blue bubble

Convection roils our lower atmosphere
transporting solar energy away
if, at most frequencies the air is clear
not brown like Delhi, Beijing, or LA.
There, photons give it up far overhead
the upper air's no cooler than below
the column luminesces infrared
and what's been heated's got no place to go.
Still, all of it must stratify at night
for lack of insolation, gravity
like Maxwell's demon, sorts them out by height;
the atmosphere grows stable as a sea.
Another planet, orbiting its sun
might prove quite alien, when all is done.

whither Europe?

The European Union posed a threat
to Putin's dreams of new hegemony
he likes  them separated, and in debt
a fertile field to sow autocracy.
Macron proposes something more, instead
a fiscal union, feeding one shared till.
Kant's League-of-Nations dream just won't stay dead;
the reverie of Peace is hard to kill.
Two visionaries fight for Europe's soul.
American hegemony's long past.
Our troops pay rent, but aren't in control;
last year's alliances are fraying fast.
The Monetary Union's just phase one
of something wholly new beneath the sun.

too far

Contempt of Congress might bring them to blows
who've been complicit lo these many times
there comes a point when everybody knows
what Trump's been up to constitute "high crimes".
Arpaio's pardon might yet prove the straw
that strains Paul Ryan's patience past the top.
Our legislators like to think that Law
is not at the discretion of some cop.
Executive ambition's run amok!
If all we've built is not to tumble down,
our representatives must give a fuck
that they've been base enablers of this clown.
Steep price to spare Arpaio time in jail!
Without the Rule of Law, republics fail.

potential II

The morning glory that all night laid furled,
now blossoms wide to greet the spreading dawn.
In synchrony with our rotating world,
celestial clockwork animates its pawn.
Bright metaphor twined on my garden gate,
of mind encountering a novel light,
as alkaloids make one hallucinate,
igniting sparks across what had been night.
The information waiting to upload's
mere gibberish unless you hold the key.
The plan no planner planned's all there in code
but locked away until you set it free.
Those synapses don't fire except at need;
the phenotype lies latent in the seed.

loyalty

Each week, James Mattis weighs his loyalty
assessing at what threshold he'd resign
in protest of Trump's latest policy
no patriot can always toe the line.
The Powell Story's graven in his head
a noble man ill-used to sell a war
Brett Scowcroft met with him and bluntly said
'to serve Trump thus, would be to play the whore.'
No man commands the love he bears his flag
and quitting's how he'd have to send rebuke.
When all the bullshit makes him want to gag
Mad Dog's resolved to leave, but not to puke.
Punctilious to play his scripted role,
some wish the general would seize control.

potential

the morning glory that all night laid furled
now opens wide to greet the spreading dawn
in synchrony with our rotating world
celestial clockwork animates its pawn
bright metaphor twined on my garden fence
of mind encountering a novel light
as alkaloids seduce intelligence
to scatter sparks across what had been night
the information waiting to upload's
mere gibberish unless you hold the key
the plan no planner planned's all there in code
but locked away until you set it free.
that synapse only fires when there'a need;
the phenotype implicit in the seed

ambition

Paul Ryan's scoping out his next campaign.
Too long, ambition has been chafing, pent
-up, wasted in the service of plain Jane
-sville. Donors want him to be president.
For such a leap, he'll find no precedence;
House Speaker's plainly after the VP.
Bob Mueller'd have to take out Trump and Pence
before succession fell to number three.
But lately, Trumps been stoking up that dream
discarding allies crucial to this fight
unable to consolidate a team
his instinct's to divide, not to unite.
The nation's sickened by this latest turn
when all we really wanted was the Bern.

semaphore II

to pardon Joe Arpaio posts a clue
Trump doesn't give a damn, won't tolerate
non-violence, or anything we'd do
that doesn't march to his drum-beat of hate.
Arch-xenophobe who'd nail an immigrant
for fictive code infractions on the road
and dumb enough to think his president
wants more than photo-ops with his pet toad.
If Manafort and Flynn would just defy
subpoenas, they'll get pardons in their turn.
But should they sing, he'll hang them out to dry;
betrayers gotta know they're gonna burn.
Sicilians know omerta hides all crime
if no one's man enough to drop a dime.

ambition

Paul Ryan's scoping out his next campaign
too long, his ego has been chafing, pent
-up, wasted in the service of plain Jane
-sville. Donors want him to be president.
For such a leap, he'll find no precedence
House Speaker's plainly after the VP
Bob Mueller'd have to take out Trump and Pence
before succession fell to number three.
But lately,Trump's been stoking up that dream
offending allies crucial to this fight
unable to consolidate a team
his instinct's to divide, not to unite.
A nation's sickened by this latest turn
when all we really wanted was the Bern.

new lows

Trump's guards launched tear-gas at the Phoenix crowd
for chanting he should get on with his job.
He loves it when his callgirls fake it loud
but wasn't gonna take it from this mob.
The Charlottesville debacle was still raw
where he'd offended all but the far-Right.
None could forget what everybody saw
when Nazis  rallied by torch tiki-light.
James Clapper minced no words; this clown's a bust
it's plain what his mendacity forebodes
he's squandered for all time the nation's trust
and shouldn't have the nuclear launch-codes.
Buchanan's  no more first among the cursed
Americans are certain; Trump's the worst.

dog-whistle-stop

Trump lashes out as his poll numbers slip.
The demagogue deplorables embrace
increasingly, is seen to lose his grip
on anyone beyond his basest base.
In Phoenix, he's defending Charlottesville
as if the West were part of the Old South
encouraging the Klan to hate, and kill.
But always, it's their hands; he's just the mouth.
Campaigning for the office that he's got
orating to his ever-dwindling mob
as if he could become what he is not,
a grown-up, adequate to do the job.
Despite the knowledge Pence is next in line,
Americans wish Trump would just resign.

circus

Trump's guards sloshed tear-gas on the Phoenix crowd
who thought he ought to focus on his job.
He loves it when his sycophants get loud
but wasn't gonna take it from this mob.
The Charlottesville debacle was still raw
where he'd offended all but the far-Right.
None could forget what everybody saw
when Nazis marched and rallied by torch-light.
James Clapper minced no words; this clown's a bust
his bullshit's still as cheap by wagon-loads
he's squandered for all time the nation's trust
and shouldn't have the nuclear launch-codes.
Buchanan's safe; his name's no more accursed
the planet's satisfied that Trump's the worst.

signs and portents

Both young, and old, enraptured, scan the sky
Trump pauses twittering, no dogs dare bark
Carl Sagan's voice is heard, intoning why
when Fenris eats the Sun, the world falls dark.
Twice nineteen years since these three orbs aligned
presaging Khomeini's return to Qom.
this one sparks fantasies in Pence's mind
the omens point to Trump's impending doom.
Celestial clockwork's too arcane for most
who'd rather turn to clergy to explain
eclipses, or the meaning of a ghost
but never think to exercise their brain.
The wonders of the cosmos are unfurled
as shadows of the moon engulf our world

echoes

When William Jennings Bryant up and quit
his party took it for a baleful sign.
There followed Wilson's apoplectic fit,
and then, one'd look a blackguard to resign.
His staffers muddled through as best they could
and punted big decisions to his wife
who signed the bills she knew her Woodrow would
clandestine monument to his short life.
So now, the house of Trump is poised to fall.
each day, his Secretaries get to weigh
the point at which to make that judgement call
if honor's better served to go, or stay, 
aware how Powell's name was used to sell
the pointless war which made Iraq a Hell

Auspices

Both young, and old, enraptured, scan the sky
Trump pauses twittering, no dogs dare bark
Carl Sagan's voice is heard, intoning why
when Fenris eats the Sun, the world falls dark.
Two score less two since we've seen such a sight
presaging Khomeini's return to Qom.
And now, we pray this micro-taste of night
elates Mike Pence, announcing Donald's doom.
Celestial clockwork's too arcane for most
who'd rather turn to clergy to explain
eclipses, or the meaning of a ghost
but never think to exercise their brain.
The wonders of the cosmos are unfurled
as shadow of the moon engulfs our world

honor

When William Jennings Bryant up and quit
his party took it for a baleful sign
there followed Wilson's apoplectic fit.
And then, one'd look a blackguard to resign.
His staffers carried on as best they could
and brought the big decisions to his wife
who signed the bills she knew her Woodrow would
clandestine monument to his short life.
And now, the house of Trump is poised to fall.
His cabinet each day has got to weigh
each one of them must make the judgement call
if honor's better served to go, or stay 
Had Powell given Cheney his fair blame,
we'd build grand monuments to his great name.

house of cards

Steve Bannon's out, is Gorka far behind?
The background check proved more than he could pass.
If Trump can get along without his mind,
for sure, he'd never miss this pompous ass.
The politics of Hungary's arcane
and what he learned there isn't relevant.
to keep him on, one'd have to be insane
(or merely stupid) like this president.
John Kelly's tasked to rein in what's run wild
by winnowing some wheat out of this chaff.
But handlers roll their eyes; Trump's just a child
whom nobody expects would hire good staff.
The clown who ran casinos for a loss
is now a nation's nightmare playing "boss".

qui bono?

Steve Bannon's on the loose, mad dog unchained
his reign as shadow-president's been burst;
a private citizen, he's unconstrained
now back at Breitbart, eager for the worst.
Religious conflict's always on his lips
as if we hadn't seen this film before.
He means to profit from apocalypse;
there're fortunes to be made inciting war.
Inside, or out, still Mercer pulls his strings,
corrupting policy to serve his own.
The man in shadows nominating kings,
Rasputin revenant behind the throne.
Yet Trump's oblivious, a preening boy
who can't see he's been made the Nazis' toy.

the crown of a good name

the latest scandal in the GOP
can't shock or titillate amid the noise.
The public barely turns the page to see
if this one's into little girls, or boys.
To rate at all, it must be more than good
no rumors need apply! Submit the tape!
The bar's been set by AccessHollywood;
we'd need a video of flagrant rape.
J. Edgar Hoover's files that compromise
political opponents were the ax
that kept his job secure, but now, bald lies
are just as good; Trump's got no use for facts.
Until we've got a grown-up president
all conversation's purely prurient

fascists' tool

Fox posted video on how to kill

non-violent protesters with your car

but took it down, in light of Charlottesville

conceding that, this time, it went too far.

Our FCC demurs to stigmatize

the Murdoch network for what's plain to see.

The group cultivates hate and lives on lies;

such forms of Speech enjoy no guarantee.

Jeff Sessions' not inclined to prosecute

a Klansman telegraphing an attack.

It's plain he's never given half a hoot

as long as the intended victim's Black.

No Walter Cronkite speaks to all our folk

the "fair and balanced" logo's a sick joke.

Hate Group

Fox posted video on how to kill
pedestrians with nothing but your car
but took it down, in light of Charlottesville
conceding that, this time, it went too far.
Our DoJ has yet to designate
the Murdoch network for what's plain to see.
The group exists for cultivating hate;
such forms of Speech enjoy no guarantee.
Jeff Sessions' not inclined to prosecute
a Klansman telegraphing an attack.
It's plain he really doesn't give a hoot
as long as the intended victim's Black.
Still, this time, Trump's offended half the world.
The Nazis he defends ran down a girl.

semaphore

to pardon Joe Arpaio'd post a clue
Trump isn't going soft, won't tolerate
non-violence, or anything we'd do
that's out of step with Bannon's code of hate.
Arch-xenophobe who'd nail an immigrant
for fictive code infractions on the road
and dumb enough to think his president
wants more than photo-ops with his pet toad.
If Manafort and Flynn would just defy
subpoenas, they'll get pardons in their turn.
But should they sing, he'll hang them out to dry;
betrayers gotta know they're gonna burn.
Dog-whistles from the artist of the deal
this Prisoners' Dilemma's played for real.

Charlottesville

Five senators told Trump he must look strong
denouncing violence in Charlottesville.
if he won't say a Nazi murder's wrong,
he'll lose knee-jerk supporters on the Hill.
Ken Frazier quit Trump's council in a huff
he wouldn't tolerate such crap at Merck.
That "many sides" dismissal's not enough
unless it's "terror" this ain't gonna work.
But still, there's Bannon, underneath the throne
to advocate for violence and hate.
Repackaging these thoughts as Donald's own
as if mobocracy would make us "great".
It's merely "road-rage" by der Stürmer's light
few dare cry "terror" when the perp's so White.

discretion

let Eric Holder give another speech
for honoraria and rapt applause
too slow to prosecute, but quick to preach
he never deigned to execute the Laws.
Loretta Lynch brought passion that he lacked
unhesitating, making judgement calls
she dealt in truth ('though sometimes not in tact)
let no one doubt which of these two has balls.
While Holder played the Hamlet on the stage
too careful to examine every side
unmoved by pity, jealousy, or rage
big donors knew the'd be indemnified.
Big Bankers bought themselves a fancy whore
before he'd passed through their revolving door

brownshirts

the neoNazis marched in Charlottesville,
not Whitefish, where they'd stopped at empty noise.
Their packmates were emboldened to the kill
who on their own are pewling, frightened boys.
The local cops demurred to do their job
and shut their eyes in studied innocence
complicit with the scum that formed the mob
but left no active role in violence.
The governor denounced their cult of hate
and sent the Guardsmen in to shut them down
while Trump chastised them limply, and too late
our Chief Executive's this useless clown.
Six months! His minions set this record low
regressing to the dark age of Jim Crow

aleatory

The swallows jeer; the kestrel barely shrugs
each perfect in its own right as a gem.
Both masters on the wing, one lives on bugs
the other's better armed, and dines on them.
the Class of avians is broad and rich,
from hummingbirds to ponderous emu.
Exquisitely, each fits its proper niche
to masterfully thrive at what they do.
No Telos is implicit in design;
a hundred million years grinds smooth what's rough.
It's only us projecting a Divine
where mindless algorithms are enough.
High-aspect wings evolved in these two, twice.
And Darwin's God achieved it, casting dice.

...faithfully executed

Team Mueller's studied well the Russian mob
and how to squeeze a witness 'til he'll blurt
Trump's days are numbered, now they're on the job
to prospect through the gold and find the dirt.
The quid pro quo corruption of his boast
will cost him the high office he so craved.
Each night, the news gives voice to Nixon's ghost
announcing his damnation from the grave.
The Special Counsel's sober competence
should terrify this bullshit-artist clown.
By now, we're primed to settle for mere Pence
as this adminstration's crashing down.
The knives are out; the price is on his head.
by light of day, Trump's gilded dream's dull lead.

arriviste

The White House plans are something to behold
now Trump's determined to redecorate
mahogany all overlaid with gold
reflected in bright chrome and silverplate.
The bathtub that accommodated Taft
must stretch for Donald's ego, gut, and wig
to float  his rubber duckies, tug, and raft
Trump needs one that's superlatively big.
Acceptance that this parvenue long chased
recedes, however earnestly it's sought
three wives learned not to laugh at his poor taste
but settled for the stuff their virtue bought.
No gilt of glitz can substitute for class;
the face we show the world's this bloated ass

while the fatcat's away

Vacation beckons, Donald blows this town
away from the humidity and heat.
The toll of so much winning's got him down.
At golf,  his friends accept he's gonna cheat.
The drive he slices into the pro shop
goes unrecorded; there's another ball.
His caddy sets a tee with it atop;
to mention it would be the height of gall.
But back in Washington, Bob Mueller's team
is prospecting among the gold for dirt
already, Flynn's shown more than just a gleam.
Trump's going down; the landing's gonna hurt.
The links this Special Counsel documents
spell out the downfall of this president.

words

Josiah's renovations took a while;
incense and flesh had turned the Temple black.
The job he'd undertaken as a child
would scrape three hundred years of soots stains back.
His priestly tutors thought he ought to look
at what the work uncovered underground
a certifiable old sacred book!
The Tetrateuch would have to be rebound.
A more explicit creed of quid pro quo,
the royal subjects gotta toe his line
but no word more! The scriptures can't just grow.
God's word is whole and perfect at this time.
The canon's closed; don't worry what comes next.
Hereafter, revelation's from the text.

strange bedfellows

Paul Ryan blames the leakers, not the Press
despite Jeff Sessions baying for jihad
John Kelly gets to mop up Spicer's mess;
our journalists are sacred (next to God).
The Federalists knew we'd have to read
and argue through the issues of our day
to safeguard our republic from the greed
of those who'd rig the game through pay-to-play.
And now, Trump's ship's so plainly going down,
the Speaker wants some daylight 'tween the two
unhitching his career from this sad clown
before his gavel goes to someone new
opposing Trump makes opposites allies
as more Americans see through their lies

what madness is this?

His geniality served Reagan well
when nouns and syntax all began slip.
He gazed into the teleprompter's well
and few could tell he'd wholly lost his grip.
A nasty man projects his character
as if the flaws and sins were not his own
and somehow, blame should all attach to her
when now the onus falls on him, alone.
Dementia steals Trump's only competence
no logic now connects his web of lies
increasingly, we'd settle for mere Pence
for whom brute power's not the only prize.
The oldest president we've ever known
is mad as Lear, but clinging to the throne.

Fourth Turning

Like Flynn, and Spicer, Scaramucci's gone
and speculation turns to Bannon's fate
how long can anyone sustain this con?
Uncashed, that check will just evaporate.
Rasputin sank his claws into a Czar
but never monetized his influence.
His dream, like millions' died in the Great War
when Lenin won the People's confidence.
Apocalyptic ravings can wear thin,
when what Trump really craves are hymns to Trump
and all he truly trusts are links of kin.
Steve might soon hit the sidewalk on his rump.
Trump claims to love the chaos and the churn
but every bridge he's crossed is quick to burn.

non-elective

Melania had plastic surgery
but nothing could obscure that ugly lump.
Our Senate's gonna have to cut us free,
resecting the malignancy that's Trump.
For years, her arm's disfigured by this mass
that lately, starts to suppurate and swell.
By now, the wound's discolored, taut with gas;
she's doomed to surgery, if not to Hell.
Trump shits on foreigners, but his own wife
still condescends to take him to her bed.
She may be saved, but it will take a knife
now this carbuncle's ripened to a head.
Her gross infirmity can't be disguised
she wed the thing that needs to be excised.