responded. The seconds dragged on.
The father of the family rose and claimed that name.
Procedures evolved and the family 
Had a new name and a new nation.
Was this right or wrong?
What happened to the family who may have belatedly arrived,
Finding only that they were disqualified--
Sending them back to their nascent nation?
Were they escaping hardship or persecution?
History will never let us know.
Presently, the 'borrowing' ('thieving') family
Jokingly relates the story as a family triumph.

In these difficult political days for our country,
Would the harsh, present regime find them out,
Deporting them without a single humanitarian thought?
Again, we may never know, 
But such illegality has occurred throughout our history.

'Daddy' opus 644

My, there he is, sitting in his own egocentric self portrait.
Civil War hat and black shirt, with burning Chicago painted behind him--
One of his many cities, he was as president,
Benevolently to nurture, guide, and care for, as all before him.
'I love the smell of deportation in the morning ...'

I remember we voted in a president; lowering food prices;
And one who would not touch our vital Medicare;
One who aspired to earn a Nobel Peace Prize.
In reality, just what have we unleashed upon ourselves,
And all of the world around us?

Benjamin Franklin's Family Bout with Smallpox opus 645

I am relating this from a long-line of memory.
A British wife-nurse of a diplomat in Turkey,
Gained access to a harem and conversed with the women.
She learned how women combated smallpox
By inoculating in a gash in the arm, smallpox pus from a diseased person.
This was a primitive manner of vaccination (variolation).
Eighty percent of those participating survived.
Back in England she introduced this brutal, but effective preventative.
British doctors began to accept this idea--even though she was a woman.
But accepting this idea, initially, resulted in most doctors rejecting the method.

Benjamin Franklin in America was confronted with this 'cure' for his two boys.
He waited to inoculate his four-year-old, Francis Folger, being 'under the weather'.
Francis died on 21 November 1736 and this was greatly lamented by his father.
In Franklin's time 20 percent died--the remaining lived and survived!
The odds today are greatly better (90 percent), yet we have doubters.
How long will it take for us, once again, 
To truly learn the basics of medicine, without politics?

Deportation opus 649

If only the politicians long ago had together worked out a legal system
To allow 'foreign' workers to apply annually
For a work permit which could have led to citizenship.
None of this deportation problem would have ever occurred.
The hatred we see now would have melted
Into a reality where people would have been working side by side
With no illegality nor heartbreak of severed families.

I am heart broken.

A Possible Fate opus 650

S***, I M** N** B* A*** T* S**** A* I A***** H*** B*****...
Is this the fate of our future?
Remember the bravery of our forefathers and mothers.
I wish, still, to live in the land of the Free.
May 17 September 2025 not be a date in infamy!

I rest my case. Frank.

A Sad Gerrymandering Flood opus 666

I was born in the state, Massachusetts,
Where the ignobile activity, Gerrymandering,
Was created to gain political power.
I am not at all proud of this anti democratic project.
We see now that states which have formerly striven
For fair and balanced internal political power,
Are now seduced to Gerrymander in order to tip national power,
Thus losing the aforementioned balance within each state.
This now opens a rush towards unfair, unbalanced, 'undemocracy'
In a once-society working towards representation for each and all.

An Irony of War opus 667

Israel bombed Gaza to beyond recognition.
It then bargained towards peace that all hostages, dead or alive,
Must be immediately returned to finalize the agreement.
Now there is a delay to return bodies because
Many of those bodies are buried under bombed debris.
This delay is causing Israel in anger to slow movement of food aid into Gaza.
How ironic that Israel's very bombing is why the bodies' returns are delayed.
Is it just that Israel delays food aid to Gaza,
Actually resulting from their own former actions?

Quiet Counter Revolution opus 669

The evening is quiet; wishing for a call.
Left several voicemails for a few--
That they might call to break my solitude.
Chores are done--all is still.
Suddenly a ring--it is Richard, my webmaster.
Another Trump AI concoction has come out.
"I need another poem for this idiocy he has concocted."
We chat and plan and it breaks the evening monotony.
Who knows how I may 'poemize' his madness?
Those of us who know better,
Are dismayed at what we have all come to!
Will our democracy survive this usurpation?
These are truly dark times for our Republic.
We are pressed to understand 
What might be the possibilities.

The Monarch opus 671

There has never been a monarch who ruled with manure--
Not verbally nor physically. Until now.
This one has learned to fly a jet,
Which jettisones liquid faeces upon his people--
Not knowing whether or not one of his cabinet is in the crowd!
Or perhaps a 'supporter' or two?
Disgust now reigns in his kingdom.

Thirty-five opus 684

Today, a record has been reached--Thirty-five days.
A second record by one president
To preside over the two longest government shutdowns in US history.
It is, yet sure, that the second one will continue even longer.
Leadership has done nothing to reach a breakthrough
And has even been out of Washington and the country much of that time.
When will our leadership focus less on new ballrooms and gold faucets,
And labor diligently to end this catastrophe,
Affecting all citizens, including our own government workers?
Please, may wisdom and judgement
Start to reign for the future of this great country!

The Revolutionary of the Pen opus 685

No guns for me to convince others--
I simply have my pen,
Always tucked within my shirt collar;
It remains there, ready, day and night.

An Op vs a Hoop opus 689

The question of fairness comes up with trans girls playing on a girls' team.
This pertains to any sport where these 'invaders' have attempted to join in.
Size and strength seem to be the issues at hand.
Society will most likely work out these issues over time.

So now I turn to basketball, where the issue might not be gender,
But rather height.  New players are chosen more and more frequently,
For their ability, but also for their height.
I, personally, as a non-basketball fan, raise the question--
Is it fair for a team to have a seven foot-nine player (like Oliver Rioux),
When the basket hoop is a relatively mere ten feet above the floor?
How might one equate these two phenomena for fairness?
Perhaps at least for the present, there might be 
A player height regulation for the latter example,
Or there must be a rethinking concerning the height of the hoop.

Two Approaches to Climate Change opus 693

Two older male friends had a minor verbal clash,
Discussing the way we each felt about the world's future.
The first travelled often, but vis a vis climate change,
He said it is too late;  there are millions of cars;
There will be ten billion humans within this century,
He will continue to travel to see friends and family
'Because one person cannot ever make a difference.'
To be noted, he has no children.
I, the second protagonist, felt very uncomfortable with this recounting.
I have solar panels, two batteries, drive limitedly, a hybrid car,
And cook with the sun, using a solar box.
Most of my driving now is limited to local shopping and appointments.
I try to consume good, healthy vegetables recycled, 
As waste, from a local store.
Also noted, I have two children and grandchildren--make any difference?
So, I guess I have resigned myself to realizing
That the two of us are just neutralizing each other's life procedures.
Even though we were each adamant, the two of us
Do not at all solve the climate future, if we even wished to.
OR, is there still a chance there are enough of us to make that difference?

Seeking One Who Has Gone opus 705

She has been violently taken from us in her school.
So cruel, so uncaring, so unknowing whom it would affect.
Where does one go to find, even a part of her?
Where does one go to witness once again her youthful accomplishments?
Where does one go to partake and inhale her sweet scent?
Of course the room she rested in, and studied in,
And dreamed of what she might eventually become--
Her castle, her music room, her sleeping chamber.
So many youths have been taken from us all,
By mostly young males, restless, confused,
And spiteful of their lack of accomplishment and success.
Are they allowed to slip past, because of a misinterpretation
Of the Second Amendment, originally written 
To no longer be victims of a possible king?
Have we lost the intent after three centuries of ever modified interpretation
Towards the attempt to maintain freedom--whose ever that is.

Uncle Bill, a Young NY Farmer During WWII. opus 707

My mother and her family grew up on a farm in Watkins Glen, NY.
She had a younger sister, Georgia, and a little brother, Bill.
While I was struggling as to what to do during the Vietnam Conflict,
My mother, Elizabeth, told me a story about Bill, 
During his young years on the farm during WW II.
Because so many men were taken for the war effort,
Women took over this effort at home.
These women built weapons, took over manufacturing,
Transported planes within the US to their final domestic destinations,
And, of course, had to also manage their families and children!
In spite of the fact that many women took over the farming,
Many male farmers were required to remain on their farms
And also continue farming, along with their women counterparts.
My mother related to me how humiliating this was for Bill,
Who was one of those farmers who had to remain at home.
Whenever he needed to go to town for supplies,
He went on his business, ashamed to be seen.
I believe he never got over this, and when he dealt with me,
During my struggles as to what to do about my stance
To not fight and declare myself  a Conscientious Objector,
He disowned me completely and would never interact.
He was my favorite uncle, and the blow came heavy.
Our relationship never recovered, and the two of us
Will pass on completely unreconciled--
One aspect of my life, from which I will never completely heal.

Danish Postal System Gone After 400 plus Years opus 712

After more than 400 years, the Danish Government Postal System has ended.
The utilization of this system has dropped 90% in the last few years.
Now one must mail things from a private store--no longer a post box.
Electronic communications have starved the old-fashioned system.
Now holiday and birthday greetings will mostly be compulsively electronic.
(By the way, any unused stamps can be returned for face value.)

Our postal system, about 200 plus years old, created by Benjamin Franklin,
Is teetering towards the same fate as that of Denmark.
Will I witness this occurring in the short remainder of my life?
Will I no longer be able to march into my Post Office, announcing,
"I am here to buy stamps to support this institution"?
Will I no longer be able to add a turkey feather to my epistle,
Augmenting the mystique of my correspondence?
Historically, the pending passing of an era, which I will always hold dear.

Christmas, 2025 opus 716

The Eve gently shifts to that Day.
I am awake changing my pads.
My body diurnally leaks--
It shall continue until I die.

My mind floats to the events and thoughts
Of just today--now yesterday:

A photo of us three children,
So long ago, tucked by the tree.

Elaine's text of her partner's cancer.

Waiting for even a quick call from grandson, Jayden.

Pleased to have conversed today with son, Pierre;
Pondering the section of my living room ceiling,
Which tumbled down during the last rain.

Wondering how my calf is doing in this storm.

Observing my Bettas, gulping air each three minutes.

Enjoying the Mozart Piano Concerto, K 502, now on.

Wondering when I will be tired, so to sleep.

So tormented about politics these days.

So sad about some relationships, not gone well.
Joyful in those that have, indeed, succeeded.

Listening to my furnace monitoring its temperature level.
I try to use as little propane as possible.

Sipping my water drink, touched with Anise.

Thinking of this 'Thought' I am composing.

Viewing the Libyan Desert Glass on my table,
Alongside the jar of New England Sea Glass.

Still wondering when I will be tired enough to sleep.

Oh, perhaps now--My thoughts transformed to Dreams.

The Metric Conversion Act opus 720

I arrived to live near Davis, California, in 1979.
I shall always remember the State sign on I-80.
The sign indicated the distance to Sacramento and the East Coast,
But not in a usual manner--there were two systems used!
One was the normal 'mileage', the other, the metric.
What was going on?  Metric in the US?  Yes indeed.
The US was the last country to attempt to go metric. 
In the 1970's, President Ford put forward the Metric Conversion Act.
This was an attempt to at last convert this country to the metric system.
Of the many entities needing conversion, road 'mileage' signs were one.
This, as we know, did not succeed.
However, to match the rest of the metric world,
Much of our food and drink, automobile and aircraft dimensions,
And our medications are also measured  metrically.
But our children are stuck with the British System.
How many feet in a mile?  (5280).  How many meters in a kilometer?  (1000).
How many inches in a yard?  (36).  How many centimeters in a meter?  (100).
I won't even ask how many feet in a rod?  (16.5 feet or 5.5 yards)!
Ok, a Chain is 66 feet or 22 yards.  Ten Chains in a Furlong!
Oh, and there are 100 Links in a Chain.  (0.66 feet or 7.877892 inches equals one Link).
Do you see my point?  The metric system is built on base 10.
For a child to thoroughly (which they don't) learn the British System,
It takes about three years of school time to perhaps learn this system.
Can you imagine how many other important things could be learned instead?
The metric system uses basic names (centi, milli, deci, kilo)--no Furlongs!
And conversions are accomplished by merely moving a decimal point!
Need I say more, considering the precious learning time available?
We, as a people, are absolutely stuck in our ways.
(Just as our British cousins were for so long!) 

Our Huge New Battleships opus 725

Recently, I listened to our second-term president
Propose yet another scheme for our future..
This time it was that we needed twelve huge new battleships,
Two being completed by 2030, the end of this decade.
I was amused, but disappointed, we must have yet more war machines.
Soon thereafter, I was listening to a retired naval officer discuss this plan.
He expounded that the US has not completed the ships already in the making,
Because this country no longer has up-to-date shipyards.
He said there was no budget for such monstrous ships.
He also firmly stated that such large vessels were sitting targets for our times.
We needed, instead, more efficient but smaller ships,
Which could agilely maneuver and separate a large target to many.
He concluded, "They will never be built."

In that vein, now, a portion of the White House has been destroyed,
For a huge new ballroom to fulfill the president's delight,
Will it ever be completed for that magnificent ball event?
Responsible dreams and proposals are one thing,
But plans made in the air to fulfill an ego, are yet another.

We the Nation opus 727

How is it that We the Nation
Can allow one man to compulsively and illegally,
Slowly but steadily, dismantle our democracy,
Even yet on her 250th anniversary?

The 6th--A Day of Shame opus 732

No matter how one considers it,
The violent entrance of the Capitol
Of a nation attempting to do general good,
Does not breed feelings of companionship.
To demand a cryptic reason for such,
Only adds to the weakening of such a nation.

Demise of a Mother-Poet. opus 739

Do we assassinate our poets, so unthinkingly?
And, even more sinisterly, 
Do we eliminate in a second, a mother of three?
If ONE knew the status of ONE'S potential victim,
Would that ONE go through with such a final act?
As a native once said, "Walk in their moccasins."
(Also, must ONE really now deflect investigation to her widow?)
Such a needless loss of a fellow citizen.
We shall remember you, Renee Nicole Good.

The Additional Value of Postage Stamps opus 741

I have delved into the Numismatics of our coins,
And have discovered wonderful history as told by them.
The minting of coins throughout our history,
Portrays US history that might today otherwise be overlooked.
Tha loss of the Danish postal system
Manifests adumbrations of another loss of history.
More obviously than coins, stamps (philately)
Reflect pictorially what a nation holds valuable,  
In that this mini-art form speaks out for a nation's values.
This important minimal art portrays 
Human heroes and important landscapes.
If and when our postal system is modified or eliminated,
Yet another quiet depiction-recording of our civilization
Will be sadly halted, just as the Egyptian petroglyphs
Were finally and abruptly cut short 
With the loss of the utilization of the art of stone carving.
(Originally, before stamps, recipients paid for a letter,
But with so many ships sinking, the sender started paying.) 

Will K Cars be Our New Coffins? opus 742

Having returned from Asia, Trump declared his love for the tiny, economical K car.
Prominent in Japan, would these tiny cars fit into this country's traffic?
Offsetting economics, they are small and slow;
Placed into a rushed society, having many accidents.
A huge trailer-truck attempting to slow suddenly behind a smaller, slower car,
Could most likely result in a catastrophe of a crushed car with its driver.
Our high-speed freeways might introduce a new category of death.
With such decisions, we must consider the adage of water and oil.

Is This Another Form of Genocide? opus 743

As of today, 720,000 recipients (480,000 children) dependent on US AID,
Have died from the sudden lack of food and medication.
Can one man really decide to determine the fate of so many?
Myriads  are crying out.
When such a system is created, is it criminal to suddenly withdraw
Such a backup system, upon which so many are dependant,
With no possible alternative to which one might rely for their survival?
Other projected stats determine many possible outcomes:
The Lancet (June 2025) estimated that the loss of US AID programs
Might result in over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030.
(This includes about 4.5 million children under 5.)
Projections (2025) indicate such cuts would result
In an additional 166,000 malaria deaths,
Plus a daily loss of 1,500 babies being born HIV-positive,
Due to the halt of maternal medications.
Might this action be defined as the creation 
Of a political holocaust of our time? 
In spite of these projections, Secretary of State, Mario Rubio,
Asserts in his Congressional testimony 
That "no one has died" from these aid cuts!
Just how far can the truth be pulled? 

First Shakespeare, Now Plato to be Outlawed? opus 746

Just this last summer, the governor of Florida,
Decided to ban Shakespeare for anything that is 'racy or sexual'.
This is to 'protect students from anything untoward'.
Now, we have a beloved, southern university, Texas A and M,
Which is banning Plato's 'Symposium', which explores sexuality and gender.
The Symposium's consideration that there may be, possibly, three sexes--
This, brought about from the University's ban on teaching 'race and gender idiology'. 
Conservatives want to go back to the classics (of which Plato is one!).
This would deviate from the teaching of Eastern philosophy.
The irony is that Plato (as do many conservatives)
Favor rule by strong leaders and only for a 'certain' type of democracy!
Do these people read and understand what they advocate?
Now, some high schools and a US university are banning and censoring!
Are we truly, now, still, actually in a real world of research and truth?
I have lived as an academic and also as a peasant farmer-- 
If this continues, I foresee the demise of our enlightened and very productive nation.

The Gandhi Influence on Me opus 749

On my way home to California (about 1977),
I stopped in New Delhi, India, to view Gandhi's death bed.
He was assassinated on the grounds of Birla House 
(Museum of Gandhi Smriti),
Now a national shrine for the nation.
I had already read many of Gandhi's writings.
The simple, small room where he died
Was stark for the world's loss of a true humanitarian.
I lingered there, quietly for a long period of time.
I believe that experience remained with me personally,
Goading my thoughts to act during the Civil Rights era;
As well, and more profoundly, during Vietnam,
After much agonizing, I declared myself a Pacifist.
As a child, I retreated from or even ran away from conflict,
And now, as an adult, I have always sought out negotiation.

Dangers of Following an Undesirable Leader opus 752

The leader of a nation who is gentle but strong,
Is a leader with the most citizens who are gentle and considerate.
The leader of a nation who is angry and vindictive,
Is a leader with many angry citizens who care little for each other.
Voters of a nation, must always consider and judge
A potential leader's personality and character, among key categories,
So they are not poisoned by negative leadership.

An Omen opus 755

He is upsetting the entire world,
And it is not Jesus nor Mohammed.
We must be on alert for what may come.

Five-Year-Old MN Child Used to Lure Parent opus 757

So the story goes and reports expound,
Federal immigration agents used a five-year-old boy 
Liam Conejo Ramos, as 'bait', to lure a family member
Out of their home during an arrest in Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
The ICE agents approached Liam and his father
In their driveway, upon returning from preschool.
By one account, the child was used to lure out his mother.
The father told the mother not to open the door.
The scared mother thus did not take custody and is blamed.
Both the child and the father were transported for detention in Texas.
This sad story contains several conflicting claims.

However, as a biologist, I am reminded of other such historical incidents.
During the whaling period of our country and the world,
Whalers would use a similar tactic on another mammal.
They would harpoon the calf and wait for the mother
To get within range to easily kill her as well.
Female and often male mammals defend their young,
And predators in the know will use this behavior,
Starting with a tidbit and ending up with a complete meal.
It appears that both humans and cetaceans react similarly,
Much to the potential detriment of both generations.
Such, as judged by humans, is one of the cruelties
In the struggle for survival and political advantage.

Alex Jeffery Pretti (1988 - 2026) opus 758

When a law officer decides, often quickly,
Whom they might be eliminating in a second;
Does it even go through their heads as to who they may be eliminating,
As opposed to whom they might be sparing the final 'Coup de Grace'?
Alex was only 37 years old, a nurse at a VA hospital.
Did he ever suspect he would die at the hands 
Of another fellow Federal Agency?
A Boy Scout, an honor graduate of Preble High School,
And, musically, a talented vocalist in the Green Bay Choir.
He cared for veterans; he enjoyed mountain biking. 
And was committed to humanitarian efforts.
He was helping a woman who had been pushed to the ground.
He held no weapon and was shot while pinned to that very ground.
The Administration is in disarray and modifying its verbal tactics.
Perhaps they now realize that US citizens have experienced enough,
And even some of the Administration's followers now realize
Exactly the total harm they have allowed.

The Winter of Our Discontent opus 759

I have experienced much in fourscore and four years.
I saw neighborhood children beating on pans in 1945.
I heard radio reports featuring jet sounds over Korea.
I watched TV documentation of the downfall of McCarthy.
I remember a school newsreel, showing Jains sweeping as they walked--
I recall, then, researching the all-encompassing Jain 'Golden Rule'.
I also recall, from those same newsreels, the Palistinian prison camps. 
I experienced my graduate schooling, interrupted by the Vietnam War.
Because of that war, I was guided into Pacifism--
I could not partake in an unjust conflict and kill others.
We are all experiencing an unknown future, molded by the Climate Crisis.
Thus we all are an integral part of the Sixth Extinction.
And recently we have democratically voted in 
A government, the truth from which, most of us are now unsure.
"We are going to deport all immigrant criminals",
When the reality is, that even innocent citizens of color are nabbed.