Sunday, December 31st, 2006: A new year?

A new year?
Is it really that time?
Already done with the old?
Time to discard the old, spent year.

I heard someone describe the year as a cell phone.
Every twelve months we decide to throw the old one
Into the garbage, for the newer, sleeker, sexier model.

Here’s to 2007
May we have a new policy in the world.
May we stop having poor leadership.
May the Vice President find his next position in
A cell, awaiting sentencing for his war crimes trial.

Saturday, December 30th, 2006: MADness.

MADness.

It's MADNESS I say.

You cannot have my machine.
I have my machine.

No. Internet is for ME, NOT for gaming.
You cannot change this.

I say,"Freedom or DIE!" you lame gamerz!


Oh, Okay, I will give you'se a Machine.
Play and enjoy. I'll go and do some chores.

Friday, December 29th, 2006: Why Oh Why?

Why Oh Why?

Why oh why,
Am I such an unlucky guy?

Why oh Why,
Do I need to strive and slave
To make my ends meet?

Why o Why?
Did I get the short end of the straw?

Why oh Why?
Ah, but lucky in love, makes everything worth it!

Thursday, December 28th, 2006: Reality Suckz

Reality Suckz

Back to the daily grind.
Children back in tow.

Ready, set, go back to work
Nah, it's still time to play.

Getting closer, I must say
To that dreadful, fateful day.

Wednesday, December 27th, 2006: Pangs of Home

Pangs of Home
(To the tune of Hail to the Chief*)

Hail to the Home
Where the children roam and roam.

Hail to the Kids
We have chosen to bring up.

Back to our Home
We are going with anticipation.

To see the damage our
Kids have wrought to us.

We have taken time to for fun and rejuvenation
Now is the time that we get set straight again.

Hail to our kids
We say to stop the machinations.

Hail to our home,
And what is left of it.

*

Lyrics by Albert Gamse
Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation,
Hail to the Chief! We salute him, one and all.
Hail to the Chief, as we pledge cooperation
In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.
Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander,
This you will do, that's our strong, firm belief.
Hail to the one we selected as commander,
Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!

Tuesday, December 26th, 2006:Upscale Mall

Upscale Mall
Oh Gambling's much fun
Till you have the runs.

That leave you mighty broke
And then you need to run.

So off for more shopping now
Except I wonder how.

With Tiffany, Gucci, Armani and Vuitton
What's left for us to pay the rent???

Oh, Upscale Mall.
I don't remember being so SMALL.

When did I become
one of the "off-the-walls"?

One of the lost peeps
That gives the rich so much of "the creeps"

That that mall makes me
want to run and Hide..

Oh, I'm so po-oo-oorr.
Did I sleep all through

A recession, or is it just me?
that bleeds and bleeds.

Nothing Left.
That's what I see inside.

Tons for the best,
but nothing for us down, the rest.

Oh, upscale mall.
You make my insides hurt.

Monday December 25th, 2006: "Cho-Ping"

"Cho-Ping"
Oh I'm 'gonna go shopping
All day-ey long.

Oh I'm in the one place that never closes
Not even Christmas Day.

Why, not you ask?
Well I'll tell you why.

'cause money talks
and religion walks.

When you're at a casino
All you do is buy, buy, buy

And never even wonder.. Why….

Sunday, December 24th 2006: Casino-ing

Casino-ing
Oh Casino I will go
Because there is no snow.

I do not remain at home
Because I'd be alone.

I'd rather be with poker machines
Then sniveling human 'beans.

Saturday, December 23rd 2006 Around the House

Around the House

Around the House, they went
In a circle, they looked and looked
Till they fell upon themselves, totally spent.

They did not guess the hiding places
Their parents had finally thought
Outsmarting the little devils again!

Friday, December 22nd 2006 Vacation Time

Vacation Time

Twas the business day before Christmas.
All through the office
Not a worker was working
Not even with a mouse.

The Air was thick
With pancakes, bacon and cheer
For this was the one day every year
The kiddies came to work.

The bosses had learned the lesson
Of Dickens' dead partner, Mr. Scrooge
And refused to let their workers
Do any work this one day of the year.

But tucked away in a corner
There was a little mouse
That was working for its master
Who needed still to work its tail.

The master had a spreadsheet
That showed how much he'd spent
The boss had told him stay there, or
No vacation could he be lent.

So Poor Mr. Worker Bee
Worked and worked his mouse
Till finally, he finished
And went back to his house!

Thursday, December 21, 2006 Brainwashed

Brainwashed
Christmas Music finally removed.
Hallajuah.

No Jingling Bells or Sleighs Tonight
Hallajuah.

Hallajuah. Hanakuah.
Presents. Candles, Lights, Latkes. *

Horrors. Rid of Christmas Music, only to be
replaced by refrains of…

…I am a latke
…I am a latke
…I am a latke
and I am waiting for Hanukkah to come. (998X)

Which is worse. Dead Karen Carpenter Christmas songs or
"I am a latke"

Tie me up…It's a tie!


* A latke is a (usually large) potato pancake

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Phone Game

Phone Game
(to tune of take me out to the ball game)

Take me out to the tech store
Take me out with a gift card

I don't care if I don't come home.
I just wantta get a new telephone

But it's augh, augh, augh
the plans all suck

If you need to sign it's a sin
Cause it's brr-ring, brr-ring,
brr-ring me the calls at the mall tech store!

Tuesday, December 19th, 2006 Conspicuous Consumption

Conspicuous Consumption

It was Tuesday. The girls had their twin tofu brown matching jackets on.
School was out for the day.
The mall was ready for them. Christmas shopping.
Shoes??? No. Not today
They went directly to the Iguana Store. And soon,
They walked out in their twin brown iguana-leather pantsuit sets
So skin tight that every pore of their body stood out.
From the tip of their toes.
To the top of their shoulders.
And especially every spot in between.

And everymale smiled at them as they walked in the mall.

Monday, December 18th, 2006 Brief Ode to NYC

A Brief Ode to NYC

New York, New York *
A helluva town
The Bronx is up, But the Battery's down
I've lived in three fifths of the boroughs,
But now I'm out of town.

How do I miss thee?
Let me count the ways.

Raising my kids in the Suburbs?
Giving my kids more snow days off of school outside of NYC?
Taking the subway to work every morning?

Mowing the lawn?
Emptying the Garage?
Taking my own recycles to the dump?

Wandering around downtown
And simply looking around
Looking at the sixteen acre void.

Realizing that I once had an office
in the Trade Center.
On the 79th Floor.

But that was before I became
A NYC "expatriate"
One of the millions who move away.

And yet…
My kids and I visited the WTC in the fall of 2000.
Have we ever talked about it?
Spoken about it?
Or even acknowledged that?


* On the town, Written by Betty Comden, and Adolph Green, music by Leonard Bernstein

Sunday, December 17th, 2006

Sunday, December 17th, 2006 Family Time


Portions of The Circle Game. Joni Mitchell © 1970,
and Harry Chapin , CIRCLES © 1974


Hey it's a poetry mashup, and it seems to work!
================================================!!

Family Time:

All my life's a circle
Sunrise and sundown.
The painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on a carousel of time

Children are a fleeting phenomenon.
Unable to communicate, yet too short in our arms.

Infants cry, we sigh and comply.
Toddlers Crawl, and yet we cry.
The Moon rolls through the nighttime
Till daybreak comes around

All our live's a circle
And still we wonder why?

The years go spinning by my friend
And still we wonder why.
Toddling turns to school-time
And quiet becomes the norm

Our sweethearts start to grow up
And we need to start pulling away

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
Were captive on the carousel of time
We cant return we can only look behind

Skate Wheels turn to car wheels
And graduation comes too fast

Before we know what happens,
We've been hit right in the "rear"

Toddlers first learn how to talk
And we have years of nonstop chatter
Then they become teenagers
And all conversations stop.

We can't return, we can only look
Behind, from where we came.

Graduation, and then college follows
And spouse and kids come all too soon
When did we become the old fogies?
And when did we start aching there too?

Seems like I've been here before
But, I just can't remember when

We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game


Sources: 1)
The circle game. Joni Mitchell © 1970
Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, when youre older, must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him,
Take your time, it wont be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
Were captive on the carousel of time
We cant return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
Therell be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
Were captive on the carousel of time
We cant return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game



2) CIRCLES

Harry Chapin © 1974

Chorus:
All my life's a circle
Sunrise and sundown
Moon rolls through the nighttime
Till daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle
Still I wonder why
Seasons spinning 'round again
Years keep rolling by

Seems like I've been here before
Can't remember when
I got this funny feeling
We'll all be together again
No straight lines make up my life
All my roads have bends
No clear cut beginnings
So far no dead ends

Chorus

I've met you a thousand times
I guess you've done the same
Then we lose each other
It's like a children's game
But now I find you here again
The thought comes to my mind
Our love is like a circle
Let's go 'round one more time

Chorus

Sat December 16, 2006 Cosmic Rest

Cosmic Rest

Astronauts do it.
Bees do it.

Bears do it.
Monkeys in the trees do it.

So why do so many of us
Refuse to rest?

Friday December 15th 2006 Communications Breakdown

Communications Breakdown

Crying. Whining.
Abject dependence.

Moving, Talking, No.
Start of Independence.

School, Diarrhea of the mouth
Enjoy it while it lasts.

Puberty. Silence. Nods.
Conquering "Evil Empire" of Parents .

Car Keys, Silence, Stupid Grin.
When did you get so stupid?

Thursday, December 14th: Failure SuckZ (Politics!)

PoliticS: More on Bush's failures: Poetry Special! Failure SUCKZ!

Note to my Poetry readers:
Because this is also going in my REGULAR Blog, portions may not be as smooth
as other poems, please forgive me in advance!

OK.
Failure Sucks.

Watergate Lies.
Nixon Resigns.

Delay Lies.
Delay Pays.

Bush⁴³, Cheney and Rumsey
Iraq, disaster, 40 years war.

Swears "no Draft" in debates in 2004.
Yet, will need 500K troops to stabilize THEIR disaster.

Congressman Mark Foley PLAYS on Computer
The Republicians in Congress PAY in November.

Bush's denials of problems in Iraq
.
Tells Blair, "It's baaddd in Iraq

-- does that help?"

Tony, Stay the course,
We'll stand firm in our war" **
As firm as DeLAY stayed (in Congress).

We'll fight radical Islamic Ideological Extremism
with radical Christian Ideological Extremism. ***

John McCain says , (I agree with him totally), that WE NEED MORE TROOPS
Your former supporter, Virginia Sen. John Warner
says you need to consult with congressional leaders
But, CAN YOU LISTEN?

Senator Warner, says that Congress needs to involve itself
Finally, it's about time, that Republicans admit problems

Warner also said our troops
must not be dragged into a civil war.

What's that? Shiaa versus Sunni
or is it just everyone against the Americans?

And Now, (democratic senator) Tim Johnson, from
South Dakota had BRAIN SURGERY.

However, The Senate historian's office says that the only way there would be a vacancy to fill is if the Senator dies or resigns, since even if incapacitated, he can remain in office.

To Senator Tim in Hospital in Dee Cee
We wish a speedy recovery to thee.

Your vote is important, your seat is historic
we want to seat Cheney and pacemaker
as close as possible to the Senate Microwave pacemaker (cooker)
Cheney : My nominee for WCT 08 – War Crimes Tribunal 2008 indictment!

* A direct quotation from our President
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/08/MNG75MS0PL1.DTL&type=printable

** Tony,
"In that war, our nation stood firm," Bush said. "There were difficult moments during that war, yet the leaders of our two nations never lost faith
in the capacity to prevail. We will stand firm again in this
first war of the 21st century."

*** Bush, at the Press Conference with Blair (noted:)
"the Iraq war is part of a long fight against
ideological extremism,
and drew a comparison with World War II
and noting the anniversary of the Dec. 7 attack
on Pearl Harbor.

Wednesday December 13, 2006 Bored.

Bored. Board. Bored of Computers.
They seem to make me sneeze.

Bored. Bored. Bored of mundane-ness.
Bored of the boredom too..

I'm bored waiting for that tree!

Bored. Bored. Bored in the Jungle.
Listening to the Bees.

Tuesday December 12, 2006 Strangers in the Night

Tuesday December 12, 2006 Strangers in the Night

Contractors in the store
Exchanging employers

Free-lancers who work
For highest bidders.

We're called out here at night
When something goes ka-boom

We fix the machines
And pick up all our things

And move on to the store
that's next on our list

Something in the night
Brings us out here together tonight
And lets us go establishing
A plan, to help us understand

How we can conquer thissssssss…

- - -

Strangers in the night
Writer(s): kaempfert/singleton/snyder

Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wondring in the night
What were the chances wed be sharing love
Before the night was through.

Something in your eyes was so inviting,
Something in you smile was so exciting,
Something in my heart,
Told me I must have you.

Strangers in the night, two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello.
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away,
A warm embracing dance away and -

Ever since that night weve been together.
Lovers at first sight, in love forever.
It turned out so right,
For strangers in the night.

Monday, December 11, 2006 Attention, Attention

Attention: Attention. Attention Deficit Disorder.
Simple words. A.D.D.
Yet, very complex thoughts.

Is our entire world afflicted with A.D.D?
Many teachers see kids who are easily distracted.

But. Is it "Real? Or is it Memorex??"
Or more accurately.

If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this world.

I'd hammer at danger.
I'd hammer at justice.
I'd hammer at the wars between my brothers and my sisters,

Oh, Everything would look like a nail.
If only I had a hammer.

But, if I had a class to teach,
I'd look at the kids as distractions,
Oh simple yet, destructive, ruining my class.

I'd want to medicate,
I'd want to sus-pe-end

I'd want to tell the parents
Their little one was afflicted
And tell them to get rit-a-lin

But if I stop and think.
I'd see there's a prob-leee-men
Too much drugs,
destroys our children,

And in the end, we need the kids to learn
That they weren't the first to be jumpy
They won't be the last to be jumpy
and, they just need to work to overcome the
jumpie jumpies.

Sunday December 10th, Bi-coastal

Some People are Bi-costal
Some People are Bi-sexual
And some people are Bi-polar.

Bicoastals live their lives on planes,
Bisexuals live a life centered in the rear,
And Bipolar people just give other people a pain.

Bicoastal people live in the swing of the scene
And Bisexuals live for the scene of a swing
But Bipolar people just like to make a scene.


Time Zones change for bicoastals.
Sexes change for the bisexual.
But the poor bipolar always cycles his moods.

Pacific - East Coast
Male – Female
MANIC – DEPRESSIVE

Living life on both coasts.
Enjoying both sexes
Unable to control the body and the mind.

Good Sometimes.
Dangerous some of the time
Painfully difficult all of the time.

Painfully dedicated to a customer of mine.. 12/10/06
And her attempts to cause massive pain, nausea and
Maximum damage deliberately

My personal remembrances of you
Will always be filled with
distain, pain, and lots of shit.

Saturday, December 9th, Asbestos Required.

Saturday, December 9th, Asbestos Required.

Sung to the tune of "Down by the Riverside" Please have an asbestos coat
and gloves handy to quell the flames as you sing.


I'm gonna bury my firearms
Right here in the USA
Right here in the USA
Right here in the USA

Gonna bury my firearms.
Right here in the USA
Right here in the USA

(chorus)
I ain't gonna study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more.
Ain't gonna study war no more.
Not here in the "gold ole" USA
Not in the USA.
Not in the USA.

Don't want to have no Frigging Draft
Keep Uncle Sam back outta my "rear"
Keep Uncle Sam back outta my "rear"
Keep Uncle Sam back outta my "rear"


So lets get George's twins hitched up real fast,
Or get em preggers first
Let's get em preggers first
We wanna a fairer draft.

We're gonna be in the new Mid-East
For twenty to forty years
Yes, twenty to forty years
Oh , twenty to forty years

43 will forever be revered
Way past his impeachment trial
Way past his impeachment trial
Way past his impeachment trial

43 will go down in history
As the starter of World War III
As the starter of World War III

And Donny Rumsfeld will see
What a war criminal's cell will be
What a war criminal's cell will be
What a war criminal's cell will be

But Dick Cheney will hear some bells
He's the guy who started this war (3X)
But Dick Cheney will hear some bells
When he roasts in hell
For starting this crummy war.

Friday, December 8th (placeholder)

Friday December 8th, 2006

My hat has three corners
Three corners has my hat.

I wear many many hats. Do you?
I wear my boss one hat,
It's clean and has no cats.

I go to work each day and night
And have no time to fight

I wear my boss two hat at home
And stop my cat
Who scratches on the bed
And then gets kicked out on his head
And is locked outside in the hall

Thursday, December 7th, 2006 Christmas Cheer is here

Thursday, December 7th, 2006

Christmas cheer is near
Oh, set up another beer.

It's time for stopping carols now,
Let's go and get some chow.

Chinese food, if you please
They don't play carols now.

From store to store I go and go
and all I hear is "cheer".

Oh. Muzak sucks right now.
Do you need me to tell you how?

I cannot get this tune from my head,
I'd (almost) rather be dead.

Oh. Muzak sucks in December.
Somewhat better rest of the year.

I have no brain cells left, and it's
Not quite yet New Years Eve!

Wednesday, December 6th.Beep Beep (2)

Beep. I'm sorry...No one is home at the moment, please leave a message.
Beep. Oh. Did you need more time to record your message?
Press alpha to try again.
Press omega to continue your message where you left off.
Press theta to try the telephone extension again.
Press 9 for a recorded directory.
Press any other key to be disconnected.

Tuesday, December 5th Beep Beep.

Road Runners. Electronic Door Bells. Alarms.
Things that incessantly go BEEP.

Road Runners? Not a problem.
Door Bells? I like old fashioned ones.
Bad battery alarms on a UPS? Augh.

A basic program in honor of the alarm:
10 echo "beep"
20 count 60
30 goto 10

Shrill music to work by all night. Beep; Pause; Beep; Pause;
Repeat 840 times.
Augh.
Tylenol anyone?

Monday December 4th, 2006 The Gas, it is a changin'

Election’s over. Gas Prices rise.
Rumsfeld’s gone. Death tolls still rise.
Iraq’s a mess, and who we gonna blame?
Georgie 43, beats Millard (*) as our new worst president ever!

When the draft hits all our children
We’ll know who to blame.
Blame it all on Georgie 43!
He’s the one that the Saudi’s love you see.
The Sauds who rule the oil, and have lots of them as friends.

When the war’s gone on and on
And we, can’t wait to get home
When our bases in Iraq start to crack
From being used for fifty years.

When the draft hits all our children
We’ll know who to blame.
Blame it all on Georgie 43!
He’s the one that the Saudi’s love you see.
The Sauds who rule the oil, and have lots of them as friends.

Now 06 is almost gone, and Georgie’s lost all his friends.
Rumsey’s gone, but Cheney’s here.
And Baker is coming near.

Now it’s time for Georgie’s impeachment, and
Then his war crimes trials.

Oh and Dicky boy must go, so Nancy, can fill in.
Dick can go on torture row, and then claim it’s not unreasonable.

When the draft hits all our children
We’ll know who to blame.
Blame it all on Georgie 43!
He’s the one that the Saudi’s love you see.
The Sauds who rule the oil, and have lots of them as friends.


(*) (Millard Filmore, the 13th president of the United States)

Sunday, December 3rd, 2006 Nails

Sunday, December 3rd, 2006 Nails

Finger, Toe, ingrown, cuticles.
Search for relief.

Ahh. Nail cutter equals bliss.
Clip. Clip. Chop. Chop,

Throw out, Throw out.
Ah, what a relief it is.

Sat. Dec 2nd, (TV SUCKS)

Sat Dec 2nd, 2006
507 channels. Ain’t Nothing on.
Television. The vast wasteland.

With three networks, we watched what the
powers that be told us to watch.

Then there was MTV and BTV, TVland, and Nick at Nite
And Cspan CNN & CourtTV show us what’s not right all night.

Cartoon Network, SciFi Channel take us from our house all day
And HGTV and game show network lets us play instead of pray.

And even discovery channel, animal planet can’t keep our intelligence
And show us stuff that we had to miss.

And yet we wonder why oh why,
Can’t our children spell or try
To read our world and know its true,

That just plain old truth that TV’s why
Our civilization has started to die.

507 channels and nothin’s on.

-----Original Placeholder follows:
In another placeholder, another song ...

Of course 17 years later, it's no longer

57 channels, and nothing's on
but
507 channels, and nothin's on
sigh


1992
Performer Bruce Springsteen
Title 57 channels (and nothing's on)
I bought a bourgeois house in the Hollywood hills
With a truckload of hundred thousand dollar bills
Man came by to hook up my cable TV
We settled in for the night, my baby and me

We switched 'round and 'round 'till half-past dawn
There was fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Well, now home entertainment was my baby's wish
So I hopped into town for a satellite dish
I tied it to the top of my Japanese car
I came home and I pointed it out into the stars

A message came back from the great beyond
There's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Well, we might'a made some friends with some billionaires
We might'a got all nice and friendly if we'd made it upstairs
All I got was a note that said: "Bye, bye John"
Our love is fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
(Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on)

So I bought a .44 Magnum, it was solid steel cast
And in the blessed name of Elvis, well, I just let it blast
'Till my TV lay in pieces there at my feet
And they busted me for disturbing the almighty peace

Judge said: "What you got in your defense son?"
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

I can see by your eyes, friend, you're just about gone
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Friday, December 1, 2006 Jingling Bells

Shopping Bells Jingle.
Cash Registers tingle.

Crowds around the stores.
The're not waiting for s'mores.

Billfolds flying round and round
and skidding across the floors.

Greed and excess fight
to the cheering crowds' delight.

Oh what fun it is at night,
when the doors are locked with might.

Oh. Christmas Cheer, Christmas Cheer
Thank heavens you only come once a year.

Thursday, November 30th, 2006 Born Free.

Born Free. Or written for free.
And then sold, traded, restricted, and sold, sold, and resold.

45 Singles, 33 1/3 LP Records, 8-track tapes, cassettes, CD's, DAT tapes.
How many times must we be expected to purchase the same music over?

Remember that we bought the MUSIC, NOT a piece of vinyl, or acetate.
When we went to the music store, we were told
tha we had an UNLIMITED right to listen to that single, record, or tape
as much as we wanted, or until we damaged, scratched, or destroyed the record/tape/cd.

So now what gives?
Free my music™! I didn't steal it.
I own the right to listen to it.
In my house, in my car, in my Ipod, and in my computer.

And yes, I don't see why not in ALL those places. I bought it.
I didn't create a fake distribution network to avoid paying for it.

Do you really think it's FAIR to squeeze your customers
multiple times - multiple times - multiple times - for the same product?

Come. Let's play, "Let's make a Deal".
Deal#1. Let me trade in my vinyl for the SAME album on CD.
I'll even pay a service charge, and won't ask for the art or inserts.

Deal #2. Lets work out a fair licensing agreement. If you change formats again, I won't pay
100% for the same songs AGAIN!
Let's pretend, you can get the right to play the same song in any different formats
(current, or future formats) for a 15% premium over the cost of the item.

Let's make a deal and make our music free again.
Free from greed.
Free from pirates.
Free from controversy.

Wednesday, November 29th, 2006 Television Kill.

Road Kill. Couch Potatoes. Television.
Road Kill is good.

Vultures can dine on road kill.
Domesticated animals avoid road kill.
Scavengers strip and remove most usable parts from a carcass.

Television will remove the brains of most Television-aholics.
What? You've never heard of a TV-aholic?
Oh no, You're infected you may (be).

Welcome to our country's number one chronic disease.
Television caused TV-aholics.

TV rots the minds of our country.
TV used as a babysitter, affects how toddlers act and perceive others.
You say, you need the time away from the kid? Playgrounds are great!

TV without parental involvement lets our kids absorb the wrong social values.
You mean, my three year olds:
Don't need to wear a bikini swim suit? or a halter top?

TV commercials affect our children's values, and destroy all our hard work.
You mean by teaching them that junk food, empty calorie cereals, and massive
consumptions of stuff is supposed to be GOOD?

Lax ethical standards as shown on TV, affect EVERYONE who watches these shows.
Despite their age, all are affected by the contents of TV programs.

Doh. Jane, his wife. Jane, you ignorant Slut. Meathead.

Me?
Give me Road Kill instead of Television.
At least I could eat around the bones,
the
bad parts,
and
possibly get something nutritious out of it.

Tuesday, November 28th, 2006. Waiting.

Waiting can be the hardest part.
Waiting for a bus.
Waiting for a train.
Waiting for a friend.

Waiting for rain to water the crops after a drought.
Waiting for the Snow to stop, so you can shovel...

Waiting for Godot.
Waiting.
Waiting by the door.
Waiting for the door.
Waiting.

Monday, November 27th, 2006 Friendship is.

Friendship is
finding out someone you've just met feels
like you've know them forever.

Friendship is knowing that
your spouse is forever your friend.

Friendship is
helping out in that unexpected way
that just makes you smile.

Friendship is never having to say you're sorry.
Oops. That's love, not friendship!
Friendship is knowing WHEN to say you're sorry.

Friendship can be very special.
Don't take it for granted.
Wasting it can be one of life's big regrets.

Sunday, November 26th Work Calls

Work calls.

Did you know?
Work is a four letter word.

Play is a four letter word
Why are four letter words so popular?

Sucks is also a four letter word
"Work Sucks" is a phrase familiar to many people.

Many people are not lucky enough to
REALLY enjoy going to work Every day.

I like my job. I am a computer nut.
I enjoy working with computers.

But some people love their jobs.
Some people love work better then their real lives.

I feel sorry for those lost souls.
Family always comes before work.

But. Work Calls.
Time to go to work.

Sat Nov 25th 2006 Schluffy Calling

Schluffy Calling
A nice fluffy pillow.

Schluffy Calling
A place to lie down.

Schluffy Calling
Time to be sleeping.

Schluffy Calling
I'm coming, I'm coming.

Schluffy Calling
Goodnite.

Friday, November 24th, Black Friday

Black Friday?
Why Black?

Black Friday is the Retailer's BEST FRIEND.
So, why is it BLACK?
Why not RED Friday, or my favorite
GREEN FRIDAY
green IS money!

Busiest Shopping day of the Year.
Why?
Don't most of us now use the internet?
I don't know.

But. I need peace, and I need space.
Please Don't bother me today.
I am on line for a new laptop --
seemingly fallen off the back of a truck.

Poem-Store Update: First input/output

The first input/output has FINALLY been processed over at the Poem-store.
Go here to read about the poem-store..


GO HERE to read the first Poem from the poem-store.


Mark b
Thanks for the input

Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006 Thanksgiving

Thanks-Giving

A time to give thanks.
A time to stop
and think.
A time to travel, both near
and far.
A time to be with friends
and relatives.

Football?
Anti-Social.
Cigars?
Anti-Lungs.
Big Screen TV?
Too divisive. (and sexist too!)
Politics?
Too Depressing for some.

A time for thanks
A time to try and be open minded.
A time to remember
A time to cry
A time for rememberance of those
defending our country, far, far from home.

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006 Stupid is

Stupid is as Stupid does.
Signs seen on two tee-shirts
I'm with Stupid -->
I'm with Stupid <--

Bubba Gump's Shrimp Factory
Stupid is as stupid does.
Shit Happens.
Stupid is as stupid does.

Children are stupid
Parents are stupid(er)
Teachers are stupid
Grownups are stupid

Has all life gotten stupid?
used to be, people were smart
enough to READ between the lines
And sense what was necessary to see,
and DO what was needed, without words.

Television has destroyed us.
Television is STUPID
Couch Potatoes * are STUPIDER
Life is now all about "Stupid is as Stupid Does"


* in (memory) of Dan Quale...

Comment(s) Welcome

Hey guys. Go HERE and re-read this.

I would appreciate it if you would feed this machine, by leaving a comment with the requested information in it.

The poem machine will respond, and the Poem machine will give you output.

Thanks

Tuesday, Nov 21 Childhood

Did you know?

Childhood is wasted on children.

Children go to school. A very small number of children are lucky enough to LIKE going to school.

Children sit in organized classrooms,

and have special times to do each subject.

Some children like reading. Some children like Social Studies. Some children like Gym. And some children are lucky enough to like math. And some children just like recess.

Being outside. Being the last one chosen for the baseball or basketball game.

Grownups have to go to work. A very small number of grownups are lucky enough to LIKE (or sometimes even LOVE) the work they do. Lucky them.

Some grownups work in stores. Some grownups work inside. Some grownups work outside all year long. And some grownups go to meetings for a living. But the one thing that grownups don’t do at work is have recess.

Some grownups even decide to devote their lives to children, and become teachers. We have a word for those types. Deviants. No, really grownups become teachers because they want to help children grow up.

But. Grownups don't have recess. Grownups who aren't teachers don't get two month vacations. Grownups don't have time to sit in wonder at the world.

What a shame. We need to trade places with our kids, so they can go and have the privileges of being grown ups, and we can go and have the fun that they think they're not having.

Monday 11/20 I Don't Like Mondays either!

I Don't Like Mondays, Either.

Unlike teenagers
Grownups have reasons to
Really hate Mondays.

However, most express their displeasure
in less extreme ways.

Hate their jobs
Hate their wife
Hate their life

Lucky for us
Except for postal workers
Few workers pack loaded pistols

And me?
Today I’m free.
No work, all play
And too pleasure, wife is here;
Absolutely making MY day!

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVThe original boomtown ratsVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
(written by [Sir] Bob Geldof...)
_________________________________________________
I Don't Like Mondays, The Boomtown Rats, 11/1979

The silicon chip inside her head

Gets switched to overload.

And nobody's gonna go to school today,

She's going to make them stay at home.

And daddy doesn't understand it,

He always said she was as good as gold.

And he can see no reason

'Cause there are no reasons

What reason do you need to be shown?

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

I want to shoot

The whole day down.

The telex machine is kept so clean

As it types to a waiting world.

And mother feels so shocked,

Father's world is rocked,

And their thoughts turn to

Their own little girl.

Sweet 16 ain't so peachy keen,

No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat.

They can see no reasons

'Cause there are no reasons

What reason do you need to be shown?

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

I want to shoot

The whole day down.

All the playing's stopped in the playground now

She wants to play with her toys a while.

And school's out early and soon we'll be learning

And the lesson today is how to die.

And then the bullhorn crackles,

And the captain crackles,

With the problems and the how's and why's.

And he can see no reasons

'Cause there are no reasons

What reason do you need to die?

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

Tell me why?

I don't like Mondays.

I want to shoot

The whole day down.

Sunday 11/19/2006 Depression Sucks!

Depression is misnamed.

Clinical Depression isn't clinical.

Clinical is clean, sterile and neat

Depression isn't.

Depression tears families apart. It doesn't discriminate.

It can creep up on the young or old, or even the rest of us.

It feels like, "why bother?" It’s not sadness or even euphoria.

It's not knowing what happened, or even why.

Clinical sadness?

But just knowing that help exists

Can help you through the abyss.

Medication isn’t cheating.

It's just helping re-define the paths and pathways,

so you feel something less stressful

But most important, is friends and family that

offer guidance, nurturing, and love.

Instead of catcalls, and being told to "get off the pity pot"

Saturday 11/18/2006 Worship.

People worship God in different ways.

People worship different Gods in the same way.

Different people worship God in different ways.

Two people could be worshiping the same God, in the same room, yet differently.

Two people could be thousands of miles apart, yet saying the exact same prayer

at exactly the same time.

The same book can mean different things to different people.

The same book can say different things to all people.

The same book can say the same thing to all people.

God is like a roof in a building with many rooms.

You are in one of the rooms, and pray to your God that you see above you.

You pray in your language, with your specific rituals.

But I, who may be in the room next to you, pray to my God, above me, in my

Language, and with my rituals.

It's the same God. God is One. Or. God is three?

But. It's still the same entity, all hovering above us, yet supporting us all.

Friday 11/17/06 The Boy

The Boy is stubborn.

The Boy is wrong.

The Boy doesn't like to be told NO!

Peaceful. Playing the forbidden Game boy, he stares in rapt attention at the screen.

The boy is at peace, despite himself

Noise Thursday 11/16/06

Note ( I have shown my writing conversions here from prose to (what I call) poetry)

As I sit here at home

I am surrounded by noise.

Water splashing off wall of fish tank

Cat's feet plodding on the table, looking to be pet.

Hmmmmm,- Hmmmmmm, Hmmmmmm Cat humming in ear, purring contentedly.

Swish, swish, swish, Plat. Goes the bricklayer fixing the steps across the street.

Aruuum- Aruuum- Aruuum-Aruuum The truck mounted vacuum cleaner sucking the leaves from the street.

Slap, slap, slap. The helpers slapping their rakes, to push leaves into the vacuum.

Ah-ooooooooooo-OUCH. Cat scratches against skin. Back to reality.

Children Optional 11/15/06

Two types of couples. Those who want children, and those that don't.

The third type is the couple who HAVE children

Yet realize they need to return them to the factory.

Adorable, and helpless at birth.

Slowly grow to notice you, learn to smile.

Crying. Responses.

Running. Talking. Talking Back.

Mouth. Lips. Brains. Teenager-hood.

"Fergit" your brains age until mid twenties.

And we wonder about those in the third category?

The Poem Store

Insert Time, Receive Poem

We've opened a new store for your convenience.

Just like an Automated Teller Machine.

We've named this our Automated Poem Generator.

Won't you put a time token into the slot?

Once we receive your time,

We will ask the machine to generate poetic verse just for you.

The Machine asks you for several inputs, similar to the word game

"Mad-Libs", You are asked for:

* A Name

* A topic

and

* A mood

The only question you are asked after that is whether we can show your poem to others, or is it an exclusive creation.

Try it. We have a special introductory offer this week. No time required.

Just insert information in comments section below.

Monday, Nov. 13th , 2006. Time

Time Keeps on Slipping. Into the Future.
Working half a day has its pitfalls.
Sleep. Rise. Drive. Work. Drive. Sleep.
(Repeat four times/week)

Work is life. Life is work.
Eat. Sleep. Breathe Computers. Work.
Boredom at 2:30 in the AM.
Leo Tolstoy the antidote to sleep.

Tolstoy in the wee hours can challenge even the pros.
Writing is amazingly crisp, since originally in the Russian.
Such style, grace and prose is to only be dreamed of.

Yet, Writing is always a challenge.
And Reading, capitalized, is just as challenging.
Next on the list: War and Peace!

Markb in NJ

11/12/2007

Work IS Life

Freedom equals overrated concept.

Life is work
Life should be family.
Family should be happy
Happy is as happy does.

Work makes one happy for family.
Family gives one opportunity to escape to work.

Dig, Dig, Dig; we must.
We must, must increase our output.
Work, work, work 14 hour days.
sleep, play, eat, and then work again.

Ah, but the cherished seventh day.
Rest. Rejuvenate, and Recharge.
All to get ready to continue the pursuits.

Man and the constant struggle to climb up the ladder.

11/11/07 Anniversary

Anniversary.

It's really hard to see how time has passed.
Has it really been almost a score (and a half)?
Time has hardly seemed to pass when you're around.
Except that the kids are now almost all grown.

Year after year, I look into your eyes
and am grateful that you've kept me alive.

It's a beautiful web made of gossamer strings
butterfly wings and other nice things.

And, as we said over dinner tonight
I'm ready to re-up my commitment for another 28
since I have no thoughts of flight.

Welcome to my poem-a-day

I was listening to WNYC yesterday when I heard Leonard Lopate talking to playwright "Suzan-Lori Parks" (Listen to the interview here) about her huge venture in 2002, when she commited to writing one play a day for 365 days.
For more details about the project go to its home at the Public Theater (in NYC)

Now reality hits. This started 7 months AFTER she was awarded the Pulitzer prize for her previous work.
I am not a playwright, but I think I can attempt to write a poem a day for a year.

Here Goes!
MarkB

Yee Gads: WHITE HOUSE out of control AGAIN

See the REGULAR blog HERE:

THe President just changed the balance of power, and gave himself a DICTATORSHIP

Look here