Poems of the Week

Black and Blue Origin

by Alex Steelsmith

“Jeff Bezos Face-Plants While Trying to Greet Fiancée After Blue Origin Flight…
Video footage shows Bezos [falling down while] running toward the craft containing Sanchez…”
Huffpost

Stumbledy-tumbledy,
Jeffrey P. Jorgensen
raced to the capsule and
planted his face.

Why was he rushing so
overexcitedly?
Jeffrey should know when a
woman needs space.

A Jab at Kennedy

by Thomas Germana

“[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] has said that the best way to prevent measles is to get vaccinated—but he has also
caused alarm among paediatricians, vaccine experts and lawmakers by promoting vitamin A and nutrition
as treatments for measles and questioning the safety testing of the MMR vaccine.”
The Guardian

A little jab is all it takes
To make diseases hit the brakes;
A shame there doesn’t seem to be
A shot to stop stupidity.

What a Waste

by Steven Kent

“Couple who ran Swedish eco-resort say 158 barrels of human waste left behind ‘very normal'”
The Guardian

We didn’t do
It wrong, okay?
We stored our poo
The normal way.

We fled because
A tax report
Made clear this was
Our last resort.

By the Numbers

by Chris O’Carroll

“#2 after Trump for assassination”
Elon Musk’s description of himself

Musk says that he is number two.
A claim few in the know pooh-pooh.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Fray

by Steven Urquhart Bell

“Fights over inheritance are rife—here’s how to bulletproof your will”
The Telegraph

Enjoy yourself before you die
And go and see the sights,
And use up all your money
So there can’t be any fights.

And tell your children if they curse
Or beg you on their knees,
“Just think how much I’m saving you
In costly lawyers’ fees.”

Tone Definitely

by Julia Griffin

I.M. Fannie Dressler

“Healing soup recipes, Part 2: Definitely not your grandma’s chicken soup!”
NPR

Not, not my grandma’s. She has gone
(A loss we never can recoup),
But still the legend lingers on
Of her incomparable soup.

How did she do it? We don’t know.
A chicken; onion; water; salt;
Alas! We never watched her, so
All this is guesswork. No one’s fault.

Mere memories must now suffice
Of broth to make King David sing,
And matzo balls of Paradise.
Whatever you are offering

Is not my grandma’s soup, it’s true:
I’m glad you made the most of it,
But honestly, I’m asking you—
Why ever would you boast of it?

Fertile Turtles

by Alex Steelsmith

“A pair of critically endangered, nearly 100-year-old Galapagos tortoises
at the Philadelphia Zoo have become first-time parents… [T]he zoo said it is
‘overjoyed’ at the arrivals of the four hatchlings, a first in its more than 150-year history.”
The Associated Press

Higgledy-goggledy,
jubilant zookeepers
gaze at the progeny,
deeply impressed;

ancient, precarious
testudinarious
ova and testes were
up to the test!

Misprision

by Clyde Always

“Female jogger reveals she open carries while working out—
and urges other women to run with a gun: ‘Protect yourself ladies’”
New York Post

Will someone please call the police?
I’ve been shot and the bleeding won’t cease.
To the chick with the gun
who was out on a run
I exclaimed: “What a nice little piece!”

This Ol’ Thing?

by Marshall Begel

“Billionaire televangelist slashes price on $14.6M Florida condo amid scrutiny over church wealth”
Fox7 Austin

Some think I live by lavish means
In service to the Lord,
But those who look behind the scenes
Find nothing untoward.

This Rolex watch you see me wear
Was purchased by mistake—
The jeweler, clearly unaware,
Assured me it was fake.

Armani suits are cut so tight,
My arms are always numb.
No moral man would think it right
To give it to a bum.

My condo’s just a place to stay
Till housing markets crumble.
So, now you see the wondrous way
The Savior keeps me humble!

Keeping It Light

by Alaina Hammond

I want to put the internet on mute
I want a moratorium on news
To spare myself the poison at its root
But most of all, Dear God, how I want booze!

It’s a Tariffic Plan, Man!

by Thomas Germana

“In a bizarre Hail Mary to convince MAGA supporters that tariffs are a good thing,
Fox News hosts and pundits flooded the network with claims that Trump’s tariffs
will turn men into real men again.”
Yahoo News

With tariffs, our men will be more
Red-blooded than ever before!
We’ll wreck our relations
With targeted nations,
But nothing’s as manly as war!

Creature Comfort

by Stephen Gold

“Cat or dog boosts wellbeing as much as wife or husband”
The Times

I must refuse your suit, Sir,
No wedding bells will clang.
There can be no dispute, Sir,
My heart belongs to Fang.

A stick, a ball, a run, Sir,
Long evenings by the fire,
A life of simple fun, Sir,
Are all that we desire.

Compare these days of bliss, Sir,
To decades spent with you.
When faced with that abyss, Sir,
Do I recoil? I do!

I think that we both know, Sir,
We’d meet a sorry end.
You cannot be my beau, Sir,
I’ll stick with man’s best friend.

Selective Bleeding

by Marshall Begel

“Far-Right Influencers Are Hosting a $10K-per-Person Matchmaking Weekend to Repopulate the Earth”
Wired

If you demand a countless brood
But dating leaves you daunted,
Come join our weekend interlude
Where excess wealth is flaunted!
We guarantee you will be screwed
(Though not the way you wanted).

Princely Circle

by Eddie Aderne

“Prince George’s Education in Limbo as Prince William and Kate Middleton Visit ‘Stuffy’ Eton College”
Scottish Daily Express

The Waleses are visiting Eton:
They’re frowning, their arms are akimbo;
Would Georgie get stuffy, or beaten?
Perhaps. So they’re looking at Limbo.

It’s awkward to find, I agree, as
No maps show it (even Carl Sagan’s),
But there he can learn from Aeneas,
And other Exceptional Pagans.

Don’t think he’ll just wiggle his belly:
That’s really a silly misnomer;
The place has no cell phones or telly,
Just unbaptized infants and Homer,

So students can focus: Lucrece is
The nearest he’ll see to a bimbo;
Don’t wait, then, until he deceases—
Send Bonnie Prince Georgie to Limbo!