Julius Caesar hastened a decline in liberty
Roman rights abridged, from a partial democracy.
A leader can come in, and single handed attack
The freedoms people had, not easy to get back.
Germany was a democracy under Weimar
Then Hitler came in, they followed his star
Mussolini dismantled freedoms Italy had
Democracy is easy to lose, and that's sad.
Nicaragua was a democracy, then voted in Ortega
He said no more voting until we reach the planet Vega.
Venezuela voted in a populist red:
Now people shiver when secret police tread.
Turkey was free until Erdogan moved.
He jailed journalists, judges too.
It is like roach motel, no doubt.
You can check in to dictatorship, but you can't check out.
Some leaders won just enough of the vote
Some took a while to don the dictator coat.
But freedom is apparently not immune
to a strong leader sweeping it off with a broom.
Churchill was on Democracy's side
But said it's the worst system except for all that were tried.
We have trillions in debt, as far as the eye can see
And immigrants who don't all accept liberty.
So there's pressure to enter Roach Motel
Can we avoid it? Too early to tell.
We live in earth's strangest time,
as the human creature rose from slime
(if only briefly) to encroach,
on the domain of the roach.
A Roach In My Coffee
One morning I wanted some coffee.
I was barely awake, I couldn't even see.
Too early to wake up.
I started my coffee and something was floating in my cup.
It was a roach.
That was a surprise and gross.
The coffee was hot with a bug.
I guess it was swimming and having lots of fun.
My coffee cup is not a jacuzzi.
It’s not a bed and breakfast in my kitchen in the morning.
I had to pour out my coffee mug.
I had to start all over with another k-cup.
Now I know why we put our mugs upside down.
For roaches won’t find a place to hang out.
This was my favorite coffee mug.
Now it’s a roach roasting saying, “whats up”?
Have you ever had one of these mornings?
If so, you can share it with me.
It would be something to laugh at, you see.
Now I can start on my second cup of coffee.
With no bugs having a time of their lives.
For now on, pick up your mug and look inside.
My pet roach and I got cozy tonight
Ready for dreamland, our bed took flight
Roach loves it when we glide into outer space
I keep silent, sleeping with breathless grace.
Roach tries to tell me scary stories later.
Pretending we almost fell down a shaft, an elevator.
His wild fabrications are supposed to give me awful nightmares.
I ignore instigating, so he runs off to tease grizzly bears.
When I saw our waiter I lost my appetite
Oh, come on said my husband don’t be so uptight!
He is a roach, I said, he could serve without his head.
They can run around for days, before they are dead.
This one has his head, and he has a great smile.
Just order soup – maybe the mushroom or crocodile.
I could not bear to eat after seeing the server arrive.
Especially when his tentacles took a little dive.
They came up flipping soup at the crowd.
Oh my gosh! I yelled, and I yelled it loud.
My husband said Don’t be so persnickety!
But I could not help feeling annoyed said Lee.
I ran from the restaurant and stayed inside.
It might be the last time I ever venture outside.
So whom did door dash send to bring me my next meal?
A roach dragging along his left foot and heel.
Whatever it is it likes to exercise on its back said Mr. Will.
We both stared at the creature whose wings were lying still.
The creature’s legs were going back and forth in triple time.
A giant roach or a locust, whatever it is, it is scary said a mime.
We watched the bug roll over and do some side donkey kicks.
Look out! Yelled a snake as it slid by, giving the beast a few licks.
The beast jumped on the snake and rode it out the door.
They disappeared down the hill, and slid into a wild bird feed store.
Well the bug is gone, said an exerciser who had lost her lunch.
Let’s do this! Yelled her partner who began doing a stomach crunch.
They might be back said another, as she escaped out a window small.
I laughed at their antics, avid exercisers delight me each and every fall.
North for the fields of corn grow and many feasts cleaning dirty skin in the white river bath they laugh they cry slaughtered like sheep in blind carnage they die.
East rain of slime beckons my wall of no emotion many flies to feed many yellow gardens to seed. doves with handprints of blood on them singing pitchily with eldritch songs.
West the man hands with laitance my eyes identify the invisible mountains a prominent tornado coming to me in red dust I see Babel and its army of stone statues and cocoons for great bugs men.
South home of the beast and his army of blue-skinned and their metal shell of magic stars. The one-eyed men were enshrouded by false-hearted white shadows and their flaming messiah. The shadows face a gray army only to be contemplated by an army of rainbow.
Dear roach on the table
Legs up
Can you spell pathetic?
What a drama roach!
My mother would understand my disgust.
The wind blows the roach over.
Legs down. Not dead at all.
Ugh!
Trump Wore Broach With Roach
Trump as President around would pouch,
And when he did saw him wear a broach;
Also termite,
Full of spite,
Which would contain silhouette of a roach.
Jim Horn
Beto O'Rourke just said this on the news.
The dead roach with its upended crinkly legs
has been lying in the windowsill for at least four weeks.
I would get rid of it, except...
nothing has amused me for years half as much
as people's horrified reactions when they notice her.
This poor ugly black dead thing.
I have decided to have a tiny plaque made, and a little glass coffin.
I will put her into the coffin, and glue my "snow white" plaque on the side,
ever so sweetly.
I will caution the taxidermist to make sure the legs remain up, as it is the cutest thing.
I will then pay him to stuff and stand seven little dead flies or ants.
His choice.
I will put little hats and vests on them and label them too.
Grumpy will really look grumpy.
This will bring the dead roach to a whole new level.
It might even embarrass the custodian,
but as she clearly has not noticed this dead roach in four or five weeks,
perhaps not.
Trump and Black Roach
Everyone's environment Trump did encroach;
Even naked woman wearing beautiful broach;
Wiggle trying,
While dying;
She had turned out to be a huge black roach.
Jim Horn
In order to put up with Trump you have to
be able to laugh him off like his idiot supporters
do.
Kitchen lights turn on ...
The creepy, crawly cockroach
into darkness runs.
Scuttle scurry
Roaches
Askidaddle to the
Left
Skidaddle to the
Right.
Furious feets
Propelling
Gripping zip
Zero escape
Because
Feee-fi-fo-yum
A roach soon will
Roast
Ex
Ter
Min
Ate
Encroached By A Roach
Encroached by a roach
Those insects which we do dread,
Who we wish were dead.
Jim Horn
Roach with piston which will cock,
To me sounds like a bunch of crock.
Am I your rose,
Or your roach?
You assure me i’m the rose,
But how can I tell for myself,
I wished I could see inside your pretty skull,
See the flowers of thoughts growing there,
Some made from seeds of envy and hate,
Some from seeds of the most delicate love and tenderness,
I wished I could watch them bloom and blossom,
I wish I knew if you meant everything,
Every word you've said,
How can I tell?
Your face is permanently embedded in my head,
With fine details,
As sharp as the line of your jaw,
And along with the face comes the threat of your potential lies,
Still fresh.
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