the next war

dissecting CyberCom from NSA
Obama seeks a structure that makes sense
a tidy ship, with all gear stowed away
to garner trustworthy intelligence
combatants--to be lawful--are constrained
to battlefields, if not face-to-face
our killer spies, like Russia's go unreined
and someone's got to put them in their place
non-prosecution's a bad precedent
but no one's called our torturers to heel
I'm pretty sure that's not what our courts meant
but Trump thinks law's a crock; he'll cut a deal
O brave new world! our arms are obsolete
the software revolution's now complete

Vendee Globe '96

Dinelli flipped; his boat's a total loss
the seas run high; his odds are looking grim
his life hangs in the hands of Peter Goss
who'd have to pound upwind to rescue him
unhesitating, Goss received the news
he brings the helm around to join the chase
a fellow sailor's life's too much to lose
'though  strangers, they're still bonded by the race
a boat that's built for one's quite snug for two
and pointing up's not what this hull's carved for
he did the only thing a man could do
a Shackelton could not have asked for more
an ubermensch despite his human size
the hero's journey's not about the prize

subjective time

each Summer flits past briefer than the last
as if we're whirling faster 'round the sun
but it's not heaven's clock that's running fast
our spring, with passing time, becomes unsprung
as mass is spent producing energy
our angular momentum wastes away
those photons pilfer our patrimony
the force-constant is lessened, day by day
and yet, subjectively, it's just not so
we slip leap-seconds in because we must
compared to languid days mere years ago
these latter decades leave us in the dust
entropic death by increments arrives
a cosmic metaphor for dwindling lives

unlinked

the sage of Amherst rarely left her home
depression often kept her pent in bed
like Proust, it's just her mind that got to roam
the life she lived was mostly in her head
but for her writings, did she live at all?
was she an avatar in someone's game?
existing only on a Facebook wall
with no biology behind the name
her correspondence bridges time and space
a virtual community through books
she'll never meet her fan-base face-to-face
and they can only guess at how she looks
for Dickenson, a spindly web of ink
provided her her only human link

Rasputin

Reince Priebus means to co-opt Donald's win
by whispering suggestions in his ear
the boss' grasp of policy's so thin
by staying close enough, he hopes to steer
each party backed a loser in this fight
the millions spilt on Jeb can't be called back
to salvage victory for the far Right
he'll have to mount a subterfuge attack
by vetting names for Trump to nominate
he's put his imprint on the ruling set
each one's acceptable, 'though none are great
for his conception of a cabinet
while Donald boasts the triumph's all his own
I'm worried by the tool behind the throne

side by side

two nations struggling in one narrow womb
begin the narrative of Toledot
stark competition for the finite room
who gets the pasturage, who gets the vote
the same law binds your stranger and your king
if you're to build a kosher Jewish State
it's all about the Justice, not the bling
and no one buys your PR that "it's great!"
a single state from Jordan to the sea
would have to disenfranchise half the folk
a shabby parody of Herzl's dream
replays the prophecy as bitter joke
the TwoState pact ben-Gurion endorsed
to get to Peace, will have to be enforced

roll them dice

the mind of Dilbert warned that Trump could win
he's not impressed with our intelligence
the mechanisms we put such faith in
produce results that often make no sense
when polled, Americans judge him unfit
to fill the office Reagan did before
our next four years--at best--will look like shit
at worst, he'll launch a planet-scorching war
Ivanka sometimes keeps him on a leash
six days in seven, mostly keeps him calm
until the House steps forward to impeach
we'll live in fear each day he'll drop a bomb
farewell due process! now it's one-man rule
entrusting our whole species to this fool