James Comey

director Comey made his bid for sway
by publicizing Huma's unread notes
and pundits scream the race is back in play
as if there're lots of undecided votes
John Ashcroft's boyscout stopped Gonzales cold
when he proposed to do that which is wrong
but working for Loretta Lynch got old
and pressures from the GOP were strong
a Hatch Act violation's no small crime
and as a lawyer, Comey knows full well
if Clinton wins, he could be serving time
for trying to sell all of us to Hell
J. Edgar Hoover played by no one's rules
but now, the Bureau's used by party tools

changes

this vulgar, stubby-fingered orange clown
may do what Iran-Contra never could
to bring a major party crashing down
might do our nation's politics much good
a multi-party system might increase
the chances we'd get what we really want
but still, the flow of money'd have to cease
and candidates drink at the public font
this year, the oligarchs can't get behind
this crass, trash-talking artist of the deal
begrudgingly, they cede they wouldn't mind
a moderate republican in heels
the Democrats have their own wars to fight
but there's no man left standing on the Right

re-reading

Aristotelian God can't know regret
to wipe a planet clean beneath a flood
nor wager Job's well-being on a bet
but who am I to judge His taste for blood?
what glory could He gain in Pharoah's fall
if all of Egypt were his tools to use
a funny sort of Deity-of-all
mysteriously partial to the Jews
the text is fixed, too sacred to repair
but Tanaaim work hard to make it fit
perfection that the reader can't find there
midrashim stitch together, bit by bit
RAMBAM excuses verses he finds odd
to find a record of a perfect God

holism II

to reify the wave, you break the sea
and ask each part to make sense on its own
as if it's somehow possible to be
an insular phenomenon, alone
a language conjures objects up by name
imposing bound'ries on our mental maps
but why two minds should divvy it the same
one must fall back on faith to fill the gaps

emergent qualities defy Descartes
and chief among them is this thing called "mind"
that isn't found in any smaller part
(some argue that there is no "thing" to find)

there may not be a bottom to this well

as bootstrap problems go, this one's from Hell

holism

to reify the wave, you break the sea
and ask each part to make sense on its own
as if it's somehow possible to be
an insular phenomenon, alone
a language conjures objects by their name
imposing edges nature never knew
but why two minds should divvy it the same
is too obscure for wise men to see through
emergent qualities defy Descartes
and chief among them is this thing called "mind"
that isn't found in any smaller part
(some argue that there is no "thing" to find)
an understanding of the system's whole
may not be had from each component's role

Lady Justice

Loretta Lynch enforces Civil Rights
that Eric Holder studied in Law School
a real Attorney General who fights
instead of sermonizing on the rule
of law but never prosecuting crime
'though murderers skate free on acts of hate
the gears of Justice have engaged this time
the feds must fix the failings of the State
no races left to run; Obama's free
to hoist the scales of Justice high and blind
to give no quarter to Blue bigotry
or ingrained prejudice of any kind
to slay such dragons and allay our fears
Loretta's gonna need eight more hard years

be afraid II

Santorum needs that wee frisson of dread
to consummate relations with his wife
perchance each time those two hop into bed
they'll magic'ly engender a new life
Darwinian selection is a hoax!
that's perpetrated by the government
to tempt and lead astray god-fearing folks
who smell Old Nick in the Enlightenment
asserting such control's the sin of Pride
each contacepter wears the mark of Cain
that won't come off until saints' graves yawn wide
his karmic spreadsheet's indelible stain
for him, that fear's insep'rable from sex
'cause there's no condom in his sacred text

be afraid!

Santorum needs that wee frisson of dread
to consummate relations with his wife
perchance each time those two hop into bed
they'll magic'ly engender a new life
Darwinian selection is a hoax!
that's perpetrated by the government
to tempt and lead astray god-fearing folks
who smell Old Nick in the Enlightenment
to rationally make a fam'ly plan
invites the Gates of Hell to open wide
to arrogate such choices to a man
would stain his spreadsheet with Satanic pride
for him, that fear's insep'rable from sex
'cause there's no condom in his sacred text

compromise

the menu's set, the outcome's still unsure
confronted with a hawk, or with an ass
fired up, but thinking leaders must be pure
millennials might stay away en masse
her penchant to back strongmen leaves them cold
but then, the fascist might do what he's said
if only Bernie Sanders wern't so old...
'though Jill Stein's heart's alright, they doubt her head
no perfect candidate has ever run
each bears a flaw--or more--to open eyes
intrinsic since our system's first begun
republics work because we compromise
our civic pageants ev'ry year or two
smell equally of sausage and the loo

Hamilton!

Miranda brought rhymed verse back to the stage
to tell an orphan's inspirational
life story to a cynical new age
his Hamilton's acclaimed sensational
a renaissance of forms we'd thought passé
reshaping how our stars of the stage speak
as if medieval Europe changed the way
it valued heritage in Attic Greek
libbreticists fit in historic facts
but human drama grips the audience
who may not care about stamps, tea, or tax
but love a costume drama's elegance
with time, a culture's templates ebb, and flow
but this year, Hamilton's the hottest show

apotheosis

at equinox, four hobbits quit the shire
a band of brothers heard adventure's call
unwitting their road led to Sauron's fire
nor that they bore the Ring to rule them all
next Summer solstice crowns king Aragorn
and brings the Lady Arwen as his wife
to reign as if she were one mortal-born
and share his fate in death as in this life
the four came home, to take civilian roles
three worldly leaders on their rustic stage
'though war's indelible upon their souls
as MiddleEarth and they embark an Age
but Frodo's story takes him from his earth
'though small in stature, Beren-like in worth

summarizing Proust

Proust kept a log of his  untidy mind
inviting readers in to sink, or swim
some find their thoughts are much of the same kind
some feel it's all particular to him
great literature ought to resonate
but still meets a diversity of taste
those hawthorn blossoms of his endless prate
some readers find a shapeless verbose waste
a shorter form fits my attention span
of seventy iambs in rhyming verse
within a reader's mind I dare hope can
evoke a self-consistent universe
a monument to years spent pent in bed
Marcel's rich life was mostly in his head

Lekh l'chah

exogamy requires a foreign bride
to love the Lord if not to take  His hand
so Abram left Euphrates' riverside
to journey sight-unseen to a new land
the epic stalls; his flocks increase like Lot's
but that's not how one's legacy gets done
it isn't about silver, sheep, or goats
strange patriarch that doesn't have a son!
at last, there's Yitzchak, but now who's the sire?
the neighbors speculate about those three
who came in common travelers' attire
but rocked the tent with unaccustomed glee
an Ugaritic text might help, perhaps
but 'til it's found, midrashim fill the gaps

worst of all possible systems

an angry nation took Trump at his word
they loved his rants against the Donor Class
'though pundits pointed out that it's absurd
to look for change from such a TrustFund ass
what spews instead is xenophobic bile
against the workers who produce "his" goods
as if the aspiration's somehow vile
to raise their children in good neighborhoods
substantive issues get swept to the side
she pitched a NoFly zone to show she's strong
while Donald's shoring up his frail male pride
there's no adult to point out why she's wrong
democracy's a quilt of compromise
no thread of which is perfect in all eyes

above the law

How long had Feinstein played James Clapper's whore

enabling spies she's paid to oversee?

to serve her voters seemed a dreadful bore

for one of such exalted dignity

But now they've spied on her! should we feign shock?

their files hold dirt on all, both low and high

who might by law have put them in the dock

to pass sentence on their numerous crimes

who watches over the custodians

when oversight's struck blind, and sov'reigns kneel

when Rights refract through Orwellian lens

and PATRIOT's just code for "tyranny"

don't despair yet, let's fight for what we sang

at least until we've seen torturers hang

compromise

unreasonable search was commonplace
when Bloomberg ran the City of New York
but some yearned for a Dark Horse in this race
if not pro-Life, at least a budget hawk
when no one in the Clown Car made the grade
and DNC decreed it's Clinton's turn
Republicans admitted they're afraid
the nation might be ripe to feel the Bern
the hour is late, the menu's firmly set
no option here's attractive to all eyes
but no one's stepping up who's not in yet
republics work because we compromise
the senator from WallStreet is a Hawk
but Hell's to pay if Bernie's backers balk

short menu II

a nasty man has done a nasty job
debasing rhetoric in this campaign
he's mobilized a xenophobic mob
to our great nation's everlasting shame
a dozen rivals failed to knock him down
this pompous Weeble with the Bozo hair
repeated bankruptcies can't stop the clown
who crows of genius where there's nothing there
the DNC announced it's Clinton's turn
and rammed her through the process, come what may
a generation that embraced the Bern
regard the coming contest with dismay
confronted with such choices, they may balk
the senator from WallStreet seems a Hawk

Job II

Job's children were as treasures in his eyes
but all were snatched away like so much breath
no dispensation for the pure or wise
misfortune's indiscriminate as Death
three friends perform a pious dance and song
their visit may evoke Abraham's tent
haKodesh barukh Hu proclaims them wrong;
their arguments should leave no one content
if God's omnipotent, what's Evil's part?
if we knew only good, could we be free?
were there no tension between head and heart
we wouldn't struggle with theodicy
the problem's unresolved where the book ends
Lord, spare me from such trials, and such friends!

Job

Job's children were as treasures in his eyes
but all were snatched away like so much breath
no dispensation for the pure or wise
misfortune's indiscriminate as Death
three friends perform a pious dance and song
their visit may evoke Abraham's tent
haKodesh barukh Hu proclaims them wrong;
their arguments should not leave Job content
if God's omnipotent, what's Evil's part?
if we knew only good, could we be free?
were there no tension between head and heart
we wouldn't struggle with theodicy
the problem's unresolved where the book ends
God, spare me from such trials, and such friends!

wonderful life II

as alien as anything on Earth
a moray has no fingers or thumbs but
to feed its length (if not so much its girth)
laryngeal jaws drag prey down to its gut
and hagfish get along without a jaw
content to wrench a living from the dead
a slimy sort of motile deep-sea craw
but teeth distinguish one end as the head
a further branch displays cephalopods
whose retinas make ours look crude and blind
edentate image of their boneless gods
endowed--if not with joints--with a fine mind
Charles Darwin sketched our baffling fam'ly tree
my cousins don't look anything like me

wonderful life

as alien as anything on Earth
a moray has no fingers or thumbs but
to feed its length (if not so much its girth)
laryngeal jaws drag prey down to its gut
and hagfish get along without a jaw
content to wrench a living from the dead
a slimy sort of motile deep-sea craw
but teeth distinguish one end as the head
a further branch displays cephalopods
whose retinas make ours look crude and blind
edentate image of their limber gods
endowed--if not with joints--with a fine mind
Charles Darwin sketched our wondrous fam'ly tree
my cousins don't look anything like me

v'zot haB'rachah II

his gaze goes where his feet will never tread

for forty years, he's led this motley band

the Jordan won't be crossed 'til he lies dead

it's not for him to reach the Promised Land

two paths diverge; the conquest's to the West
but we turn to the epic new begun
as Moses shuts his eyes and gets his rest
we contemplate Creation of the sun
the reading cycle starts another loop
dividing primal Chaos, making Light
as Joshua goes forward with his troop
the reader's turning left as he goes right
it's cyclic and it's linear; strange world!
but that's how sacred history's unfurled

v'zot ha b'ruchah

Moshe looked out from Moab's heights, across
the Jordan's waters flowing cold and sweet
then one last tête-à-tête with his big Boss
and his part of the story was complete
two paths diverge; the conquest's to the West
but we turn to the epic new begun
as Moses shuts his eyes and gets his rest
we contemplate Creation of the sun
the reading cycle starts another loop
dividing primal Chaos, making Light
as Joshua goes forward with his troop
the readers turning left as he goes right
it's cyclic and it's linear; strange world!
but that's how sacred history's unfurled

possessed II

Nine lords of men contrived to never die

accepting Sauron as their liege and king

too late, they learned the promise was a lie

they'd bartered heaven for an iron ring

and seven dwarves grew fabulously rich

until the dragons slew them for their hoards

the lust for mithril's a consuming itch

incinerating miners and their lords

three elven lords too stalwart to despair

accepted power as a long-term loan

they lightly over-stepped the DarkLord's snare

covertly undermining his black throne

but by the halfling Mordor was undone

his "precious" proved to be the ruling One

possessed

Nine lords of men contrived to never die
accepting Sauron as their liege and king
too late, they learned the promise was a lie
they'd bartered heaven for an iron ring
three elven lords too stalwart to despair
accepted power as a long-term loan
they lightly over-stepped the DarkLord's snare
covertly undermining his black throne
and seven dwarves grew fabulously rich
until the dragons slew them for their hoards
the lust for mithril's a consuming itch
incinerating miners and their lords
but by the halfling Mordor was undone
his "precious" proved to be the ruling one

Underhill

chez Bombadil, the mossy roof is tight
no horrors trespass in his ancient halls
no Nazgûl terrorize his guests at night
no draught slips through his windows or his walls
a world apart that's innocent of war
no dragons, wizards, oliphaunts, or king
idyllic vision of a world before
a rebel Maia thought to forge a ring
commencement comes too soon, he must be bold
the respite's not as safe as it would seem
so Frodo rides back out into the cold
the hero must awaken from the dream
the Iv'ry Tower's strength is in insight
but sends its student body out to fight

Z'man simchateinu

Qohelet dwells on our mortality
as Sukkhoth has us dwelling in a shack
because the finest things in life are free
but values drift perversely out of whack
the tabernacle built to God's own specs
sufficed to keep His presence in our midst
forced labor's yoke lay heavy on our necks
when Shlomo built his cedar edifice
rejoice! we're told; tomorow,we may die
the life we make here's as good as it gets
the cosmos isn't gonna justify
its ways to you, nor pay off your bad debts
for rich or poor, this phase is quickly done
the rat-race can be lost, but never won

Loser! II

the world tunes in to watch the Donald lose
the shiniest brass ring he's ever sought
the date draws nigh when voters get to choose
the polls--though compromised--have not been bought
Karl Rove believed Ohio'd been suborned
but counter-hackers unpicked all his picks
this season, we're forearmed because forewarned
and hypervigilant to dirty tricks
reality won't bend to his demands
he'll run a distant second to the girl
his fragile ego's in his stubby hands
his handlers are so anxious, they may hurl
a vulgar loser on the global stage
bawls petulantly in his puerile rage

Loser!

the world's excited to watch Donald lose
the shiniest brass ring he's ever sought
the date draws nigh when voters get to choose
the polls--though compromised--have not been bought
Karl Rove believed Ohio'd been suborned
but counter-hackers unpicked all his picks
this season, we're forearmed because forewarned
and hypervigilant to dirty tricks
reality won't bend to his demands
he'll run a distant second to the girl
his fragile ego's in his stubby hands
his handlers are so anxious, they may hurl
a vulgar loser on the global stage
bawls petulantly in his puerile rage

Dadaism

Magritte and I mistrust what words convey
and he sought clarity in paint and ink
but still, no Other's sure what we would say
nor clearly grasps the substance that we think
the Dadaists engaged the task absurd
a hopeless conversation on their part
attempting, both in image and in word
to say we can't communicate in Art
and yet they drew, and wrote and worked in paint
compulsively, as if to scratch an itch
depicting what their senses said there ain't
no doubt, some saw the paradox is rich
they dreamt the channel magic'ly would clear
and painting quelled their existential fear

Ha'azinu

from Shir haYam the open question pends
are there contenders for the cloud-based throne?
two poems form har Sinai's paired bookends
there is no God but God, and He alone
the Wilderness pericope's complete
save for the bit where Moses just can't go
the Jordan crossing reprises the feat
the RedSea witnessed forty years ago
the poem's witness stands, when Moshe's gone
new generations only have to look
now Joshua must lead the People on
and revelation's channeled through the Book
the journey to the Jordan from the sea
must start and end in epic poetry

Ha'azinu II

from Shir haYam the open question pends
are there contenders for the cloud-based throne?
two poems form har Sinai's paired bookends
there is no God but God, and He alone
the Wilderness pericope's complete
save for the bit where Moses just can't go
the Jordan crossing reprises the feat
the RedSea witnessed forty years ago
the poem's witness stands, when Moshe's gone
new generations only have to look
now Joshua must lead the People on
and revelation's channeled through the Book
Moshe rabbeinu sees the Promised Land
but fears his legacy is built on sand

l'havdil

God took a rib--or should we read a "side"?
'cause it's not good that  Man should be alone
to bring Adom Kadmon his perfect bride
alike as flesh and blood and skin and bone
in splitting Sea from Land, and Dark from Light
divisions were each made in equal part
analogously, cleaving Man from Wife
His scalpel should have cleft right through the heart
an equal share of Ruach Elohim
is granted Woman in our Primal text
translators made her less in our esteem
projecting their skewed notions about sex
translations sacrifice the poetry
confronted with such ambiguity

So you say you want a revolution...

Tim Geithner unhitched WallStreet from the train
as if the DowJones were the crucial part
but left Americans who work on Main
Street pulling the entire revenue cart
promoting regulators from their ranks
assured big donors that we'll wash their backs
there'll be no prosecution of the banks
and "carried int'rest" still skates free on tax
Piketty sketched how bad it's apt to get
when Labor's crushed beneath big Lenders' heel
as more Americans slip into debt 
we're growing wistful for a new NewDeal
yet Hillary runs on the status quo
one wonders how much lower we can go

Apocalyptic choices

Pence preaches we need more humility
but hitched his wagon to Babylon's Beast
who preens and boasts of his adultery
as if through it, his manhood were increased
bedfellows 'til November, then they'll part
and publish how each found the other odd
twin kiss-and-tells as bitter as they're tart
one thinks himself a saint, one thinks he's God
agendas differ, but their drive's the same
pursuit of power burns like carnal lust
for victory, for office, and for fame
but neither one deserves the public trust
by contrast, Hillary seems tried and true
the tool we're handed to paint Congress blue

dissonance

Pence preaches we need more humility
but swoons for Trump like he's a naive flower
they're neither one inclined to bend the knee
the only creed they share is thirst for power
what Trump professes, Pence blandly denies
no choreographer sync's up their acts
a shabby fabric woven out of lies
would fall apart if they just stuck to facts
debates and interviews don't shed much light
on what they think this century should bring
they're so contemptuous of Civil Rights
one'd think they're running to enthrone a king
no reason you'd trust either of these snakes
it's Clinton by default for all our sakes

Qualia

I dreamed that you could understand the code that I'd devised
devoid of ambiguity as plain as broad daylight
and anyone who heard or read could look out through my eyes
a sweet, seductive fantasy that helped me sleep at night
I rushed to put it down in ink the moment I awoke
but trains of baggage came along with every word I chose
the clarity was the mirage, and all I clutched was smoke
that through my fingers oozed away and to the stars arose
Retreat!Retrench! at least in math, we share communion pure
that isn't just conventional, transparent to us all
but Gödel interjects to say I must not be so sure
 an edifice on such a base in time may also fall
I hammer language 'til it fits in heptametric verse
then launch it on its Viking pyre into the universe

Azazel

did Avraham cast lots for his two sons
before he banned one to the wilderness
to elevate on  high the other one
the first--at least--we read caused him distress
two isomorphic stories, year by year
but no one talks about the parallels
they hang as echoes in the inner ear
evocative as half-remembered smells
vicarious atonement for one's sins
plays bigger with our cousins down the street
but Yom Kippur reminds us we're all kin
that schism, ages long's still not complete
and Yishmael's grown great in his exile
we're sundered less in substance than in style

abandon ship!

without a plank to stand on, the task's grim
what no one could defend Mike Pence denied
Tim Kaine kept throwing Donald's words at him
confronted with the record, Pence just lied
to buy some cred out on the rabid Right
Trump chose a man with whom he can't agree
but if he lets Mike Pence out of his sight
he's apt to face a grassroots mutiny
with Donald's autocratic tendencies
they make a scary pair of demagogues
their backers' violent propensities
would toss our precious heirloom to the hogs
a pirate's commandeered the RNC
and all ship's officers preferred to flee

dead ender

the Party's over; Donald stands alone
atop the rubble of the GOP
the rhetoric no father could condone
provoked the party stalwarts' mutiny
the Southern Strategy that's built on hate
had kept poor Whites' votes sync'ed up with the Rich
they recognized their peril far too late
Trump rolled the whole machine into the ditch
a yawning vacuum on the power stage
like Whigs left just before the Civil War
could usher in a new Progressive Age
ironic tribute to the Orange boor
Trump's isn't the U.S. for which we yearn
a Perfect Union's heart swells with the Bern

Rout

that Clinton's competent's beyond dispute
her Frequent-Flyer log's beyond compare
but 'though she flits from Beijing to Beirut
it's hard to see what she accomplished there
Republicans find they're chin-deep in shit
out of a dozen who might win this race
they've backed a pig who's utterly unfit
and who's repugnant to their voter-base
the Donald's more than Pence deigns to defend
this vulgar blowhard grasping at the throne
may drag the GOP down in the end
the White House bid's not his to fail alone
if turnout's good, Paul Ryan's reign is through
we'll paint both Legislative Houses blue

Contagion II

Pence knew his good repute would take a hit
embracing Trump would scandalize his base
but now, he smells indelibly of shit
not just his nose its brown; it's his whole face
bordello humor to make maggots gag
unsuitable for workplace or for church
contaminates both running-mate and flag
to touch the Trump's to walk away besmirched
Abe Lincoln's party long-since died of shame
as Reconstruction failed, so did its heart
Karl Rove wrapped Cheney's crimes in its good name
what's left's a joke, as funny as a fart
although Mike starts each morning on his knees
he who lies down with dogs, gets up with fleas

contagion

Pence knew his good repute would take a hit
embracing Trump would scandalize his base
but now, he smells indelibly of shit
not just his nose its brown; it's his whole face
bordello humor to make maggots gag
unsuitable for workplace or for church
contaminates both running-mate and flag
to touch the Trump's to walk away besmirched
Abe Lincoln's party long-since died of shame
the Bull-Moose schism cut it to the heart
Karl Rove wrapped Cheney's crimes in its good name
what's left's as insubstantial as a fart
although Mike starts each morning on his knees
he who lies down with dogs, gets up with fleas

loose cannon

the Party's over, who'll clean up Trump's mess?
Paul Ryan's left with a minority
he's gonna have to settle for much less
his speakership will soon be history
the strategy concocted by Karl Rove's
been mangled, spindled, tossed out on the dump
Republicans will stay at home in droves
confronted with a ballot labeled "Trump"
down-ballot races are the battleground
that swing the next four years to Left or Right
a candidate who's mentally unsound
has thrown safe House seats back into the fight
for want of Bernie, Hillary must do
to paint both Legislative Houses blue

Party's over

Republicans feign shock that Trump's so lewd
their guy show morals lower than a dog
the Christian Right's no longer in the mood
to back this neo-fascist demagogue
the women turned off by this strutting shmuck
the better half of our electorate
grant Hillary a bit of timely luck
the next debate will see the Donald sweat
he'll blame her for Bill's infidelities
as if such straying's always the wife's fault
speech writers feed him false apologies
but can't excuse his sexual assault
Newt tried to hamstring Clinton over sex
but couldn't see these long-term side effects

double negative

to chase Trump from the race would make no sense
as long as he's devoid of self-control
if he were on the ticket-top, Mike Pence
could out-perform the big guy at the polls
for Hillary, this ought to be a cinch
a technicolor nightmare for Karl Rove
if she were half as charming as the Grinch
Republicans would take her side in droves
but she looks awkward parrying attacks
and slurs like Donald shovels out wholesale
a wonkish recitation of dry facts
beside the Orange One looks wan and pale
two less-loved candidates have never run
so many ache to mark our ballots "none"

tipping point

Republicans, discovering Trump's crass
no longer can excuse him to their wives
they'll sleep alone if they support this ass
entrusting him with budgets, wars, and lives
read "Lyssistrata"! We've been here before
united, women might achieve effects
but given power, men are prone to war
and won't be reined in 'til deprived of sex
the credibility that Mike Pence lent
to reassure the voters he's okay
can't keep the Christian Right in Donald's tent
they might stay home in droves, election day
the vulgar crap Trump's prone to say and do
could paint both legislative houses blue

taken for granted

for Hillary, all power flows top-down
and Debbie can deliver a swing-state
denying power to that fascist clown
no compromise of ethics seems too great
the DNC bet on the weaker horse
'cause donors disapproved of Bernie's views
without a PAC to multiply his force
he shakes out pushkes from Progressive Jews
the senator from WallStreet tops the bill
and scolds the peasants to get on the bus
but no one here's convinced that Clinton will
risk irritating donors to serve us
now she and Trump compete to stoke up fear
and I wake screaming; it could happen here

Prince of Lies

Tim Kaine elicited a stream of lies
as answers in the undercard debate
whatever Donald Trump's said Pence denies
rewriting his'try for his running-mate
he shows disdain for theories and facts
discounting what he hears and what he's read
that leaves scant basis for the way he acts
a puppet to the demons in his head
what private revelation guides this guy
how's he so sure just what those voices meant
deluded he's anointed from on high
to be a heartbeat from the president
the VP's slot's not worth a jug of spit
but Pence seems psychologically unfit

depleted compartment

low-valent metals constitute Earth's core
what's soluble in them's rare in the crust
the steel our industries refine from ore's
sequestered age-long in the form of rust
what had been ferrous crashed out of the sea
when photosynthesis freed oxygen
a brave new world of biochemistry
that led--in time--to vertebrates and men
who now wage wars for tantalum and gold
as if they were more precious than the air
we risk our lives to delve them from the mould
'though planet-wide, they aren't all that rare
siderophiles are secrets the Earth keeps
until we learn to plumb the utmost deeps

purpose

the lady Eowyn despaired of life
where all the Riddermark sank in decay
the prospect that she might be Wormtongue's wife
appalled her noble spirit with dismay
to fall in battle would allay death's sting
and woe to him that met her thus, berserk
with Merry, she unstrung the Morgul king
a dainty piece of woman's handiwork
a new Age dawned and her depression passed
a whole society ungripped its fear
the future that had left her so aghast
seemed brighter in the arms of Faramir
each day, our minds rebuild our worlds anew
and love can change the whole construction's hue

Marxists read Tolkien V

Sam gazed in wonder at Galadriel
as if Dawn blazed in dusky MiddleEarth
inert, anaesthetized by beauty's spell
acutely conscious of his puny worth
if Celeborn were wiser, he'd discern
how far above his station he had wed
but even he's not dumb enough to spurn
this mighty Noldo hot to share his bed
the timeless moment passed, the tale moved on
a brief vignette of love transgressing class
'though Bilbo might recast it in a song
Sam'd never dream to call his host an ass
to think such thoughts encrimsoned Sam's coarse face
a worthy gard'ner knows a peasant's place

first steps

the green light chlorophyl disdains to use
announces that our crops are in good health
but it's by sucking up the reds and blues
that it contributes to a farmer's wealth
two photons per electron share the weight
promoted out of water's cozy well
as waste, free oxygen to liberate
the quantum yield's not huge, but what the Hell
molecular machines are in the news
but--so far--there's less substance here than noise
compared to what a chloroplast would use
this Chemistry Nobel rewarded toys
before photovoltaics were the rage
a blue-green alga launched the solar age

Marxists read Tolkien IV

Sam gazed in wonder at Galadriel
unchanging as the years fade MiddleEarth
inert, anaesthetized by beauty's spell
acutely conscious of his puny worth
if Celeborn were wiser, he'd discern
how far above his station he had wed
but even he's not dumb enough to spurn
this mighty Noldo hot to share his bed
the timeless moment passed, the tale moved on
a brief vignette of love transgressing class
'though Bilbo might recast it in a song
Sam'd never dream to call his host an ass
to think such thoughts encrimsoned Sam's coarse face
a worthy gard'ner knows a peasant's place

values voters

like cancers, Trumps grow on society
instead of mothers' milk, they pump out bile
resources others pay for, they want free
rapacity's their signature lifestyle
they'll steal from anyone outside their tribe
the only social group where they belong
devout Hegelians, they don't subscribe
to any universal sense of "wrong"
"It takes a village" Hillary expressed
her static vision of communal life
but Donald boasts that only he knows best
dictating terms to each successive wife
Roy Cohn laughs last, he took the lad to school
and left the world this antisocial tool

values voters

like cancers, Trumps grow on society
instead of mothers' milk, they pump out bile
resources others pay for, they want free
rapacity's their signature lifestyle
they'll steal from anyone outside their tribe
the only social group where they belong
devout Hegelians, they don't subscribe
to any universal sense of "wrong"
"It takes a village" Hillary expressed
her static vision of communal life
but Donald boasts that only he knows best
dictating terms to each successive wife
Roy Cohn laughs last, he took the lad to school
and left the world this antisocial tool

Marxists read Tolkien III

Sam gazed in wonder at Galadriel
unaging architect of MiddleEarth
inert, anaesthetized by beauty's spell
acutely conscious of his puny worth
if Celeborn were wiser, he'd discern
how far above his station he had wed
but even he's not dumb enough to spurn
this mighty Noldo hot to share his bed
the timeless moment passed, the tale moved on
a brief vignette of love transgressing class
'though Bilbo might recast it in a song
Sam'd never murmur that his host's an ass
to think such thoughts encrimsoned Sam's coarse face
a worthy gard'ner knows a peasant's place

Marxists read Tolkien II

Sam gazed in wonder at Galadriel
a puissant Elvish force in MiddleEarth
inert, anaesthetized by beauty's spell
acutely conscious of his puny worth
if Celeborn were wiser, he'd discern
how far above his station he had wed
but even he's not dumb enough to spurn
this mighty Noldo hot to share his bed
the timeless moment passed, the tale moved on
a brief vignette of love transgressing class
'though Bilbo might recast it in a song
Sam'd never murmur that his host's an ass
to think such thoughts encrimsoned Sam's coarse face
a worthy gard'ner knows a peasant's place

Marxists read Tolkien

Sam gazed in wonder at Galadriel
insensible to sound, or light, or pain
inert, anaesthetized by beauty's spell
all blood's diverted from the Hobbit's brain
if Celeborn were wiser, he'd discern
how far above his station he had wed
but even he's not dumb enough to spurn
this mighty Noldo hot to share his bed
the timeless moment passed, the tale moved on
a brief vignette of love transgressing class
'though Bilbo might recast it in a song
Sam'd never murmur that his host's an ass
to think such thoughts encrimsoned Sam's coarse face
a worthy gard'ner knows a peasant's place

transitions

without the boob-tube, can kids socialize?
they try for "snarky" but come off as cute
they might be Amish in their classmates' eyes
deficiency in smalltalk leaves them mute
a childhood spent in mountains, surf and streams
builds broader shoulders and expands the soul
that atrophies on endless glowing screens
that don't teach one gross motor self-control
and languages, and instruments to play...
both ends of their brief candle have to burn
there aren't enough hours in a day
for all the stuff they're told they have to learn
the old refrain that Plato might have sung
we learn too late; youth's wasted on the young

image management

that big red arrow pointing toward the Right
warned Liberals that Clinton's Ship of State
would list to starboards when the winds are light
and capsize if she would triangulate
"I am Progressive" she's been heard to bleat
strange sentiment to hear from WallMart's board
it gets a laugh from donors on WallStreet
she's "Liberal" like the late Henry Ford
Trump's presidential bid gave hers a boost
and Bernie gave his dutiful embrace
but Debbie's taint is coming home to roost
disgusting voters with the whole damned race
Tim Caine's design team bid her hacks adieu
November's logo's chastely tinted blue

that time of year

four New Years rabbis mark as seasons turn
the function's cyclic, going 'round the bend
no vestige of beginning to discern
no prospect that we'll ever see an end
the species oscillates within its range
while individuals age breath by breath
Brad Artson finds divinity in change
imbuing meaning in our trek towards death
the linear and cyclic interplay
regeneration makes up wear and tear
the metronomic flickers of each day
comprise the moving picture of the year
the Fourth Dimension's key to the sublime
each Rosh haShanah bids us mark the time

Wittgenstein's poker

proud edifice of language built on sand
presumes that there's an Other who will read
or one, at least, who's apt to understand
the thoughts to which our words intend to lead
that tongues can sketch what could not ever be
seems not to bother ordinary folks
who trust your qualia and mine agree
the ambiguities, they use for jokes
like ants constructing tunnels, we persist
as if mere speech could ever make it clear
compulsively, we're each a Sisyphus
portraying to the void the world in here
each solipsist constructs a universe
from blocks as apt to bless as they're to curse

geopolitics

the assets that gave Saudis global pull
now look, with passing time, to be unsound
our energy reserves may soon be full
while leaving gas and crude oil in the ground
we bid adieu to pistons and to steam
O brave new world! Petroleum's day's done
awakening from our smoke-darkened dream
empowered by the slowly fusing sun
capacitors may take the place of gas
if batteries can't give sufficient range
no matter what accelerates your mass
it's just the novelty that makes it strange
our generation teeters on the brink
of leaving sheikhs petroleum to drink

Ea

what's known's a glowing island in the night
around it, unillumined, laps the sea
enticing us to build a bridge of light
establishing what is, from fantasy
that second galaxy was huge to find
horizons fled away ten billion-fold
Ed Hubble blew the world's collective mind
our Earth's the same; what's bigger is the Cold
a gleaming pebble on the shore of Time
proud edifice of centuries of thought
the product of our faculty sublime
within the greater Whole is scarcely aught
the intellect gropes out in Time and Space
compulsively, like puppies love the chase