CRAZY PEOPLE

crazy people come in all shapes and sizes
most of them are locked up
or let go by governments
some live without doing crimes
some do crimes without getting caught
many of the worst are studied by scientists,
never are executed, because they are interesting
some write blogs and receive adulations from the public
many are artists, musicians and politicians
religious leaders are my favorites
they are worse than politicians in my book
i always wonder why the murderous ones never get "the chair"
maybe i've seen too many jimmy cagney movies
seems that manson should'a gotten the chair years ago
a guy or girl who guns down masses of people should get "rubbed out"
or better yet...
let the families of the deceased have fun with him/her
issue baseball bats to the families
let them decide what to do with the crazy person
save the taxpayers some money
help the economy
the gentle, crazy people should recieve some help
don't let them wander the streets
maybe the politicians can take up a collection
give them some money
maybe the politicos won't be so hesitant to show their tax returns
and will be able to brag about how humane they are
that sure will come in handy at election time
it's sure a crazy world
filled with crazy people
it always has been
it always will be.

TELEVISION

i don't want to see hoarders...
the biggest loser
insane chefs denigrating the help
the kardashians
people eating worms
hollywood gossip news
or flannel-shirted men catching catfish.

damn the ice road truckers
guys catching crabs for endless hours
game shows
gossip shows
and slanted news like FOX and MSNBC.

damn the situation comedies
game shows
an elderly vanna white
and countless movie re-runs
it's all so dumb, dumb, and dumber

give me more masterpiece theatre
shows with integrity and culture
new releases
something well thought out
well written
forget it
it's not going to happen
and when it does
it's cancelled
i guess i'll read a good book

THEY WATCH

they watch you and me
those statisticians
media geeks
politicians
clergymen
car salesmen
the IRS
insurance companies
banks
all those greasy fingers
dipping into information
looking for self-aggrandizement
through you and me
pernicious
dangerous
all seeming benign
warm and fuzzy
presenting as santa claus
or the easter bunny
but growing like a cancer
inside of us
they probe
and use the scalpel
to extract our souls
and we are powerless
to do much about it
but spread the word
expose the jackals
and take to the streets
signs in hand
take your beatings
'cause you started watching
them

ON TURNING SIXTY-THREE

if i don't wake up dead...
on friday i will be sixty-three
the number doesn't frighten me
i've been telling people i am that age for six months
it seems to deaden the shock for mewhen the day finally arrives

in my halycon, hedonistic days
i celebrated with shots and beers
cigarettes and women
moving from bar to bar
with a payoff of a hangover
and sometimes worse stuff in the morning after
i had myself some fun
but when i think about it, it was a waste of my precious time

today, i don't drink or smoke
i don't chase women
i am grateful for my adult daughter
my beautiful and intelligent wife of 32 years
my health despite emphysema, cancer, and double bypass surgery
i'm glad i can still hear...
although i ask you to annunciate and shout at me directly
otherwise, i'll just smile and nod my head affirmatively
because i won't know what the hell you're saying

i hate when people move faster than me
knock me out of the way to get to doors before me
'cause i move slower now
i think i might faint, if someone younger might offer a seat
or open a door for this old man out of respect
we seemed to do a lot more of that when i was a young man

if i take you out to dinner
promise to converse with me
don't mumble
don't text
i find this to be very rude
i remind myself i shouldn't be bothered by these things
but they bother me anyway
i promise to read less about politics
and to enjoy more sunrises and sunsets
i enjoy watching the finches at my bird feeder
i love watching children and like petting dogs and cats

the gym is my drug today
i love feeling my old body respond
i'm grateful for my health
something i always took for granted
'til i ended up in jail at the age of fifty-three
i had a spiritual awakening that day
gave up booze, drugs and smokes
i met the devil at the crossroads
and made the right turn
i am forever thankful for having a higher power
direct me in the right way

sixty-three sounds good to me
seventy-three doesn't scare me
i seem to enjoy the company of younger people as i age
my contemporaries i enjoy as well
but sometimes they are too crabby
i was going to buy a muscle car this year
but my wife talked me into a 4-door sedan
too many of our friends can't negotiate the back seat of a 2-door
i guess i'll have to buy a 'caddy' convertible
now that's stylin'.

THE NEW FOURTH OF JULY

they allow the wealthy to steal
they blame a certain group of people
for the nation's problems
immigrants who come here
for a better life
who toil in the fields
who toil in the factories
who do with less
and are used as cattle

the evil ones know
what they are doing
they hide behind flags
they display false patriotism
they promote false gods
and bibles
in favor of scientific fact
they persecute intellectuals
they polarize society into two groups
the rich prosper
the poor get poorer
they send work overseas
and promote slave labor
they are against unions
they are against women
they speak of homosexuality as an aberration
they control the banks
they control the corporations
they are the few
the paranoid haters of justice
no, this is not nazi germany
this is the american political right
it all seems wrong to me

they will gather in fine homes
this fourth of july
waving their flags
spinning their webs
making their plans
in the name of democracy
for something quite different
than land of the brave
home of the free
liberty and justice for all
except the ninety-nine percent
who pay too much tax
and suffer for the corporates
and their political vampires
who suck the blood
from what was once
a great nation

I DON'T NEED

i don't need
new shoes
the blues
frightening news
gizmos that don't work
the latest app
that's a fact

just give me good food
a mellow mood
sunrise and sunsets
no regrets
about foolish things
i don't need the bling
i just need fresh air
the wind in my hair
a coursing run
out in the sun
eight hours of sleep
meditation that's deep
good books to read
a place just for me
a bed and a chair
it's all really there

if you look you see
you don't need tv
just simple things
you might even sprout wings
to fly above
you might fall in love
for you don't need
to be deceived
by the worldly spin
just ignore it
and grin