On Poetry

A poem does not need to rhyme

But the breath of the poet

Should tingle your skin

And their soul should reach into your bones

Ice Cream Dream

I could eat ice cream

Every day

But I shudder to think of

How much I would weigh

Before You Flirt On A Flight

Before you endeavor to flirt

On a trans-Atlantic flight

Think about how your face will look

When you’ve been traveling all night

Joy And Warm Hugs

Sending joy and warm hugs

Freely your way

And wishing you

A most passionate day!

The Platypus

A most curious creature

But it would seem to me

That the Platypus

Didn’t have a plan

For what it wanted to be

Thoughts on Moving Forward

Forget about Afghanistan. Rebuild Louisiana.

Avoid far-off conflicts. Take better care of our veterans.

Don’t prop up corrupt governments. Invest in our infrastructure.

Don’t chase after foreign terrorists. Defend against domestic extremists.

Forget about the Taliban. Prosecute the insurrection.

The Next Seven Months

The Next Seven Months

September

October

November

December

Freezember

Sucktober

Whenwillitbeover

Rained-Out Concert

Yesterday’s rained-out concert in Central Park was analogous to the pandemic that it intended to commemorate.

Humans: We’re back!

Nature: Not so fast!

Magnitude

A week ago, Americans expressed vociferous outrage over the behavior of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. They demanded his immediate resignation, threatened to sue and prosecute him, and considered rebranding the bridge bearing the name of his father.

Since then, a country the size of Texas was taken over by armed zealots who beat, rape, enslave, and murder women with impunity.

To understand the magnitude this tragic event, each of us should each consider an uncomfortable question. Would you rather work for Gov. Cuomo for a year or live under Taliban rule for a week?

If Americans had focused their outrage on dangerous threats like the Taliban instead of trying to ostracize someone’s creepy but otherwise effective boss, the women and girls of Afghanistan might have a future.

Global Entry And Political Retribution

I got caught up in this mess. I applied for Global Entry to avoid long lines at the airport. I filled out the form, paid the fee, and waited six months to schedule an appointment. I had to wait another two months for the appointment date to arrive.

Two days before the appointment, I received an email informing me that because I was a resident of New York State, I was no longer eligible for the program. It was the first time that the federal government had ever denied me a service based on where I lived.

New York‘s Attorney General sued the Trump Administration, calling the policy change “political retribution,” and eventually it was reversed. My appointment was never rescheduled, and of course my application fee was not returned. I didn’t bother to apply again, because I’m not traveling during the pandemic, but the whole experience left me with a chilling feeling. Imagine what other autocratic policies the last administration would have cooked up if they had remained in power.

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/new-yorkers-can-enroll-in-global-entry-again

Government Surveillance

“Don’t get the vaccine. The government uses it to track your movements,” said the person with the mobile phone, EZ Pass and LoJack in their GPS-enabled car which they drove to a mall full of security cameras to withdraw money from a banking machine and buy items with credit cards while streaming live video over the public WiFi.

Somewhere You’ll Never Go

Your mistakes live far from you

Imagine them squatting in Timbuktu

Botswana or Ghana

Or Texarkana

Or somewhere you’ll never go

There’s a good reason 

Why they’re so far away

Forget all about them

And let them stay

In the slums of Managua

Or somewhere you’ll never know

6 August

6 August is the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Pray that mankind never again uses a weapon like that against its neighbors.

Open Doors

Audacity opens more doors than patience.

Utilize Every Resource

Utilize every resource that’s available to you. If someone or something can help you, explore that possibility with enthusiasm.

Your ideas are important. Your life is important. Don’t let your dreams stumble and stagnate because you were too reserved to take a chance or ask someone for help.

All Natural

Neighbor 1: I won’t take the vaccine. I only put natural things in my body.

Neighbor 2: How lovely! I can fix you a dog dirt sandwich with a side of rhubarb leaves.

Favorite 2020 Olympic Performances

There have been so many memorable performances at these Olympic Games, and I’ll mention several, but will start with the one that impressed me the most.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was tripped by another runner in a qualifying run for the Women’s 1500 meters. She fell hard to the track, but she got up and not only finished the race, but WON it. Later that day, she won Gold in the 5000 meters. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Hassan will be running the 1500 meter and 10,000 meter finals in the coming days. Highly recommended viewing.

Other great performances:

Athing Mu, the 19 year old from Trenton, New Jersey, became the first American woman to win gold in the 800 meters since 1968.

“Steel sharpens steel” - The dynamic duo of Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad win gold and silver for the US in the 400 meter hurdles, smashing the world record in the process.

In the men’s 400 meter, Norway’s Karsten Warholm edges out American Rai Benjamin in another record breaking race.

There is exactly one Olympic-sized swimming pool in the entire state of Alaska, but that didn’t slow down 17 year old Alaskan Lydia Jacobs, who won gold in the 100 meter breast stroke and picked up a silver as part of the US relay team.

Valerie Allman’s first love was dancing. The American’s gold medal winning discuss throw was perhaps the most beautiful ballet that you will ever see at a track and field event.

David Rudisha of Kenya followed up his awe-inspiring, world record-breaking run in Rio by gliding past the competition to win a second consecutive gold medal in the Men’s 800 meters.

And how about Texas-born Marcell Jacobs winning the men’s 100 meter race for Italy just moments after Italy and Qatar tied for gold in the high jump?

Florida’s Caeleb Dressel said that he didn’t want to be “the guy,” but when you win five gold medals in swimming, you’re definitely “the guy.”

Rebeca Andrade fought back after a string of knee surgeries to win Brasil’s first-ever Olympic medal in gymnastics, the silver in the all around competition.

Finally, what can you say about the depth and resilience of the US Women’s Gymnastics team, thrust into what could have been utter chaos when their biggest star, and arguably the biggest star of the entire games, suddenly withdrew from the competition? Without missing a beat, they won the silver medal in the team competition. Suni Lee turned in the performance of a lifetime to win the all-around gold. Jade Carey won another gold medal with her spectacular floor routine. MyKayla Skinner won a silver on vault, and Simone Biles took bronze on the balance beam despite downgrading the difficulty of her dismount.

Those are some of my favorite events and performances. Who have you been watching? Which events have been the most meaningful to you?

Olympic Chaos

The Olympic Games are egalitarian by design. Any country can participate, and a wide variety of sports are represented, from popular sports like soccer to obscure athletic pursuits that rarely gain media attention.

Anything can happen at the Olympics. Athletes and countries that weren’t expected to perform well pull off surprising upsets against big favorites.

This year’s games have been remarkably unpredictable. The “chaos factor” makes every day exciting. Heavy favorites have been defeated, disqualified, or had to withdraw due to health issues or positive Covid tests. Unknowns and underdogs dazzled with breakout performances, dazzling televisions audiences and earning hard-won medals. 

Chaos has been a driving factor of the 2020 Olympics from the start. The games were delayed a full year due to a raging pandemic. Athletes are sequestered in hotel rooms, unable to roam and socialize in the Olympic Village. The stands are empty. Audiences were banned from the games at the last minute. Families support the athletes from afar with watch parties in their home countries.

Still, the Games have managed to go on. The surprising results have added a dimension of thrills and human interest to what could have been a disaster.

To all of the athletes who are participating, to all of the families and coaches and organizations who support them, to all of the countries who fielded Olympic teams in uncertain times, and to the host country of Japan and the magnificent city of Tokyo, who overcame staggering challenges just to make these Games possible, we thank you for bringing us joy and excitement and a clear, powerful sense that life can go on no matter how great the difficulties we face.