"Oh, The Places You'll Go"

Congratulations Graduates!

"Oh, The Places You'll Go," is what I always give;

The perfect road map for how folks really live.

Gift it to Graduates...  Add my own rhyme.

Let them know how much we've valued the time

They've been in our home to visit our son;

Thank them for making our lives so much fun.

 As they head off to the places they'll go,

'lest they become someone we use to know,

We want to make it abundantly clear -

They'll always find there's a warm welcome here.

Good luck!

Olympia Snowe - 2016

I'd vote for Olympia Snowe.

Republicans suffered a blow

When she chose to quit;

Became sick of it.

Found change in the Senate too slow.

Recently, she wrote a book.

I bought it and then had a look.

She says it's on us

To cut through the fuss

And put government on the hook.

Her argument's fair and well-spoken.

But I think that Congress is broken.

They're not above board.

The people ignored.

The background check issue's awoken

A frustrated public who sees

That, not just a slow-down, but freeze

Is now underway

In Congress today...

Won't fix it by just saying "Please."

Lean In Ladies

A new feminist manifesto?

Lean In ladies, here's the scoop on Sheryl Sandberg's book;

It is worth your while to buy the thing and have a look.

Critics say, because she's rich, she doesn't understand

What it's like for women who don't make a hundred grand.

Maybe so, and yet the woman makes a valid point.

Doesn't help the cause to get our noses out of joint.

Sandberg says the problems - whether chicken or the egg -

Need to be examined.  She set off a powder keg.

Women do not like to ask for things; it makes us tense...

Too afraid that someone else might, somehow, take offense.

Trained to think of family first; career in second place,

Fear it's not polite to win and, therefore, throw the race.

Sandberg says that data show our fears are often right;

No-one likes a pushy broad in charge of oversight.

Thus, we do not take the risk to fight for equal pay.

Women choose the mommy track and start to fall away.

So she's launched Leanin.org; a platform on the web.

It's a place where Sandberg hopes we can reverse the ebb.

Yes, she's rich and lucky but let's give the girl a break.

I think that ignoring her would be a huge mistake.

Guns, by Stephen King

Available through Amazon.

Stephen King has written a new essay titled Guns.

Bought it on my Kindle so I didn't freeze my buns.

Only cost a little bit and all the proceeds go

To a fund for gun reform (which could mean lots of dough.)

I would read a laundry list if that's what Stephen wrote.

If he ran for office in a state where I could vote,

I would send him to the Senate; quite a sacrifice...

No new books and I've already read his old ones - twice.

One of them I read before he pulled the book from print,

(Didn't like the Bachman books; they never had a hint

Of the light that's at the core of things that Stephen writes.)

Didn't have  to pull the book; his 1st Amendment rights

Offered him protections which he limited himself.

Thinks it's time we take high-powered weapons off the shelf,

Universal background checks, keep bullet counts to 10,

Funding for our mental health but says that, even then,

We can't ever stop the boys determined to succeed.

Wonder if an age limit is something that we need?

Seems to me these murderers are young and angry men.

Something must be done before it all shakes out again.

Dr. Seussilitis - An Epidemic.

A must read.

Last night on The Daily Show, in Stewart's interview,

Calvin Trillin was the guest - I'd never had a clue.

'though I lack the skill he has, I'm very much relieved;

Now I know I'm not alone, as I had once believed.

I'd feared it was only me with Dr. Seussilitis

(Symptoms bear resemblance to a sort of brain colitis.

Mind will cramp and suddenly you're spewing out a rhyme.)

Recently discovered that it happens all the time.

Other people caught this bug and have it even worse.

Dogfight...2012... is filled with funny, clever verse.

Limericks by experts like Mad Kane and Dr. Goose -

They are like a Hershey's Kiss and Trillin's chocolate mousse.

I just used my Kindle.  Pressed a button; bought the book.

Now I have to go and have myself another look.

Good news is that - even though I know I read too fast -

Trillin's written lots of books.  May this not be his last.

Dear Paula Broadwell, et al. - Really?

Not cool Paula.  Not cool.

Women who lead married men into adultery

(Guys can be so stupid.  They'll succumb to flattery)

Knowing there's a wife at home but flirting anyway...

Why do they not stop and think of her before they stray?

Even smart, accomplished men fall victim to the ploy.

I think they can't help it. Deep inside they're still a boy

Ruled by the equipment dangling between their legs.

They revert to glory days - fraternities and kegs.

It's the "other woman" who I'll never understand.

Shouldn't she be smart enough to know a wedding band

Means the man is taken and, therefore, it's wrong to flirt?

In this type of situation, everyone  gets hurt.

How Did I Live Before My Kindle?

Photo credit/ mhpbooks.com

I've been buying Kindle Singles, thanks to Stephen King;
It's because I am a fan who hates to miss a thing.
In Tall Grass or in The Crowd or at Mile 81...
'though my  Kindle isn't pink, it's still a lot of fun.

They are inexpensive. You don't have to be well-heeled
To discover Hell's address is Tropicana Field.
I thought I'd read everything but, at the author's site,
I discovered my assumption simply wasn't right.

Turns out there are stories that I'd never heard about
Scattered here and there in magazines which, I don't doubt,
Sold some extra copies with their rights to Stephen's work.
Can't believe I thought I'd read it all.  I'm such a jerk.

Amazon could sell them - as a single or a bunch -
Sales would top 10 million or I'll eat my hat for lunch.
Nothing like a scary story right before you sleep...
Stephen King has lots of fans and Kindle's books are cheap.

Paul Krugman's New Book

 

If you've won a Nobel Prize, I think we can assume

You would be amongst the smartest people in the room.

Why, when Economics whiz Paul Krugman says that he

Knows a way for us to fix this bad economy,

(Krugman says we have to spend on infrastructure now.

Interest rates are zero and investing in the Dow

Hasn't helped the middle class who badly need some work.)

Doomed? Because Republicans think Krugman is a jerk?

Maybe he's abrasive, but the best Professors are...

And, with his credentials and his resume so far,

Shouldn't we all listen, maybe take a closer look?

I am on my way right now to buy his latest book.

In Which We Discover That Patience Is Not My Strongest Suit

Bought a book from Amazon; the latest Stephen King.
Waited, none too patiently, the mailman didn't bring
Us the book I'd purchased back at Christmas. Now I must
Go and buy another one...  You'll understand, I trust.

Think I'll buy the Kindle type, although it's $13 bucks.
Know the pictures aren't as good but that thing neatly tucks
Into any pocket and, for Stephen, that's quite rare.
Sure, you may have bought the book, but I just got a pair.

Not as crazy as it sounds. The first one is a gift.
Gave it to my sister so I'd have to wait my shift.
Patience, it's quite plain to see, is not my strongest suit.
Too late now to change my ways; an old and stubborn coot.

Thankfully, my ever loving husband, Mr. S.
Knows that fact about me and, apparently, cares less.
Oops, I have to go now... Won't be back until I'm done.
Mailman may be late, but Kindle's through downloading one.