A New Dawn

Assad thought Putin'd always have his back
presuming Kremlin coffers would stay filled
But sanctions bite; gas revenue's now Jack
He'd have to pay for future thousands killed.
Dug in, behind Damascus' ancient walls
What's next, a world of pundits couldn't tell 
He had emigrate, or take the fall
and join his fellow Baathist thugs in Hell.
The blitzkrieg Putin couldn't pull off in Ukraine
rolled like a Spring storm torrent heaven-sent
his mercenaries quit where there's no gain
to leave their boss alone in Yael's tent.
One chinless exile languishing alone;
six million refugees now turn for home.

Weeds

December rains iguanas from the trees
a rough thermometer to mark the drop
when Winter brings Dade county to its knees,
lean protein's free in this exotic crop.
Like lionfish, invasives can be sweet
('though Asian carp remain an uphill sell).
Reptilian tacos could be tourists' treat,
if marketers stepped up, and did it well.
A species like our own, when out of place,
wrecks havoc in a garden, or at large.
Few have the spine to tell us to our face
We're pathogens, deluded we're in charge.
Eventually, Earth will be OK
and sooner, if we'd merely go away.

unforceful

"A time for boldness!" sounds good on the stump;
Joe Biden's writers craft a handsome phrase.
And--for our part--we meant to move past Trump;
four years was too much chaos, and malaise.
Still, boldness isn't Biden's stock in trade
He works hard being just 'one of the guys'.
When plans and policies have to be made,
there's nothing on which he won't compromise.
Liz Warren had laid out what must be done;
in text, and verse, she offered us her plan.
A year's gone by, and Joe's barely begun;
To do this job, she'd be the better man.
The calendar leaves not a lot of room;
too much remains undone, as midterms loom.