The Boston Marathon Bombings' One Year Anniversary

Marathon survivor and Chelmsford native, Jeff Bauman, just released a new book.

 

Just a year since Boston was attacked - but it feels longer.

Terrorism didn't win...  It only made us stronger.

'though we saw the worst of man we, mostly, saw the best.

Cowardice of 2 young men made heroes of the rest.

Strangers rushed to render aid to victims of the blast;

I have never seen so many people move that fast.

We will always mourn the three who died that April day;

That's a sense of loss and grief that hasn't gone away.

Yet, how many more were saved by strangers from the crowd

Rushing in to help the wounded?  They made Boston proud.

Didn't hurt that local hospitals are world renowned;

Better care for trauma victims couldn't have been found.

On this anniversary I dedicate my rhyme

To those brave survivors; praying that they'll heal with time...

Knowing that - for them - a single year is not that long;

Hoping they will lean on us, 'cause we are Boston Strong.

The Russian Example - Watch Your Step Canada

Ukraine.  (Courtesy of/www.vox.com)

Ukraine is preparing for the Russians to invade,

Just like in Crimea - where they "intervened," then stayed.

Ethnic Russian speakers have invited Putin in

Which would start a war that the Ukrainians can't win.

Putin may decide it's worth the cost and go ahead.

There's already fighting in the streets, with people dead.

This provides the pretext that the Russians may yet use,

Having calculated that they don't have much to lose.

Well aware the West won't go to war to save Ukraine,

They're prepared to suffer future, economic pain.

I don't think they realize how bad that pain could get

But I know that sanctions haven't stopped the Russians yet.

Right now it's not money that they're thinking of - it's pride.

Tried to see the situation from the other side;

But, it's like we'd seized Toronto, threatened Montreal,

And planned to take Southern Canada before the Fall.

Obligations

 

April 15th's coming up - when taxes will be due -

So I don't have time to write a silly rhyme for you.

Hope you have an easy time with filling your forms out.

I, however, find myself about to swear and shout.

Dear Republican Women... Seriously?

GOP insists that Democrats are playing games;

Want to make Republicans the ones a woman blames

When she can't get equal pay for doing equal work.

Say it's just a ploy to leave them looking like a jerk.

They weren't gonna fall for that they said, and voted no.

They don't have to worry though, 'cause I already know

I would rather punch myself about the head and face

Then vote for Republicans in an upcoming race.

I am also sick of games that politicians play,

But it's not a game when we are talking equal pay.

Fairness in the workplace keeps the country growing strong.

GOP's position is insulting and it's wrong.

A Harsh Master of the Game

Don't know why New England fans are mad at Brandon Spikes.

I would guess that anyone Bill Belichick dislikes

Wouldn't find it easy to be playing football here.

Brandon made a joke on Twitter now he's naught to fear.

"4 years as a slave," he tweeted, yesterday, with glee.

Brandon left us for the Bills.  He says he's finally free.

Patriots don't like it when their players take a poke.

(Belichick benched Welker for his Ryan fetish joke.)

Bill is not all "warm and friendly..."  Not a "people guy."

But that isn't why New England loves him.  I won't lie;

He would scare me half to death and part way to the grave.

Still, I wouldn't call 3 million bucks a year a slave.

At The Miriam

(Photo of Miriam Hospital courtesy of Brown.edu)

Hospitals are not the place you want to spend your day,

Even if it's raining and the sky is dark and gray,

Even when the doctor's skilled and all the staff is kind,

Somewhere else you'd rather be would not be hard to find.

That's if you're the patient who is having surgery...

When you love that person, there is no place else to be.

So, if I should miss a rhyme, I hope you'll understand

Sometimes things do not turn out exactly as we planned.

'though I hope to get around to posting 30 rhymes,

Be aware - you may observe a gap or two, at times.

And, if you are sitting in a hospital somewhere,

You have all my sympathy.  I've offered up a prayer.

Malaysian Airlines MH370 - Progress?

Chinese "ping detector."

After weeks of searching and not finding anything,

2 teams looking for the missing aircraft heard a ping.

Chinese took a microphone, attached it to a stick,

Stuck it in the water, hoping that would do the trick.

They think they heard something at the proper frequency

For the black box of a plane that has been lost at sea.

Experts don't know what it is the Chinese may have heard;

Could have been a pod of whales, a migratory bird,

Could have been an echo from a distant shipping lane,

But they doubt the Chinese ping is coming from the plane.

Further south, about 300 miles, another ship

(This one, the Australians') has also heard a blip.

It is towing special sensors, built for hearing pings.

I'm afraid the Chinese sailors just imagined things.

Even if Australia's on to something and they find

Wreckage from the aircraft, it will not bring peace of mind.

Data may show how and where the plane fell from the sky

But it isn't likely that it's gonna tell us why.

That's a secret someone's taken with them to the grave;

Burying the answers underneath the bounding wave.

U.S. Navy "ping detector" being towed by Australia's Ocean Shield.