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~ Finding, formulating and solving life's frustrations.

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Tag Archives: poetry

Travels with Sadie 5 — 2025 is Here

01 Wednesday Jan 2025

Posted by petersironwood in America, nature, pets

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

books, Democracy, dogs, fiction, fog, life, nature, pets, poetry, politics, truth, USA, writing

Happy New Year! 

I hope. 

Anyway, I welcome you to the New Year. Why not?



Fog. 

Our morning walk began, appropriately enough, in heavy fog. No sun. Cold. Damp. A slight but persistent icy wind. 

How appropriate, I thought. No sign of a sunrise. Not near here. 

Sadie, however, seemed oblivious to the fog, the damp, the cold, the politics. Before our walk began, I told her we’d try walking without the shoulder harness but she’d have to do “Good Walking” with no Pulling. She’s strong and pulling hurts my back and knees but especially my ankles and arches. The harness helps prevent her from pulling, but doesn’t really eliminate it. 

She did good walking. 

And I noticed that, up close, she is still as beautiful as ever. No gold or red from the rising sun, but still beautiful. 

Indeed, the fog shrouds what is distant, but up close? Bright signs of beauty still beckon. If we bother to look. 

Looking more distantly–ominous, if not downright evil.

Even so, the lonely mourning dove coos on her thin wire perch.

Soon, the sun does begin to shine. Darkness, like cancer and greed, always eventually loses. 

We cast a long shadow. 

The bees still buzz their magic.

I look for patterns and they are there. 

I look for color and it is there. 

Thank you Sadie. 

—————-

Author page on Amazon

The Winning Weekend Warrior

Tales from an American Childhood

Fit in Bits

Turing’s Nightmares

Life is a Dance

Take a Glance; Join the Dance

Dance of Billions

Come to the Light Side

The First Ring of Empathy

A Pattern Language for Collaboration and Cooperation

Tools for Thinking

The Story of Story

Colide-O-Scope

26 Thursday Dec 2024

Posted by petersironwood in America, poetry

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Democracy, kaleidoscope, life, poem, poetry, USA

Kaleidoscope:

Recalling days before the “PONG” debut

I lay upon my grandpa’s carpet; yearned

Into Kaleidoscope of every hue.

The patterns shifted from my tiny turn.

A subtle re-arrangement of the glass.

Then—catastrophic move without a clue. 

And nothing of the former crystal mass

Remained. It shattered into something new.

The elegant and beautiful destroyed.

UNDO did not exist; no back-up file. 

A thousand strategies and plans deployed

Not one could recreate angelic style.

 

Experience taught me that another twist

Might sometimes bring a better jewel to view.

And all the while, the cardboard, mirror and stones

Remained. And no-one died in consequence

Of Pattern One or Pattern Two in view until

A bully smashed device entirely. 

Translucent stones spilled like blood.

The mirror in cutting shards upon the floor. 

The cardboard crushed. 

Naught of value yet 

Remained.

Photo by Regina Pivetta on Pexels.com

The bully, I am glad to say—he slashed

His hand upon the useless shattered mirror

The bleeding stopped but that white scar remained.

Remained.

Photo by Denniz Futalan on Pexels.com

Cancer Always Loses in the End

Roar, Ocean, Roar

Imagine all the People

Dance of Billions

How the Nightingale Learned to Sing

Essays on America: The Game

At Least he’s Our Monster

Stoned Soup

The Crows and Me

They Lost the Word for War

All That They Have Lost

Three Blind Mice

The Orange Man

Author Page on Amazon

Joy or Hate?

21 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by petersironwood in America, poetry

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Democracy, life, poem, poetry, politics, truth, USA

Swaying, braying, 

Faker-praying, 

Nasty to the bone.

He’s all alone. 

It’s sad. It’s bad. 

His twig was turned.

Daddy spurned. 

I grant it’s sad:

Just a lad;

Criminal dad.

(What will you tell your kids?)

Happened often down through time. 

Many turn themselves to crime.

Many never blessed with love

Meet each chance with slap and shove.  

It’s still a person’s moral choice;

How to use their given voice:

To love and soothe and sing.

Or grab some slime to sling.

Choose to show some class;

Or choose to grind up glass.

Love to build things up;

Or choose to shoot your pup.

To work by hauling ass, 

Or “work” by kissing ass.

(Which will you teach your kids?)

Not slightly different points of view.

Not this time. Red and Blue:

Teams you root for by tradition.

One of them is sick sedition.

Putrid smiles and opts for war. 

Rotten to his selfish core. 

(How will you tell your kids?)

History knows how Hitler died.

The selfish path’s not one to ride.

The cancerous growth of endless greed. 

A poison plague; a cruelty creed. 

It always leads at last to hell.

It never shows a winning bell.

(Who’s a model for your kids?)

(AI-generated image)

Spewing lies to foment rage

Builds instead a lethal cage.

The toll is always huge indeed: 

Farms and cities lost in weed.

Broken lives and busted heads.

Lice and fleas infest your beds.

(What will you tell your kids?)

Lives are lost and no-one gains.

Loves turn frost; broken brains. 

All so ‘Shroom can feel complete;

Putrid can avoid defeat.

Wealthy whiners wave their hands;

Hope the poor will be their fans.

Folks at last will see what’s true.

Wealthy whiners aren’t for you.

They want to play you like a Uke.

Even if it means they nuke

You to oblivion.

And play pretend accordion.

(Will you have a chance to tell your kids?)

Do not fall this fall for Fake.

Do not vote for Karrion Lake.

Do not vote for Traitor Trump

Demented man, born rich—a Grump.

The Kremlin’s chosen Cheerless Chump.

Everyone’s fault—except his own.

Seldom smiles; he’ll often moan.

Toddler’s soul in body grown.

(What do you tell your kids?)

If following fools is fine for you;

Think of what your kids must do. 

A model that is far from sane? 

A man so small—demented brain? 

A rapist and convicted felon—

A painted orange musky melon.

Mindless, heartless, spineless prat;

A seedless, heedless, autocrat. 

(Is he the model for your kids?)

————————————

Author Page on Amazon

The Orange Man

The Mango Mussolini

Essays on America: The Game

The Ailing King of Agitate

The Truth Train

Three Blind Mice

Stoned Soup

Donnie gets a Hamster

My Cousin Bobby

Where does your Loyalty Lie?

Absolute is not just a Vodka

Guernica

A Civil War there Never Was

The Crows and Me

Listen to my Siren Song

All that we have Lost

Cancer Always Loses in the End

The Loud Defense of Untenable Positions

The Declaration of Interdependence

The Joy

Roar, Ocean, Roar

Dance of Billions

Life Will Find a Way

How the Nightingale Learned to Sing

The Ant

14 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by petersironwood in America, apocalypse, poetry, satire

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Democracy, life, poem, poetry, politics, truth, USA

Photo by Egor Kamelev on Pexels.com

Consider if you will: Ubiquity of Ant

Except, ironically, for Antarctica, the Ant

Is nearly everywhere and feculant!

Not billions only, like their larger cousin “Ignorant.”

Twenty quadrillion strong; they’re teeny, giant, valiant.

Photo by u0413u043bu0435u0431 u041au043eu0440u043eu0432u043au043e on Pexels.com

They rush about so jubilant & radiant.

Communicants rely on signals redolant. 

Perhaps there’s no philosoph-ant named Kant. 

Or Einstein Ant, I freely grant. 

(AI created image)

But colony becomes a brain significant

That might outthink the Homo Sapiant.

Perhaps in years to come—the ape so flippant—

With greed outsized and flagrant?

No longer extant. Instead? All extinct-ophant. 

(AI generated image)

And yet I find myself incredulant

We’d toss away our freedom to a mendicant

A tyrant, gyrant, sycophant

A pig disguised as elephant—

A felon, cheat, assaulto-phant; 

A coward; Putin’s supplicant. 

(AI generated image)

I’d think instead we’d drop the orange deviant;

Forgo the hateful bully Cheeto-ant;

Remember we’re a nation immigrant.

Vote the party Kamalant—she’s both good and competant.

Author Page on Amazon

The Ailing King of Agitate

Essays on America: The Game

Absolute is not just a vodka

A Civil War there never was

Guernica

The Stopping Rule

What about the Butter Dish

The Broken Times

At Least He’s Our Monster

The Orange Man

Stoned Soup

Three Blind Mice

Where does your loyalty lie?

The Update Problem

Happy Talk Lies

Wednesday

Labelism

You Bet your Life

Roar, Ocean, Roar

Dance of Billions

That Very Special Species

07 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by petersironwood in America, nature, poetry

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

hope, poetry

The Ostrich is famous for it. 

And the trio of mythical monkeys. 

But here’s the thing: it’s people, people.

Photo by George Becker on Pexels.com

When ostriches see an enemy close at hand, 

They run or fight.

They don’t stick their head in the sand

(Or somewhere worse). 

When monkeys face danger,

They don’t cover their eyes and ears. 

Their senses find the way to fight for fears.

Stubborn as a mule, they say.

And, true enough, mules can be stubborn

When you try to steer them somewhere they don’t wish to go. 

Photo by Zeynep Sude Emek on Pexels.com

And, then, there are the storied buffalo stampeding 

And the legendary lemmings

Who hurtle off a cliff just because they can. 

But surely, people, people are surely the champs!

(At least when it comes to being chumps!)

Humans pride themselves, 

Indeed, Define themselves

As the smartest critter who ever lived

The wise, 

The sapient, 

The *Special*.

Humans write it into many religions:

“We are special!” 

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

Indeed, we are special. 

Capable of curing diseases. 

And intentionally spreading diseases. 

That’s special. 

Capable of finding other planets in the universe!

And trashing the one we know is habitable.

That’s special. 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Capable of building America

And trashing it for a poop bag of lies.

That’s special.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

This evening as we walked along the dark and foggy road,

Sadie-dog spotted a boy—about fourteen—

Riding a black bicycle, 

Wearing gray clothes, 

Fog gray, in fact.

No lights.

(AI-generated image. FYI, I specifically said, “no bike light”)

 

To me, this is foolishness. 

But only if, like me, you know: 

In general, people cooperate.

Photo by Rebecca Zaal on Pexels.com

If instead, you imagine most are out to “get you”

Then, you see your invisibility as an aid. 

How many sand traps (and worse) do we ostriches have our heads in?

How many cliffs do we have yet to go over?  

(AI generated image above)

These are some of the most destructive lies: 

(Sound familiar?)

The myth of the self-made man.
The myth that total competition to the death is what is natural. 

The related myth that most people are only out for themselves.

Photo by Stephen Andrews on Pexels.com

The sand is starting to sift.

The tilt begins to shift.

The night grows longer.

The fog grows stronger..

All it takes is to forestall to think. 

All it takes is an ill-timed blink.

Be the light.

————————

Author page on Amazon

The Dance of Billions

The Joy

Roar, Ocean, Roar

Guernica

Me Too!

My Cousin Bobby

The Update Problem

The Stopping Rule

Wednesday

Labelism

You Bet Your Life!

At Least he’s Our Monster.

The Orange Man

Come to the Light Side

The Self-Made Man

Cancer Always Loses in the End

Where does your loyalty lie?

The Mango Mussolini

30 Monday Sep 2024

Posted by petersironwood in America, poetry, politics

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

life, poem, poetry, politics, truth, USA

The Mango Musso knows a shorter cut!

Just pass it quickly on! Just pass it on! 

The Melon Felon knows a better way!

We need not trek and tote and slog along!

This longish path along the creek’s a pain!

Let’s head instead across the desert’s dunes!

It may look dry; and yet, it’s bound to rain!

He’ll tap his wand; transform to plum dessert!

We know it’s true! It can’t be lies! Oh, no!

Pass it on! He orchestrates the crowd!

He yells it very very very loud!

It must be therefore certainly true of course!

He acts so proud! He screams so loud of hate!

Inhale the toxic fumes of Agitate!

Cannot you see? The hate is clear as day!

He’s out to check and jail and then to slay!

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

And once the drecks, and whacks and nerds are dead,

We just must lie and kill for Master’s sake.

It’s what he said! You see? It’s what he said!

And therefore must be good and new and true!

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

It’s not my fault I lost my house!

It’s not my fault I lost my spouse!

It’s not my fault I broke my mouse!

It’s not my fault! I need to grouse!

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

It can’t be Greeds who stole my gold!

How could they ever be that cold!

It must be folks from other lands!

Who eat our pets; chew rubber bands!

We’ll let Putin end the strife!

He and Felon are such friends!

They’re oh so smart and never would lie!

And ours is not to question why!

They never have to futz with friends!

“There is no truth; there’s only bends!”

And all is well! He tells us so!

Until—-

Photo by j.mt_photography on Pexels.com

Putin points out that he’s ten inches longer

And naturally that makes him oh so much stronger.

Photo by VisionPic .net on Pexels.com

And then at long last all that money we wasted

On H-bombs—It won’t be wasted any longer!

No. Instead, we’ll all get lambasted!

We get to be cooked like a turkey is basted!

The taste of death is all we tasted!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The Melon Felon himself once said:

“What good are nukes if we can’t even use them?!

What good are people if I can’t make them dead?

Did I mention I have the world’s smartest head?”

No more migrants! No more pets!

No more people! Everything’s solved!

Civilization at last completely dissolved!

No more jets! No more bets!

(But who could blame you?

All you needed to draw 

Were five sequential spades

And you would have won that hand).

That little hand. Who plays a one man band!

He plays an accordion of the mind.

Makes promises just as solid as sand.

Don’t seek truth! You’ll never find!

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com

He wants to choke and each light dim

Who isn’t him or progeny.

He wears religious cloak

And wraps the flag around him.

Photo by Michael Willinger on Pexels.com

Orange you glad now you didn’t face 

The truth about His Felonious Grace?

Just swallow these lies and you will see

The painful end of all humanity!

Original drawing by Pierce Morgan

————

Where does your Loyalty Lie?

My Cousin Bobby

The Update Problem

What about the Butter Dish?

The Ailing King of Agitate

The Truth Train

The First Ring of Empathy

Plans for US; some GRUsome

The Stopping Rule

Try the Truth

The Dance of Billions

Roar, Ocean, Roar! 

The Three Blind Mice

Stoned Soup

A Profound and Utter Failure

Absolute is not just a Vodka

Author Page on Amazon

Sunday Sonnet: The Joy

29 Sunday Sep 2024

Posted by petersironwood in nature, poetry, psychology

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

life, poem, poetry, truth

I see a romping child, girl or boy;

A racing horse, a bunny hopping free.

In animals, it seems each move paints joy.

When leaves spin dancing—whirling ecstasy. 

My springs are shot, my body rusts, and yet—

My spirit soars with every leap and swirl. 

My heart and mind and soul do not forget

The joy of runs, of walks, of laughing twirl.

Photo by Christina K on Pexels.com

The life of any one of us will end

Yet all around us is the evidence.

The dance of life will ever weave and bend.

Embrace another’s joy? It’s common sense!

Our life’s too short to play it safe and coy

Or limit to your self, the taste of joy!  

————————

Roar, Ocean, Roar

The Dance of Billions

The Forest

Comes the Dawn

The Bubble People

Take a Glance; Join the Dance

Ambition

The Tree of Life

How the Nightingale Learned to Sing

Good Morning!

Ah Wilderness!

You Gave me no Fangs

Wristwatch

The Joy of Juggling

The Most Serious Work

Maybe it Needs a New Starter

Imagine all the People…

The Jewels of November

You Must Remember This

Piano

Author Page on Amazon

Not Long The Daze

27 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by petersironwood in nature, poetry

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

life, poem, poetry, truth

Alive among your many dazzling days.

Before you rush away toward whiz-bang flash,

Accept around you beauty’s bursting blaze.

Because your body’s bones will fall to ash;

Because you’ll have no need for brash and cash;

Consider well your days upon this earth;

Consider filling most with love and mirth.

Decide if you are desolate, alone;

Contrariwise, consider that your birth

Developed yet another side of known. 

—————

How the Nightingale Learned to Sing

Dance of Billions

Roar, Ocean, Roar

Life Will Find a Way

Guernica

There Never Was a Civil War

The Crows and Me

They Lost the Word for War

The Pandemic Anti-Academic

The Ship of State

Author Page on Amazon

Those Wild Blue Eyes

26 Thursday Sep 2024

Posted by petersironwood in nature, poetry, Walkabout Diaries

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

life, love, nature, photography, poem, poetry, walkabout

Since first I spied those wild blue eyes,

I found this world a happier place;

Saw gratitude and hope as wise; 

Stepped off the endless track of lies.

Since first I spied those wide blue eyes

No longer ran alone my race.

I dance in every day: surprise!

I found the world: A happy place.

———————

The Dance of Billions

Roar, Ocean, Roar

The Walkabout Diaries: Levels of Beauty

The Walkabout Diaries: Natural Variation

The Walkabout Diaries: Symphony

The Walkabout Diaries: Bee Wise

The Walkabout Diaries: A Now Rose is a New Rose

The Walkabout Diaries: How Beautiful and Green

The Walkabout Diaries: Life Will Find a Way

The Walkabout Diaries: Lest We Forget

The Walkabout Diaries: The Life of the Party

The Walkabout Diaries: Friends

The Walkabout Diaries: Sunset

The Walkabout Diaries: Mind Walk

The Walkabout Diaries: Racism is Absurd

The Walkabout Diaries: A Walk in the Park

The Jewels of November

The Forest

Author Page on Amazon

A Bearded Frog

25 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by petersironwood in America, poetry, satire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Democracy, poem, poetry, politics, truth, USA

Photo by Salih Altuntas on Pexels.com

It’s Jay and Dee and Gree-Viance,

He lies and spies; an ugly dance.

(Yet, only men are granted pants).

He leers and leans and haps to chance:

A Couch he sees and makes advance. 

Alas, the Couch rejects his lance.

He’s horrified! A furtive glance.

As someone groks his deviance. 

Around him, wafts weird, an ambiance— 

As though he cannot stand his stance.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

It’s not surprising, don’t you see?

He always backs His Trumpery.

The Mellon Felon—Treachery

Depends on JD’s flattery,

He never claims a strategy;

He cannot think coherently. 

In one born rich, some fluency

In English seems a certainty.

His speech rewards raw cruelty. 

His lies have trained credulity. 

Photo by Jose Lorenzo on Pexels.com

The pair now head for failing big. 

And one, at least, we’ll throw in brig.

The other branded as a prig. 

The judges bought by Donnie zig

And zag a willy-nilly jig. 

They’ll claim election fraud and shrig

Exploding blood beneath a wig.

A movie squib’s not hard to rig.

Yet nought can hide the vicious pig. 

A jail will host his final gig.

At end of day, his act is old.

A story sad & too much told. 

The bluster huckster plays at bold. 

Yet all our people can’t be sold

A plan of hate and blame and scold. 

The crooks will all scatter; the tents will all fold.

The joy guides our future instead of dead gold. 

Economy grows and when kindness takes hold.

The caring and comfort will now start to mold

Society working where no-one’s left cold. 

——————-

Tools of Thought

A Pattern Language for Collaboration and Cooperation

The Story of Story

The Walkabout Diaries

Donnie wants a hamster 

The Myths of the Veritas

Fifteen Properties

Author Page on Amazon

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