by Julia Griffin

“Daniel Bain loves exploring Barcelona, but one sight has left a lasting impression—a sturdy oak that pops up in the middle of a staircase. ‘I like to think that this tree sat down on these stairs to create a piece of shade for the future and stayed,’ he says.”
—The Guardian

A tree sat down upon a stair:
A sturdy oak. The place was bare,
But firm and flat; the sort that suits
A plant prepared to rest its roots.
From six steps up, this oak surveyed
The future, with its need for shade,
Felt touched, and settled, even though
It could not laterally grow.
In times of baseness and disease,
Let’s celebrate this best of trees,
Extending deftly, deep and high,
From Barcelona to the sky:
A refuge when the mind despairs;
An earthly heaven-tree of stairs.

by Nina Parmenter

After months of encouraging people to eat out, use public transport, go to the gym, return to offices, and send their children to school (or face a fine), UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that any future lockdown would be the fault of the public.

You, who downed a pint or five
to keep your favourite pub alive,
You, who rushed to KFC
to buy a bucket made for three
with coleslaw, like we told you to…
This is on you.

You, who packed the trains to flock
to some superfluous office block
and keep the city fatcats fed,
You, who joined a gym to shed
the blubber, like we told you to…
This is on you.

You, who sent your kids to schools—
a promised land for germs, you fools—
and all to dodge our little fines!
And you, who went and stood in lines
for testing, like we told you to…
This is on you.

by Julia Griffin

“I want you to use my words against me. If there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said let’s let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination.”
(Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), February 2016)
—The Hill

“When elections are looming, to cram
The judiciary hurts Uncle Sam;
Should a POTUS incline
To re-stock the top Nine,
I’d condemn him at once as a sham;

“And I want you,” said Senator Graham,
“To deploy my own words like a ram
If I ever confirm
A last-year-of-first-term
Supreme Court nominee.” So I am.

by Coleman Glenn

“Scientists discovered phosphine gas, a sign of life, on Venus.”
—Vox

There was a Venutian on Venus
Who shouted, “Oh no, now they’ve seen us!
Just wait—if I know ’em,
They’ll soon write a poem
Whose last word will not be ‘phosphinous.'”

by Chris O’Carroll

“Trump alleges ‘left-wing indoctrination’ in schools,
says he will create national commission to push more
‘pro-American’ history”
—The Washington Post

Teaching U.S. imperfection?
That amounts to insurrection!
History’s a celebration
Of our freedom-loving nation.
We regard with indignation
Teachers who spread information
From before Emancipation—
Mark them for elimination.
Patriotic education
Gives correct indoctrination.

by Julia Griffin

“Since late July, sailors have reported several encounters with orcas in the Straits of Gibraltar
that tipped one boat sideways and spun others in circles, leaving them rudderless.
There is some speculation that these attacks seemed orchestrated…”
—The Hill

The water round Gibraltar
Tumultuously shudders:
The boldest bosuns falter,
Divested of their rudders.

The sailors’ cries are raucous:
They’re feeling quite ill-fated;
Such awkwardness from orcas
Is surely orchestrated.

by Jerome Betts

“Why on earth is Boris Johnson illegally revoking
the EU withdrawal treaty which he himself
so enthusiastically signed, claiming it gave Britain
an ‘oven-ready’ Brexit?”
—The Guardian: This Is Europe

So just what did they put in the oven,
Cummings, Johnson, the ERG coven?
He smiled as he signed on the line
And observed it was all jolly fine
But now claims that the outlook is murky
And the thing was the wrong kind of turkey.

by James Hamby

“Trump ad asks people to support the troops. But it uses a picture of Russian jets.”
—Politico

Trump didn’t note the Russian jets
Before the ad was sent.
How gauche supporting Putin’s troops!
(Unless that’s what he meant.)

by Dan Campion

“You’ll develop, you’ll develop herd—like a herd mentality.
It’s going to be, it’s going to be herd-developed, and that’s going to happen.”
—The President of the United States, discussing resistance to Covid-19

Herd mentalities are sweeter, far,
Than herd immunities.
I, President, your guiding star,
Crowned czar of dread disease,

Foretell the future of your herd
(Beware! Sour tongues deceive):
You’ll mind like sheep. I give my word.
Hail, hear me, and believe!

by Michael Calvert

“Thick wildfire smoke blocks sun, turns Bay Area sky orange”
—SFGATE

Already I am staying in,
Already got a mask—
How nice, for the apocalypse
That I can multitask!

by Bruce Bennett

Said Trump to Cohen: “Make that go.
Give ’em the cash, but let ’em know
there’ll be no blabbing! Make it clear
that we can make them disappear.”

Said Trump to Woodward: “Sure I knew
Covid’s more deadly than the flu.
But let that come as a surprise.
They won’t freak out, and stocks will rise.”

Said Trump to Putin…? None can say.
They both have made that go away
since both know how to make things go.

It’s likely we will never know.

by Jane Blanchard

“Dorothy Parker’s Ashes Are Returned to New York”
—The New York Times

Let’s drink to this Algonquin wit
Back in New York for good,
Thanks to the fans who’ve done for her
The very best they could.

More than five decades past her death
The Times again explains,
She failed to make her wishes known
Regarding her remains.

Six years her ashes stayed inside
The crematorium;
A lawyer’s cabinet then kept
Them twice that long plus some.

The same were brought to Baltimore
And set respectfully
On property belonging to
The NAACP.

Henceforth, she’ll rest with relatives,
Say those she never met:
It seems a place in Woodlawn is
As good as she can get.

by Chris O’Carroll

“We’re going to be appointing very pro-crime judges.”
—Donald Trump

Once I get bounced from the White House,
I hope not to do prison time,
So my judicial appointments
Will be, like me, very pro-crime.

by Phil Huffy

“Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham Estate Opens for Drive-In Movies”
—Variety

Having no shortage of manors,
Her Majesty’s glad to invite
those living near Sandringham Castle
to drive in on Saturday night.

With grounds both capacious and verdant,
there’s plenty of room out in back
for folks to relax in their Rovers
with kids and a drink and a snack.

Some find this offer distasteful —
well-meant but quite frankly off base.
The Queen, of course, won’t be presiding,
and seldom sets foot in the place.

As to the price of admission,
the charges are said to be fair,
assuring the Crown’s compensated
and has few expenses to bear.

by Jerome Betts

“In response to a question in parliament about the legality
of changing the treaty, Mr Lewis, Northern Ireland
secretary, replied: Yes, this does break international law
in a specific and limited way.”
—The Financial Times

Citizens, go when the light isn’t green,
Write a big cheque when you haven’t a bean,
Promise prompt payment of tax to the state,
Knowing it’s certain to be very late,
Now it’s confirmed that such things are OK
In a specific and limited way.