There was a time where I loved to read, couldn’t put a book down, something I truly regret that I don’t do much of anymore, at least not of novels to transport, though I still do read voraciously when it comes to trying to stay informed in this real world (but maybe back to transporting type novels might be more in order as the staying informed in this real world just tends to really piss me off and make the blood pressure spike which is not recommended at my age with an old man tiny little daily pill now as proof) or reading of old friends and new found ones and their blogs, or of baseball and my Buccos when in season though that has fallen off this year, sadly by a lot, and for many very specific Rob Manfred reasons, but that is the topic of another post, and another thing to make the blood pressure spike that I just don’t need … I mentioned at my age and old man tiny little daily pills right?

But I discovered early on, after a short stint of YA sports books, exclusively baseball related but which got rather repetitive and dull after a while, that I was to settle in, instead, on what would become lifelong wheelhouse stuff for me, fantasy and sci-fi.

I couldn’t get enough of the Asimov’s, and the Heinleins, the Herbert’s, the Clarke’s, the Niven and Pournelle’s together or alone, the Terry Brook’s and Shea Olmsford’s Shanarra days, the Mary Stewart’s and her Merlin and King Arthur tales (some that I even read once in England while sitting on the lawn of an old Norman castle for added effect) and eventually the Gene Wolfe’s, man, the Gene Wolfe’s and the Book Of the New Sun of Severian the Torturer for one, or any of Wolfe’s other disquieting and always slightly askew stories that left you feeling, well, just that, slightly askew, and marvel at how they could all build worlds so immense and dense in detail and yet also so intricate and fragile, sometimes even light, though, more often than not, dire and harrowing but always just flat out glorious and the sleepless nights that would ensue just waiting for return after being forced to put whatever new world I was in now on hold, at Mom’s insistence, on a nightstand, wondering if all involved in the pages knew that I had put them on pause, in a time out though not for any face in a corner reason, small, no bigger than a novel font, underneath some kids’ lamp after that Mom’s insistence turned to Momly threats, usually of the “alright Stephen, but you still gotta get up in the morning and I don’t wanna hear about your tired if so” type.

The Neil Gaimen’s would come too and of course there was the early discovery of Hitchhiking through the galaxy with Douglas Adams and Arthur and Ford and finding out just how important a simple towel and off beat Monty Python-esque silly English humor really could be.

And then there were the movies, a lot of really bad ones as I look back at them now, “The Man From Atlantis”, the first one, a TV one, with Patrick Duffy was possibly the greatest movie I had ever seen back then when I was 13, holy cow I thought, he can breathe underwater! And he has superpowers and webbed feet and hands! something I watched again years later and probably shouldn’t have, I really shouldn’t have. Sometimes it’s best just to let your grand memories remember and live on their own, in their own time … otherwise you just open yourself up to disappointment. Ya don’t need that right? No, “The Man From Atlantis” was the greatest movie ever. Period.

Then, in the same year, came that little thing called Star Wars where I was the envy of every kid in school as I had seen it first on Cape Cod on a family vacation. For one week before it came to town at home I was a kid god.

And it was, of course, a revelation, no sci-fi anything had ever looked like this, had told such a story as far as I knew, a one so engrossing and visually mind blowing. I was sold now on the movies showing me my favorite of sci-fi and fantasy things in moving pictures, real, forever hooked.

//////////////////////////////////////////

I went to the movies tonight for the first time in 13 or so years. The last being, I think, when Maria and I and the JG, back in the when we were a now, saw Toy Story 3, JG making a point of punching both of us in our arms when we were brought to tears.

It was Guardians of the Galaxy 3, a triumphant conclusion to a set of films that I had already held dear, just the first two installments, but hold even more dearly now.

I went in with intent to the Regal at the Poughkeepsie Galleria, and walked some length of the Mall from my always Mall parking lot parking spot from whenever I did go there, by rote, so many years ago, for a Maria visit at her store, and past her old store, forgetting that I was on the wrong end of the Mall for the theatres.

It was a bit of a hike. I forgot how Malls can be so long. I broke out my inhaler.

It was just a little kiosk now, the theater, menu, tap tap, menu, tap tap, in front of empty windows, almost mocking them, where there used to be human beings to buy your ticket from, with quick excited casual conversations, as you bought that ticket, of the wanting to see whatever you so were looking forward to followed with spoilerless “you’ll enjoy this one … seen it three times now” from former human beings at was now just that kiosk.

This was new navigating for me, kind of cold, but well, with big popcorn and a waaay too large a soda in hand that you know you shouldn’t order as their will be, in your old, at least one pee break, but hopefully at a point in the movie where you won’t miss too much, I made my way in.

//////////////////////////////////////////

After a back in the when we were a now with Maria and the JG and were now just a were I moved out into my own apartment, a wonderful little place in upstate Hyde Park, NY with the best of neighbors who always kept an eye for me, something I will forever be thankful of as I am often not all that good at doing it for myself.

There was a weekend where I thought the JG (Jagger) might like to come visit and watch a movie with me and just hang for a bit, I would be an awful cook in my promise of dinner and maybe he and I could just watch this flick called “The Guardians of the Galaxy” that I had heard about but knew nothing of.

I was transfixed, we were transfixed, we were transported, it was my everything space adventure, and an unexpected one at that making it even more special and engaging and was reminded of how the best of adventures, in books or TV movies or even full blown Hollywood productions of any type always have you playing the lead in your head or in your dreams on a nightstand until tomorrow.

I watched it three more times after getting Jagger back home and before the weekend was done.

//////////////////////////////////////////

I figger’d the personless kiosk, and after some tap taps it spat out a ticket and I made my way into the stadium seating which sounds like a whatever something until you realize and remember that it is more than a something, it’s just really cool, almost like a captain’s chair (a good chair to be in if this were a space adventure) and you don’t need to worry of that one really tall guy with the really big head wearing a hat who would, of course, always be sitting right in front of you.

I settled in with that too large a soda and that too large a popcorn in a too large a bucket taking up it’s own seat like it was my date …

//////////////////////////////////////////

No spoilers, but Rocket? You are probably one of the greatest characters I have ever had the pleasure (or pain now) of sharing my time with.

When you’re trying to write something new but ya got nothin’ but bad poetry you think to other avenues, maybe compile some of your parodies from the last couple of years into one post as a distraction, something you wanted to do anyway.

The bad poetry can wait, It’ll always wait.

(to Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up”)

Mock it Up

Jim Jordan feels import

Says this is of utmost

Importance of a sort

He gets to what is his real sport

Saying gov is weapon sent

While he’s Jim sweaty bent

Fig’ring new distractions

Nothing else matters

—

Mock it up

Even though we don’t need it

Fog it up

Distractions we feel it

—

Says gov weaponized

But not in the right right light

If you’re gonna weaponize

We want it with a left left prize

So we can order lives

Get “others” all in line

—

Mock it up

We’ll fake it and sell it

Fluff it up

Distractions fall for it

—

Hey!

—

Jims been a bad girl

Livin’ in his Trumpy world

Does what he can

To make truth go in a whirl

Living Trump bat ass unhinged

This’ll truly make ya cringe

Sycophant I’ll call you sir

Run through border walls I’m yours

—

Mock it up

We work in post truth now

Muddy up

Jim Congress waste time now

—

Now in a passion show

Start demanding DA’s show

Papers bout the real blow

To great leader you should know

We’ll keep him above the law

Not right to hold him account

He came to us from down the mount

We’ll make sure law for him don’t count

—

Mock it up

We work in post truth now

Fog it up

Jim Congress waste time now

—

Mock it up

There’s only our truth now

Muddy up

Making point to waste time now

—

Mock it up

We will make up the rules now

Fuck it up

G O P new false truth now

—

New post truth now

Different set of rules now

New post truth now

—

Call ourselves Ruth now

Hit homer for Trump now

Clear bases of truth now

—

Prayer call the lord and how

Charlatans gather up now

Cause god is Trumps cow

—

Call for pro-tests here and now

Insurrection again now 

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to the Green Acres theme song)

Greene Crackers Part II

Greene Crackers has more thoughts you see

Though that leads to scary possibilities

Now she wants red states simply to secede

With no thinking who it is that pays for all their needs

—

Margie Greene crackers howls ironical  

How libs are fascist devils taking us to hell

They try to be inclusive but their woke’s a death knell

To her Christ white oppression in her genuine fascist spell

—

Crackpots

Libs fought

Despots

Libs shot

—

Autocracy’s wife

Marge fascist right

Greene Crackers she wants there  

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to the Mighty Mouse theme song)

Danger Ron (Mighty Mouse DeSantis Theme Song)

Mr Crow he never hangs around

When he hears this frightnin’ sound

“Here I come to save white day”

That means that Danger Ron is on the way

—

Yes, when histry’s taught not solely white     

Danger Ron will pick a fight

Say no classroom legit’macy

Of lessers having part of history

—

It’s a clear and present danger

To the ex-ceptional

Rewrite he will instead to fit right’s call

Right’s call, truth’s fall, white’s tall, patriots

—

Free thought’s only his to decide

To all others he will deride

Thoughts of inclusivity

Danger Ron’ll even ban diversity

—

(break)

—

He just flies in now to save us all

From real truth that can’t stand tall

Against Danger Ron’s fascist tries

He’ll sure cut the lessers down to size

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to the Talking Heads version of “Take Me To The River”)

Take It To The SCOTUS

We don’t know why you livin’ like ya do

G O P can – help you un-blue

We stole two seats now to leave you bereft

Of any hope of what – fair was left

And we wanna know – and we’ll – tell you

Progress stops right here

 —

We’ll take it to the SCOTUS

A court beholden to us

We’ll take it all to SCOTUS

Partis’n arm we made thus

To lead it around

Backwards where we’ll be found

 —

The extremists are not on the left

That’s just cry rally we’ve always kept

No radical court – it’ s square to the right

They hem and haw but it’s in plain sight

Want you to know, can’t you – see how

We lead them by the haaaaand

 —

Take it to the SCOTUS

A court beholden to us

We’ll take it all to SCOTUS

Partis’n arm we made thus

To drag your rights down

Backwards where we’ll be ….

 — 

Crosshairs, dazed stares, we don’t care, what you want here

Till we can’t,

Till we can’t,

Hold our glee at

Our own court’s red de-crees now

 —

It’s a court beholden to us

We’ll take it all to SCOTUS

Partis’n arm we made thus

To lead it around

Backwards where we’ll be found

—

break

—

We don’t know why you’re stewing like ya do

Bout all the rights – next in the queue

To be struck down now  – with radical hand

Voting women equal they don’t stand a chance

 —

Want you to know now

That your rights now

Are up to Uuuuusssss

—

We’ll take it to the SCOTUS

A court beholden to us

We’ll take it all to SCOTUS

Partis’n arm we made thus

To lead it around

Backwards where we’ll be found

—

We’ll take it, we’ll take it, we’ll take it to the SCOTUS

They’re all ours now and we’re gonna have them show us

We’ll take it, we’ll take it, we’ll take it to the SCOTUS

You’re gonna regret that you didn’t vote for us

We’ll take it, we’ll take it, we’ll take it to the SCOTUS

We own them now and they’re gonna send us backwards fast

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to an instrumental I didn’t know that I discovered from our Prod site – a one I really like as it took the most work)

Tyranny Theatre

Are we viewing a sur-real horror

Or just watching angry parody  

Only funny in horrific ways

Tickets bought a play called tyranny

Our seats quick-sand of ignorance  

Till lifelines thrown early history   

But still grasp false reality

—

Theatre  

—

---

Now don’t bother me now, Mom I’m only dancing

In the aisles I’m prancin’

But not in gay way I’m singin’

Bout what end days are bringin’

Performance art playing out at schoolboards

Angry small minds at chalkboards

Who chalk up hate in loud chords

—

We sing of Devil’s discord

Threatens normal we should afford  

Only to those who live accord

Cause if you can’t you’re not on board

That train rolling over those told to

To straighten up and fly right

And only to the right, right

No other way to fly right?

Right?   

—

It’s time now to get on page

To help us harken back to better days

Where men were men and women knew their place

And where the lessers really had no face

And history didn’t happen as they say

No it was wondrous patriotic way

And the whitey’s always saved the day

With better of country their only play

—

“Hey now, that sounds like Jazz …  we don’t do jazz here … there’ll be no jazz … though, we could appropriate it … whattya think Cletus, we could appropriate it right? It’s an idea … and hey, whoa, hold on, that sounds almost a little funky … we don’t do funk here … there’ll be no funk here …  though we could appropriate this too and probably even dance to it with wide lapels and wider pant legs in an embarrassing way and pay lip service to the lesser players … and don’t even go there on blues if that’s next by the way … though we could appropriate that too  … but you know what? we got country, good ol’ American country is ours … top Lee Greenwood and Charlie Pride and Toby Keith if you can… hey, why you laughin’?”

—

We know now, we know the only right right

We’ll push till you surrender fight  

Tyranny now in plain sight

Though we’re too dumb to see plight

Instead looking at it as insight

To future where we new white

Will own again some of you then

Own all your rights superior

Restrict your vote and then some 

Or change votes depending on outcome

Sham democracy gets its run

Till realize too your rights are gone

Tyrants don’t care of your song

Tyranny theatre ticket bought

Backstage phone it sounds now

ring ring

Hello, it’s me great leader

Right? 

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to “High Hopes” from Frank)

Woke Hopes (little dictator song)

Next time you’re told

To be woke isn’t bold

By a Ronnie who scolds

Know he just trolls  

—

Just what makes little dictator rant

About some things that he says ya just can’t

Eyes open to inclusion now

A weakness you can’t allow

—

But we’ve got woke hopes

We’ve got woke hopes

Hopes not turning blind eye to the “other” folks

But when you need a bigot’s screed

To tell you what truth’s to heed

Just remember his rant

Ohhhhh …

Ooops, there goes another Ronnie slam

How being hu-man is just another scam

Ooops, there goes the truth a now also ran

—

Ronnie now calls

To his herd of mind smalls

That they must all stand tall  

Or think to brawls

—

Now Ronnie says CRT is just crap

Doesn’t fit his supremacist rap

His white kin they were ex-cep-tional

Racism don’t even track

—

Cause he’s denier of truth

With slaves country didn’t build roof

And if you say otherwise

Laws he’ll pass making rights go poof  

—

So anytime you hear Ron speak

Know his white’s been tweaked

And he just won’t couch for that

Ohhhhh …

Ooops, there goes some more to demonize

Inclusive compassion that’s a bunch a lies

Ooops, here goes some hate to try on for size    

(break)

Ron threatens anyone who don’t agree

With his hist’ry tree

Don’t be of them and not we

Ohhhhh …

Ooops, there goes another truth to turn

Ooops, there goes another book to burn  

Ooops, there goes democracy to be spurned

Mm Mm

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to the Mamas and the Poppas “California Dreamin'”)

Autocratic Dreamin’

Democracy’s in straits (Democracy’s in straits)

Getting dire by the day (dire by the day)

New Reich says it’s ok (practically they say)

To let it fade away (let it fade away)

Embracing a big lie’s how (embracing a big lie)

Help usher in a new way (usher in a new way)

—

Autocratic dreamin’ (autocratic dreamin’)

On such a darkened day

—

They stepped off of the ledge

All willing still offer pledge

Into abyss of endless lies (and lustful power cries)

They almost seem to pray (almost seem to pray)

To a god of broken things now (god of broken things now)

Broken with real bad intent (and where violence sings)

Autocratic dreamin’ (autocratic dreamin’)

On such a darkened day

… break

All the truth is down (all the truth is down)

To be changed by the day (change it by the day)

Even history (even history)

Won’t stand in the way (won’t stand in the way)

Rewrite it backwards forwards (rewrite it forwards backwards)

To fit just what he might say (fit just what he might say)

—

Autocratic dreamin’ (autocratic dreamin’)

On such a darkened day (autocratic dreamin’)

On such a fascist day (autocratic dreamin’)

On such a darkened day 

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”)

We Are

We are the hypocrites

We’re pro-life but abandon born kids

Body autonomy’s a right against masks

And vaccines you’ve no right to task

Don’t tread on me, no you can’t even ask

But female autonomy’s a thing of the past

—

We’re disingenuous

We cry at vigils of schoolkids

More lost to our well paid hubris

We thought and prayer and rationalize

Blame our morality‘s claimed decline  

Not in our war chest for power outsized

Our lack of action is your fault it’s not ours

—

We sing la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Pompous self righteous is what we all are

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la

We are

—

We are the Christianists

Women’s rights we won’t allow

Rape incest even under-age now

They’re just a new day’s opportunity

While we strut about in our piety

Making sure you bring about babies

Promptly out of mind once do the light they see

—

Authoritarians

Free speech is what we insist

The right to misinform

The right to prop-a-gan-dize

And you can’t criticize now

Speech is what we decide now

We’ll legislate what you can and can’t say

Or violently bring your free to waste

—

Got our own rigged election plan

100’s GOP’s in on the scam

Break at states the will of them you’ll see

Not of the people but new you and me  

Results just for GOP’s new you and me

Our vision of a Democracy that’s just died

—

We sing la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Minority drunk w majority court

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la

We are

—

We are the activists

From the court we legislate with new twist

It’s not the leftists we warned in past

Boogeymen to scare conservative kids

No it’s a Clarence bloc with a backwards breath

A new Christian way with a brand new breadth

And scope of what rights just might be next

And how we now can control your ways

The ones we know the Devil helps sway

Generations precedent progress gone away

—

A Singin’ la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la

We are

—

We are exceptional

Shoulder above all the ne’er-do-wells

Who think history’s about truth’s to tell

Not our re-write aleviate guilt

With no systemic racism cloud

We were just caretakers of a new world 

On the back’s of lessers who still owe us the price we paid

—

Singin’ La La La La La La La La La

We are

//////////////////////////////////////////

(To Green Day’s “Troublemaker” from “Uno!”)

Kingmaker  

Yeah!

Woo hoo hoo

—

Hey!

Democracy’s under attack

Right in plain sight a lockstep right

Work their authoritarian plight

—

Hey!

They wanna control the states

So next time vote around they’ll mess ‘bove ground

Mold sham results for self-serving tastes

—

They wanna be some new Kingmakers

Autocracy’s G-O-P takers

They wanna be some new Kingmakers

Great leader’s cult first of new shakers

—

Hey!

We like your lie moxie cool

Obstructive whitewash of what was true

It’s quite impressive in its attempt at coup

—

Hey!

His Rally’s his palace days  

He’s sounding loaded, old lie bloated

In his propagandist playbook word salad way

—

They wanna be some new Kingmakers

Autocracy’s G-O-P takers

They wanna be some new Kingmakers

Great leader’s cult first of new shakers

—

Hey!

Woooh oooh oooh

Woooh oooh oooh

Woooh oooh oooh

Yeah!

—

They saw election pass with result a bad state

So pass suppression laws before it’s too late

Present these measures in a group all for one haste

Integrity’s at stake the big lie is the play that they make

—

Hey!

Democracy’s under attack

Right in plain sight a lockstep right

Work their authoritarian plight

—

Hey!

They do their do

Hey!

A lie’s whose who

Hey!

Who know the screw

Hey!

A fascist stew

Hey!

////////////////////////////////////////////

(to Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me”)

We Want You To Be We

We Want You … To Be … We

—

We want you to be we

We need you to be we

We’ll force so please just a-gree

Can’t have you livin’ feelin’ free

—

We want you to be we

Not right to live to your own de-gree

We know what’s best as only god does decree

—

We’ll shine up our partisan court, the one that’s been godly bought

Parade them over your free thought, make sure that you are sin free

—

We’re tired of spending time feelin’ persecuted

We need able dictate how your lives are executed  

It’s not fair to watch you all go about your happy dailies

While we’re forced to fret and live with all your evil failings

—

We want you to be we

See country the way that it should be

Revisioned right light history

One white and straight you’ll all see

—

And shine up on all old hurts, of unallowed to convert

Bring handmaids to life, ‘cause we know just what is right

—

Will we neglect children after grabbing their first real air

Of course cause hypocrisy we’ve got plenty in spare

We’ll only find our end until it is that you all stop tryin’

Pursuit of happiness is up to us to do the decidin’

—

Ohhh!

—

We’ll work in a morality play’s future dire warnin’

But that future won’t know it from this backwards day future dawnin’

—

Ohhh!

—

We want you to be we

We need you to be we

We’ll force so please just a-gree

And gay marriage is soon next up on the tee

—

We want you to be we

We need you to be we

We’ll force so please just a-gree

You’ll thank us soon you’ll all see

////////////////////////////////////////////

(To Sammy Davis Jr’s “The Candy Man”)

The DeSantis He Can

Alright everybody

Gather round DeSantis man is here

Now what kinda country he want?

Ignorant, compliant, revised history, brainwashed

A Fourth Reich?

He’s working on a right plan because only DeSantis can

—

Who can take agenda (who can take agenda)

Of a fascist POTUS dream (a fascist POTUS dream)

Put it into practice Flor-ida a test run scheme

The Ronnie can (the Ronnie can)

Oooh DeSantis he can (DeSantis he can)

DeSantis he can

Test there his despot plan, prove self a new strongman

—

Who can make the classroom (who can make the classroom)

A site of culture wars (a site of culture wars)

Make them a battleground to settle whitey grievance scores

The Ronnie can (the Ronnie can)

DeSantis he can (DeSantis he can)

DeSantis projects into classroom learning texts

Indoctrination’s pre-text

—

And then he just bakes everything at stake

A vision’s cake of normal crumblin’

He’ll make the gays and blacks go runnin’

Applaud him please for his true cunnin’

—

Ohhhh who can fudge the numbers (who can fudge the numbers) 

Of a shit COVID response (a shit COVID response)

And jackboot whistleblowers who point that out at once

The Ronnie can (the Ronnie can)

Oooh DeSantis he can (DeSantis he can)

Collateral damage was always part of the plan 

No worries if base at hand

—

And then he put the brakes on election takes

That his was one of real gold standard

Integrity it must be mastered

The big lie being votes true bastard

—

Yeah Yeah Yeah

Who can add police force (who can add police force)

For this claimed integrity (this claimed integrity)

And have it to intimidate new SS just for he

The Ronnie can (the Ronnie can)

Oooh DeSantis he can (DeSantis he can)

DeSantis he can Democracy it’s not the plan

Fourth Reich new Uncle Sam

—

DeSantis he can even take a Disney stand

Free speech an also ran

—

DeSantis can

DeSantis can

DeSantis he caaaannn

—

DeSantis can

DeSantis can

DeSantis he caaaannn

—

Alright everybody

That was nice

Break it up now

It’s curfew

Go home

Stay straight

Stay white

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to Sammy Davis Jr’s “The Candy Man”)

The GOP Can

---

Alright everybody

Gather round GOP man is here

Now what kinda country you want

Sweet white grievance, ignorance, revised history, gun pops?

Anything you want

You’ve come to the right klan because only the GOP can

—

Who can take elections (who can take elections)

Sprinkle with Big Lie (sprinkle with big lie)

Claim the last gold standard but hinder future tries

The GOP (the GOP)

Oooh the GOP can (the GOP can)

The GOP can  

Make all else an also ran

Results already planned (results already planned)

—

Who can make our schools get (who can make our schools get)

Riled up to re-invent (riled up to re-invent)

Teach versions where our hist’ry has an only whitey bent

The GOP (the GOP)

The GOP can (the GOP can)

The GOP projects in some wishful burning texts

They’ll make all a-gain good

—

The GOP rakes everything at stake

Over coals of division

This di-vide their only true vision

Damn the Libs forcing decisions

—

Ohhhh, who can take invasion (who can take invasion)

Of an ally’s sovereignty (an ally’s sovereignty)

By a murdering despot and admire with great glee

Some GOP (some GOP)

Oooh some GOP can (some GOP can)

Or others they can in hypocrisy their brand

Decry horrors at hand

—

But then they all brake at more public takes  

On how they feel of orange missives

Expressing his more bromance dishes

To this now well they’ll just dis-miss it

—

Yeah yeah yeah

Who can yesterday now (who can yesterday now)

Forget it with a glance (forget it with a glance)

And build it back to suit them any real truth held askance

The GOP (the GOP)

The GOP can (the GOP can)

The GOP can Democracy that also ran

Warrants new Uncle Sam

—

The GOP can be shameless in their scam    

corrupt new order looks good

The GOP

The GOP

The GOP caaaannn

The GOP

The GOP

The GOP caaaannn

—

Alright everybody

That was nice

Break it up now

Yeah go home

//////////////////////////////////////////

(to Dave Matthews “Ants Marching”)

Pawns Dancing

They wake up always grasping

At conspiracies of the big de-feat

That they say didn’t happen

Even with real truth so right-fully

Sitting

— 

Tinfoil hats gleam in the sun

One powered by the big lying orange one

And they all walk the same line

Like drunken lemmings’ nose to ass that cliff is just fine

— 

They take to their knees

Willing blind fealty

Tethered not reality

Indentured to cult

Blood oaths easily took

—

GOP share the same sign

New astrology for stars to now a-lign

In their own special lie sky

No other sky is right for stars now to a-light

— 

Take to their knees

Willing blind fealty

Tethered not reality

Indentured to cult

Blood oaths easily took

— 

He looks down from gold tower

Directs his masses to cower if ranks are broke

You must tow the company line

As truths are mine and your minds must keep time

— 

As all you little pawns keep dancing

Marionettes in my power play

Look to the stars for new king’s

Star’s shine to show you the right waaaaaaay

—

Orangeman controlling the thoughts

Of a party hopelessly lost

Watch his dogs cut back on the vote

With a bleak end, dark end cut the hope

And an end to an autocrat lend

Democracy pop 

You’re dead

—

Take to their knees

Willing blind fealty

Tethered not reality

Indentured to cult

Blood oaths easily took

…….

Blood oaths easily took

///////////////////////////////////////////

(to the Green Acres theme song)

Greene Crackers Part I

Greene crackers are the treat for me

The favorite snack of the new GOP

Buttered with lies that spread from sea to sea

Keep the truth just give us conspiracies

—

Margie Greene crackers is party’s new face

With Gosar, Gohmert & a guy taking girls ‘cross states

Throw in Boebert with a shiny gun case

it’s a GOP wagon to a really dim-lee lit place

—

The lies

White cries

More lies

Past dies

—

Authority life

Hello fascist right

Greene Crackers we are there

///////////////////////////////////////////

To the Dixie Cups “Going to the Chapel”.

Goin’ to the School Board

Goin’ to the school board

And we’re gonna get carried away

With banning books now that aren’t

In a real right straight white safe way

Gee we’ve got some issues with works

That don’t teach imagined virtues of a

Re-visioned whitewashing day

— 

GOP’s here

To set message clear

Ignorance sings

Of white patriot things

— 

This country was found

On exceptional ground

And we’ll never teach real truth anymore

—

Because we’re

Goin’ to the school board

And we’re gonna get carried away

Might throw books on a pyre now

And dance ‘round with a hey hidey hey how

— 

Gee you don’t need a degree

From any liberal leftist factory   

Goin’ to create history  

—

Whistles will blow

And dogs will crow

We’ll set it right

No CRT will be in sight

We’ll ignore slave-ery

Even though it’s part of the core  

And strike systemic from vocabulary’s lore

— 

Because we’re

Goin’ to the school board

And we’re gonna get carried away

Snowflake about the sensibilities

Of our children’s tender feelings

Gee we don’t know the problem

Of new curriculum’s whitey outcome

Goin’ to the school board of dumb

(yeah-a-yeah-a-yeahy-yeah)

Goin’ to the school board of dumb  

(yeah-yeah-yeah-yeahy-yeah)

Just mind your place and we’ll all get along

///////////////////////////////////////////

(to OMC’s “How Bizarre”)

How Repub

Big lie it shotgun rides, McCarthy at the wheel

Headin’ Mar-A-Lago to co-mmiz about steal

A new plan it was hatched then, right after riot’s zeal

After kneel ring kiss the two saw how this should go

Campaign of vote suppression with a spankin’ new cash flow

McCarthy genuflects then says we’ll work on Fili-Joe

—

How Repub  

How Repub

How Repub

—

They stay course mis-inform’, more openly than before

First voting then vaccines now, workin’ at death’s door

Of democracy and lives now, Elephant’s they know the score

How to politic both with a loud crazed cultish roar

—

How Repub

How Repub

How Repub

—

Ooh, baby (Ooh, baby)
Democracy’s lazy (It’s future now hazy)
Every time I just look down
There’s a new lie to be found (Every time I just look down)
Every time from underground
Lies are bubblin’ up

—

Ring master he directs, says make Donkeys have regrets

For not buying into Country’s patriotic cultish sect

We’re showing you white way now, yet ya still deflect

The truth of where road’s going to where we’ll intersect

At Ignorance Way and Main Street with a future surely set

You’ll be minority major

Too slow now to react

Where chance was had to save from dark political intellect

And you’ll learn now how to,

Hey,

To genuflect

—

How Repub

How Repub

How Repub

—

Ooh, baby (Ooh, baby)
Democracy’s lazy (It’s future now hazy)

Every time I just look down
There’s a new lie to be found (Every time I just look down)
Every time from underground
Lies are bubblin’ up

They’re bubblin’ up

—

Ooh, baby (Ooh, baby)
Democracy’s lazy (It’s future now hazy)
Every time I just look down
There’s a new lie to be found (Every time I just look down)
Every time from underground
Lies are bubblin’ up

—

Ooh, baby (Ooh, baby)
Democracy’s lazy (It’s future now hazy)
Every time I look just down (Every time I just look down)
There’s a new lie to be found

Every time from underground
Lies are bubblin’ up

///////////////////////////////////////////

(to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”)

Neo Fascist Man

It’s Doomsday clock on an everyday

GOP wear a watch

They check their wrists – for the end of us

Great experiment to now call a loss

—

They say It’s time has passed can ya follow me

It won’t really be all that hard

There’s a new road to take while the truth we will fake

A dead dream just not in the cards

—

Oh La-la-la de-de da
La-la de-de da la-la

—

Sing us a song Neo Fascist man

Sing us a song of lies

Rewrite for us a seen history

Till no longer believe our own eyes

—

Now the GOP practice a longer game

State and by state they block votes

Or they gerrymander – so to stay in command

As they can’t win with votes honest’s go

They say integrity’s at stake in our system here

Must restore voter confidence

And they’ll disenfranchise with no color the prize

And all because of the Big Lie

—

Oh La-la-la de-de da
La-la de-de da la-la

—

Now McCarthy holds true his great leader

Kool Aid drunk while supporting the cries

Of an unhinged one, carny barker and some  

Whose show now attracts nothing but flies

—

And McConnell says partisan politics

Are the only game Dems wanna play

While hypocrisy drips from his marble mouth

Lockstep lemmings minority sway

—

Break

—

Sing us a wrong Neo Fascist man

Sing us a song of lies

Rewrite for us a known history

Till we no longer hear as it cries

—

GOP gambles Dem dreamers

Whose justifies are like some swiss cheese

Manchin and Kyrsten to any who’ll listen

Are standing just notice them please

—

They’re determined to center attention

Nonsensical their fantasy fight

To preserve the one thing that is killing the dream

Of every last of us be deemed

—

Oh La-la-la de-de da
La-la de-de da la-la

—

Do us all wrong Neo Fascist men

Break with democracy’s ties

Cause we’re all in the mood for autocracy

Till we no longer hear our own cries

The usual at least once a week stop at the grocery store was in order tonight. I jockey it back and forth from Tuesdays to Wednesdays as it’s important to change things up, don’t wanna be too predictable in the schedule for those sketchy bulky guys who surely have heavy foreign accents and have been on your tail recently waiting for just the right moment to black hood abduct you into the trunk of a sedan that is too small for them where you listen for possible location sounds of maybe trains or boat horns or airplanes, thinking you’re so smart to do such just in case, to an eventual nondescript abandoned warehouse in the (mad lib a one here) district to find out just what you know about that thing and everyone involved in that thing that accidentally interfered with THEIR thing and that they don’t believe for one second that YOUR thing stepping on THEIR thing was an “accident” at all.

(after pulling off your hood quickly and menacingly) “Who sent you about our thing??!!!”

So, on this Thursday night (just tryin’ to stay one step ahead) I made my way in, did my round from the right of the store to the left, tomatoes, a red onion, some cold cuts and cheeses on the right to that Tuscan White bread discovery from not too long ago, but a bread need thought holding in the back of my head for as long as possible as it’s waaaay on the left (just at the head of the beer aisle) and that end of the store can take a while, like forever!, to get to, so I clutched it hard in the noggin as ya can’t make a sandwich without it, didn’t wanna forget, then hit some aisles in between.

The one with the Arizona Green Tea that also includes this store’s bargain items that I eventually buy one or two of that I don’t need thus making them not really much of a bargain after all, the one with dressings (do you need some new Bleu Cheese for future wings and Cricket the Blind shared dinners or maybe mayo or horseradish mustard for aforementioned sandwiches), the aisle for beverages and my Polar seltzers, the pet food aisle and hoping you might find something for your other pet charge, Bella, that she might finally not turn her nose up at in her finick with a disdainful southern belle-esque swish of the head as if I were the worst cat dad ever “Do you even know me?! Hummphhh!!”

But in the midst of my searchings here now of some Fancy Feast choices there was this dude.  

He looked confused.

“I recommend the Savory Centers” I said.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s sorta cat crack-like”

“Thanks. My partner has a cat named Cecil, he’s kind of a dumb cat but I’ve been sent”

“Well, sent solved. Can’t go wrong with the Savory Centers”

He then proceeded to tell me of Cecil the dumb cat and a Cecil the dumb cat story followed with small talk.

“So, how was your day?

“Ummm, Ok, yours?” (well, Bella might like this one, I thought, as I continued my search head down in the shelves checking off “yes Bella’s” and “no Bella’s” and “maybe Bella’s” in my head)

“Alright but tiring”

“Me too but hey, tiring is alright” I say “as long as we still got gigs that pay the rent and buy beer and cat food right?”

I tell him I have a couple of cats of my own and know my cat stuff, and have had more in the past, maybe even enough at one time once to qualify for crazy cat lady guy status.

More small talk then …

“Hey, are you straight?”

“What? Oh yes … yes I am”

“Damn, that’s too bad”

“Sorry to disappoint my friend”

“Well, you are a good looking guy”

“Jeez, thanks … much appreciated”

Some laughs and a “have a good night”, “cheers dude, hope the savory centers work for your partner’s Cecil the dumb cat” and we were on our way.

Then I was thinkin’, ya know, if I were an older and gay Ralph Malph from Happy Days I would have said to myself, to the camera, “I still got it!!”

—–

At the check-out, where I used a Vanilla gift card I bought on the dark web, I loaded my few items into a reusable bag from a rival grocery store and nonchalantly made my way out the back of the store through an “Employees Only” swinging door and then out the loading dock where, earlier, after changing into a plain dark ballcap pulled down tight over my eyes and momentarily leaving my cart in the paper goods aisle (the paper goods aisle can take some time figuring the TP ply, deciding on just the right paper towels, name or store brand, do I need, as a single guy, the colorful decorative tissue boxes or is plain alright etc, the perfect cover) I had slipped out to move my car and then slipped back in to my cart with plain tissue boxes in hand (I thought of the decorative ones but I’m kinda boring).

I laughed to myself, driving off, thinking at the sure bulky sketchy guys with heavy foreign accents driving around the parking lot in a too small sedan loudly cursing in said heavy foreign accents as to how I had managed to give them the slip yet again.

(I do watch a little TV by the way).

So I have this friend from my WVU days, Rob Eldridge, who plays guitar, something I’m most envious of, and back in January he posted a little ditty, as he called it, an instrumental just around a minute long and, at the time, I noted that it was waaaaay too cool. Simple and bluesy, from his lap, nonchalant, a good morning post, as he also said, that made ya wanna sing along even though there were no words, it was just him pluckin’. I kept an idea in my back pocket.

This weekend, as I did my usual, telling the world to F* off, bother me again Monday, I have cats, I thought to maybe find a few words for it.

A friend recently posted to my page of Mark Russell passing away, the great piano playing political satirist who had no qualms of pointing things out when the pointing things out actually got noticed in great halls and maybe even made some folks uncomfortable. Is there anything better? A bit of an uncomfortable squirm for those who deserve such? A Hero he was.

And for five or so years I have been building parody songs of an equal political type here in the Attic (plus others of a different sort – another time there) but they are all so much of a joy to write and sing, parodies where I find a tune’s instrumental and do my best to say things that would also maybe make some folks feel uncomfortable knowing that whoever it is that I’m satirizing deserves the uncomfortable.

Mine though have never had the same import of a Mark Russell but ya keep trying.

But, going back to this friend of mine, Rob, I thought to not make any uncomfortable statements for folks to maybe squirm but instead just add some new writ/sung words to his instrumental, no attempted point to be made.

Cheers Rob.

Step Out (an Eldridge Tune)

I stepped out as I often do step

Grabbed some words to wonder to think just what if

If I could sing out with no attempts at sublime

Sing escape from wary fears of mine of the times

But just for moments small sake

Knowin’ this need be a shouted take

I would try to sing things that just needed be said

—

Rhymes dream dreaming in songs of what ifs

Break them out to maybe lesson the kids

Show them how we can all sing our song

Not hide our heads in sand hoping all is not wrong

No not go along with the dumb of the herd  

No stand up say your piece and do your best to be heard

—

Some rhymes have magic as they certainly can

Be response to times help us feel not also ran

Strung together right they just might be a piece strong and together more than …

Going back a few years on this one as I rummage around in the Attic.

A Tiger’s Tale

I tried to catch tigers by the tail when I was small

mom told me how

but I always woke up tigerless

like I do now trying to catch sleep

instead

as elusive as those tigers

instead envisioning mad worlds of other tailed’s

turning over and over and over the sheets getting tangled

my feet always trying to push them whole

so if I do sleep I’ll wake in a real bed made

the way it should be

tight

with corners sharp hospital ready

when I earned a dime from mom to do it right

never understanding the reason for such a bed

like I do now.

I hear the trains near my house at night

like rain waking me to rythmically loll me back

the cadence of water spot on

the equal clatter of the trains just as spot

carrying wet tigers

licking wet paws and hinds

before they sleep

as I try to

with a wet face and coarse towel

before my tight bed with sharp corners calling a good night

for only a dime

not much of a cost in these costly times

for a tale

of mom stories and sleepless nights where tiger’s tails

take guises of whatever it is that keeps you awake.

I don’t know what it is that keeps sleep at bay

but trains and rain and tigers help allay

the clock of my mother’s heart beats and ticks

to lull me

to furtive sleep

when I think of her tigers

and their tales.