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Monday, May 24, 2021

Dolphins, Politics and Baseball

 
—Poetry by Caschwa (Carl Schwartz), Michael Ceraolo, 
Joseph Nolan
—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of Joseph Nolan and Medusa



TWISTED ORIGINS
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA

this did not start out
at all as any kind of
poem, it began as a
visceral response to
some rotten political
commentary

turned down the heat,
put the lid on the pot,
and brought out my own
favorite seasonings;
those for-profit endeavors
can keep their biased
menus, we’ve got all that
we might desire right here

damn those ballots, anyway!!

they should put our write-in
options at the top and much
further down list the $$$$$
candidates favored by those
high-roller special interests

we need full disclosure of
exactly which candidates
have the backing of major
suppliers of pharmaceutical,
military, agricultural, and any
other “must-have” products
that gobble up public tax
dollars for private research
and development

if the public pays the bill, WE
should own the patent rights

okay, ready to place our order
now, we’ll have your Daily
Special: rarified air and
purified water, hold the
propaganda
 
 
 

 
 
BIPARTISAN
—Caschwa

We the embattled People of the
50 United States immerse the term
“bipartisan” in patriotic colors and
lavish adjectives, but neither party
is willing to commit to signing a deal
with the devil

we have been at war for forever and
a day, and many see the federal
government as an abusive parent in
a dysfunctional family, not at all the
consummate symbol of the very unity
that is highly touted as our strength

so if, hypothetically, Moscow Mitch
and Sleepy Joe were to reach a
“bipartisan” agreement, their
momentary handshake, alone, would
not represent any kind of lasting truce

there has been a whole lot of spin
about conspiracy theories, naming
a wide range of villains from hostile
foreign nations to our own, elected
office holders. Best not to sweep any
of those theories into the trash before
all is said and done.
 
 
 

 

FAST DANCE
—Caschwa

Uncle Sam’s Super Rich
own most of the land
we’re all the bitch

manual keyboard
built own skateboard
gaze up at scoreboard

prized Civil War sword
is well hidden and stored
but still pointed toward

slaves who were floored
and there’s guns, large-bored
which all strike a chord

can’t cut the cord
the rich need funds to hoard
says chairman of the board

we owe the drug lord
who’s also the landlord
and acts like a war lord

part of war we can’t afford
losing kin that we adored
just because some folks are bored 
 
 
 

 
 
NEWS CYCLE
—Caschwa

dusk was busy cloaking the courthouse;
important judgements had been rendered,
all were expected verdicts that didn’t turn
any heads, while a number of other crucial
matters were still pending, left on the table
till the court would reconvene the next day

out on the sidewalk, a hot dog vender was
just wrapping up for the night when he was
approached by a news crew, hungry for
another story. The vender, of course, had
nothing of substance to disclose in an
interview, but they persisted, so he spoke

“If you want to really, really enjoy your
hot dog, you HAVE to use the spicy mustard;
relish and onions, that’s up to you, but by all
means, don’t forget to ask for the spicy!”

the news crew then questioned the vendor
about his opinion of the verdicts that had
come down that day, so he composed himself
to speak again, took a deep breath, and said,

“If you want to really, really enjoy your hot dog…”

the news crew thanked the vender for his time
and signed off for the night.

“Don’t forget to ask for the spicy!”
 
 
 

 
 
THREE POEMS FROM DUGOUT ANTHOLOGY,
(A Poetry Series by Michael Ceraolo, S. Euclid, OH)

             Arky Vaughn

When Durocher claimed to be misquoted,      

he was usually lying:           

he had been quoted accurately but denied it                      

because he was not a stand-up guy
When he did that to Newsom in ‘43
I refused to play for him anymore              

and told him where he could stick the uniform
When only one other player backed me,
I backed down and finished out the season                

because I did have a contract
Then I sat out the next three seasons,               

returning only when Durocher was suspended            

for a full season by the Commissioner


              Dixie Walker

I was wrong to threaten to strike over Jackie,              

because it’s wrong to deny anybody a position               

on any grounds other than lack of ability,              

and because that allowed Rickey and Durocher                 

to reclaim the high road
They can say they got rid of me after the season               

because of my role in the threatened strike,                  

but I’ll always believe they got rid of me               

because I supported Arky Vaughn,              

and they didn’t dare get rid of me then                 

because I was too popular with the fans

         
              Neil Churchill

I would gamble on anything
Among my best gambles:
I gambled that an integrated team
would get along no worse than a non-integrated one
I gambled that an integrated team
would be of championship caliber
I gambled fans would support an integrated team
And I did it in Bismarck in the mid-1930s,
and won all those gambles
 
 
 

 

BACK TO BABYLON
—Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA

Small, we are,
Upon the Earth;
Spent in search
Of meaning,
Worn in search
Of worth.

Babylon,
In ancient times
Made the subject
Of songs and rhymes,
Has long-since passed away.

Theater, now, of oil-war,
Blood and carnage,
What we came for:
The power of our times.

How can we make sense
Of things that never change?
In every generation,
Derange, we,
Other nations.
 
 
 

 
 
NURSING LIFE IN SWEETNESS!
—Joseph Nolan

Morning augurs
Milk-dripping breasts
Stuffed into
Fat, pumping cheeks
Of babies
Born of lust
And fine degrees of pleasure,
Full of screams.

Coffee on the table,
Bread and scones with butter,
Scrambled eggs and honey dripping,
Ah!
We are all still
Babies, after all,
Nursing life in sweetness!
 
 
 

 
 
CHOICE OF FATE
—Joseph Nolan

The world is full of many things,
But I must just choose one,
With which to build my castle,
With which to feel the sun.

One river
Running past my town,
One bride,
One wedding gown,
One church,
One priest,
One pew,

One life-long,
Living daydream,
Pretty palate,
Brilliant colors,
One sunset,
Going down.

Thus to be rewarded
For faith and constancy,
With one place dug to lay my bones
One stone to bear my legacy,
“Behold, all is naught,
All comings and goings,
All losing and owning,
Though happy your life
And free!”

_____________________

Today’s LittleNip:


INFORMATION TOO RICH
—Caschwa

has anybody seen my brain?
I can’t explain
fogginess swells
while I lose cells

some memories are etched in stone
they are my own
recollections
no directions

I don’t use new area codes
they’re overloads
doesn’t take much
to lose my touch

___________________

Our thanks to today’s contributors as we float toward summer—time for the seashore! Hence the dolphins.

Tonight (5/24), 7:30pm, Sac. Poetry Center’s Socially Distant Verse features Joe Cottonwood, Vincent Kobelt online, plus open mic. Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/. Facebook info: www.facebook.com/events/457791878621400?acontext={"event_action_history"%3A[{"surface"%3A"page"}]}

This Thurs. (5/27), 7:30pm, Sac. Poetry Alliance presents Native American Poetry: Traditional and Contemporary Visions and Themes, an online Literary Lecture by Lucille Lang Day. Host: Frank Dixon Graham. Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/. Facebook info: www.facebook.com/events/965954774208166/?acontext{"source"%3A"29"%2C"ref_notif_type"%3A"event_aggregate"%2C"action_history"%3A"null"}&notif_id=1621861694283862&notif_t=event_aggregate&ref=notif

___________________

—Medusa
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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By the sea, by the sea...