Today’s blessing comes from the 32nd president of the United States
most of us remember him as FDR:
Rules and laws are not necessarily sacred…he said
but principles always are.
I heard it on the radio –
An early morning crash,
The driver’s fault and then her life
Was over in a flash.
It happened near my walking path
So when I headed out,
I knew I’d pass right by to see
What it was all about.
The F.D.R., six lanes across,
Had not a car in sight,
Except for police and clean-up crews
At work to make things right.
The car involved, a burned-out wreck,
Was waiting on the road
Until the inquiry was done
And then it would be towed.
Debris was scattered in the lanes
In both directions, plus,
The walking path had wreckage, too,
Which no one did discuss.
The car, a Tesla, slammed into
A barrier and flipped,
With flames caused by the battery
With which it was equipped.
The impact made the driver
And the passenger eject.
Though he survived, who knows the damage
That he can expect.
We may not ever learn just why
The driver hit those speeds,
Which well exceeded limits
That nobody ever heeds.
Before I watched a movie,
(On the plane, which I enjoyed)
The day began with an event
Which more than just annoyed.
At 4 a.m. our Uber driver,
On the FDR,*
While in the far left lane decided
He would stop the car.
Now at that hour, traffic’s light,
Yet we were still in luck
That a speeding auto hadn’t,
Into our stopped Uber, struck.
We yelled out to the driver
Who complained he couldn’t see,
For the brights were on the car behind -
That’s pure insanity!
In a minute, though, he hit the gas
And we were on our way,
A slightly stressful start
To what would be a busy day.
*a six-lane highway in Manhattan
Amidst the trials of history's flow,
Two leaders rise, with strength aglow,
Their nations' fate upon their back,
They stood, steadfast, with unwavering tact.
One, a name that echoes still,
FDR, the man with the iron will,
Through Great Depression and World War strife,
He led his nation, gave it life.
The other, a man of more recent days,
Joe Biden, with his own unique ways,
A steady hand in uncertain times,
A leader with heart, and with reason that chimes.
Like FDR, he bears a weighty load,
A pandemic, a nation, a world to uphold,
And through his actions, his words, his deeds,
He offers hope, and helps to meet our needs.
Though time may yet obscure their mark,
Both leaders share a vital spark,
A spirit of service, a drive to lead,
That sets them apart, in thought and deed.
So here's to FDR, and here's to Joe,
May their legacies forever glow,
For in their leadership, we see
The promise of what we can be.
I have lived through times of economic depression
Seen my country triumph over Japanese aggression,
Observed the demise of Russian communism
And seen great strides in undoing systemic racism.
I recall the first passenger jet flight from coast to coast
Of our space exploits and landing on the moon we boast,
I remember the first computers, the first cell phones
And now, I am seeing widespread usage of flying drones.
Medical advancements, MRI, C-Scans, too many to mention
Explosions of knowledge in all sciences boggle retention.
I remember when one could flag down a greyhound bus
Long before Interstate highways were a traveling plus,
F.D.R. was president when I was born in December ‘41
Some thought when he was in office, we’d all be done,
But we made it through Nixon and Watergate, still alive!
Through inflation, deflation, we have managed to thrive,
American ingenuity and enterprise get us over the hump
Now, if only, we can get through the travesty of Trump!
Written July 2, 2022
The playground hadn’t opened;
The sun had yet to rise
And many might think walking
In the dark would not be wise.
A mist hung by the river,
A tugboat pulled a barge;
The cars inched down the F.D.R.,
Their headlights looming large.
The puddles, partly hidden,
Glinted dully in the gloom,
Soon to saturate some sneakers
Not expecting them to loom.
It was magic to be walking;
The few others I did see
Were the regulars who love
Their early exercise, like me.
Fear, sheer fear, rules this once-great nation
Fear of missing out, fear that a 'virus' will sprout
Fear of stating a belief, fear of catching some grief
Fear of normal give-and-take, fear of what may be at stake
Fear of political incorrectness, fear of any unpleasantness
Fear of feckless authority figures, fear of academic rigor
Fear that someone is offended, fear of a BFF upended
Fear of getting caught cheating, fear of being seen 'meat-eating'
Fear of a vaccine injection, fear of the slightest hint of rejection
Fear of COVID or BIRD-FLU or AIDS ~ Fear to NOT be afraid...
In '33 FDR told us the only thing to fear is Fear itself.
Let's embrace his message, take Courage down from the shelf
Many feel that FDR was a lion of a man
'Our Eleanor' schooled America ~ a First Lady can!
Have Hoped Each Hour
have hoped each hour
God brings another shower
with all His power
many will have cared
fear times fear equals fear squared
so this message shared
FDR
came out of hiding
his time he has been bidding
always confiding
Joe Biden
had been first to die
good soldiers in short supply
as all time passed by
These are the firsts
that seem so sad
Jim Horn
Pardon me Hon, my apophenia is acting up. See,
I have this acute case of advanced pareidolia
Today my two fried eggs formed Munch's 'The Scream' in the frying pan
it made my toes curl, but it seems to have solved my writer's block!
I even wrote a song based upon the compelling rhythms
of my dripping faucet
My coffee foam faces give me daily companionship
and I could write a book on all the tree trunk friends I've made
Sometimes cloud formations help me decide on a stock to buy
or which horse to bet on
I've seen FDR in Half Dome's face after an exhausting day of hiking
I felt strangely comforted by America's most beloved socialist
I've bid on Ebay for that grilled cheese sandwich of Jesus and Mary in a tortilla
sadly, I didn't win either one
I've talked with the rabbit on the moon and spoken to the mermaid on Mars
haven't heard back from either, but maybe I'm not listening hard enough?
Speaking of which…
were you saying something?
written 19 Aug 2020
During the not-so-Great Depression
FDR practiced self-suppression
'chatting with us' just once a week
During the current pandemic
Press conferences are epidemic
Pols grabbing every microphone to speak
Take shelter this might be a big one
Paper walls won't hold it back
I don't think this will be it
But 'aint too sure about that
Been thinkin' about President Lincoln
Nowadays he seems Heaven-sent
Wasn't always like that
He mostly made it up as he went
There sure 'aint no Abe Lincoln
Or even FDR near about
Just a paper tiger
With a Twitter account
We can be bystanders
As the darkness falls
And keep our distance
Behind paper walls
March 21, 2020
Grovers Mill NJ, 30 October 1938
Bright blue flashes in the nighttime sky
a copper cylinder
lands slowly in a field
a hatch opens
and an octopus-like creature emerges
The martians have landed !
Metallic manta rays
heat-ray armed
with power unimaginable
float through the city
destroy everything in their path
Panic ensues !
Police helpless
army tries bullets and bombs to no avail
FDR speaks words of calm
but people flee chaotically
not knowing where to go
Hello, this is Orson Wells speaking.I hope you enjoyed our halloween radio production of H. G. Wells War of the Worlds.
Sound familiar?
Young women wearing tight jeans
hang onto their boyfriends
Fancy cars drive by
in the heart of the metropolis
Today I ran a poetry workshop
also in the heart of the metropolis - an urban delight
Another urban delight is the poetry
which has been written about Gotham
As I gazed down at the FDR Drive
Taking a deep breath of air
I walked over to the coffee shop
Where they have a community journal
I write in it every day
Discussed politics with the young barista at the shop
Good conversation
New York has some great aspects
especially on its Lower East Side
Poetry does not have to be political to be good
But verse can change people's hearts about things
political
In the good old USA the Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for the big
battle
In the land of Israel elections take place tomorrow
Other lands have relatively free elections as we
Who will win?
How much does it matter?
"Happy Days are Here Again" is the song of
the great FDR days
Write a song or poem for you candidates
you people reading this out in the darkness
Poltics can be annoying
but it is a part of life in which I take an intrest
Do you out there?
Let me know what you think!
Soon the Jewish New Year will come
And after the the secular New Year will take place
Whatver you think of the political scene out there
I send along my best wishes
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