Despite his many character faults, 

Donald Trump will soon be president

again. It's partly because his attitude

to the defense of Israel seems practical.

This is a huge issue.  

Jews have made great contributions

to science, the arts, literature and so on.

It's good that America has a relatively long period between a federal election and the inauguration of a new president. 

Those Republicans who are brave and decent are badly needed until January 20th particularly.

Sadly, many people suffer from Trump Normalization Syndrome.

Will America's troubles get much worse?

     Place for poets

a very quiet bus stop,

plenty of greenery,

great coffee nearby -

here the world

seems to smile
 

 In the ancient world, for a long time Jews were thought of as warriors. 

Their second unsuccessful rebellion against Roman rule changed that. Huge numbers of them were massacred; most of those left fled to other countries, changed from an oral culture to a written one, and became "the people of the book".

Now, in Israel, they can have both military prowess and literary skill. The former is greatly respected in the region; let's hope that if and when the Israelis win this war, there will be peace for a long time.

      Purpose of poetry

Ask good questions,

ring the right bells,

and somehow the blessings

will come to you also.

 Some Australians have felt like this:

      After travelling

back in the magical country

the great south land

where sunshine cheers

like the best wine

and more innocent histories

give the search for wisdom

a special relish

However, there's a lot more 

anti-Semitism now - in

Australia and many other

countries.

India is a place of possibilities,

particularly if it takes good care

of its ethnic and religious

minorities.

The photo is from Sarmoli,

Uttarakhand.

 India should not be a big Russian

trading partner now.

If Ukraine is saved, other huge challenges should also be manageable.

Some people like a rather 

serious type of religion.

Here's an example of a 

different approach:

    CT Scan

it's okay this time

says the main umpire -

keep playing for good teams

and enjoy the games
 

    Music

a language

with no translation

yet meaning 

so much -

words can't convey

its magic and mystery

     Toddler

"Kid no longer crawling"

says the crossword clue -

some writers are like children,

some poets are like small children -

a different way of seeing things?

American support for Ukraine is extremely important.

It accounts for a tiny percentage of the US budget.

Various American foreign involvements have not ended well, but that is one of the best ones since the Marshall Plan saved Europe from starvation after world war two.

Hamas is worse than ISIS, and US help for Israel is also critical.

                                                         

      Inspiration

good poems

are like children -

they live long

and bring sunshine

                                                                  

     Community

more talking, less typing

ponder the questions

seek solutions

value life's mysteries

                                                                     

                                                             

Music, art and games

can sometimes help

troubled people.

 People in many countries fervently hope that the rule of law continues to prevail in the USA.

                                                                                                     

Sometimes my readers

help me to understand

what to write. Thanks.

My recent blog post

about coffee is the

most popular one

since October 2021.

The humor in it must

be a major factor.
                                                                                                                                                                        

                                                                      

     Coffee

a brew of writers

much better

than many addictions -

for me, a bit like

a medication -

but I'm sane

or I can put on

a good act!

                                                          

It's sad to see the big increase in

mental health troubles lately.

Nature therapy may give a quick

benefit with no side effects.

However, some sufferers might 

need a lot more help.

 

   Confusion

Big beasts fight

in the forest -

can we still

find paths

for you and me?

Like some other writers, 

I like to be rather incognito.

The photo is of me as a 

happy and popular toddler.

Some might say that's still

the main side of me! 

I had a very long illness

in very early childhood.  

Ukraine's President Zelensky is a great example of leadership, courage and decency. His cause is vital to the future of civilization.

                                                                      

   Another way?

grandpa was a pastor -

moderate, imaginative,

a good man;

can being a bard be

a bit like that

but with more

of the fun parts?

  Healthy humour helps in 

various ways. Some folk

don't understand that. For

example Plato is controversial,

partly because he was very

wary of humour and poetry.

  Did you get the joke in the

November blog post about

English? I didn't at first.

   Court jester

Centuries ago

that job was tough -

query and amuse,

but carefully!

Democracy is better.

                                                                                    

English is an odd language.

It has some strange spelling,

some words have two very

different meanings, etc.

In spite of such things, it is

the world's main language.

Is there symbolism in that?

                                                                    

    Maxims for living

Understand and persist.

Enjoy being useful.

    Good walks

in a big city

on a bus route

some lucky passengers:

an oval,

a corner near

a river,

a median strip

wide, with greenery -

way to go! 

    Democracy 

we sing 

different songs 

from the same

big page; 

the tunes 

aren't perfect 

but other pages 

may bring horrors

   Environment

earth, air and water

they seem so vast

and us so small

much have they changed

without us

yet now the pace

is so much faster

and ours

the onus

lest dreams

become nightmares

Some things are always important.


    Journey
she and I
together so long
giving things meaning
by sharing                                                     

                                                   
Small children and good poets
have a lot of questions.
Beware of those who claim
to know all of the answers.

                                    
The scenic photos on this blog
are from various countries.
I didn't take them. I hope
you find them enjoyable
and inspiring, as I do.

                                            
In these tough times, we need
inspiration from various arts
more than usual.
This might work in some places
(outside, with social distancing):

     Poetry reading
bards and triers
a venerable tradition
the audience listens
looking for magic

                                                                                                                                                            

I'm lucky enough to be living in
a place where the management
of COVID-19 is going very well.
Of course, our ancestors also
faced huge challenges including
wars and plagues.

    Other heroes
doctors in pandemics
firefighters in bushfires
whistleblowers in corruption
mothers who manage much

The human mind is the
most complicated and
mysterious thing
known to science.

     Humanity
bring the band
and sing great songs
armies of robots
can't kill poetry

   Teeth treatment
braver than usual
and more repentant?
memories flow
and time passes

Samuel Johnson opined:


"No man but a blockhead ever
wrote except for money."


I beg to differ.

I had polio for eighteen months.
Here's the story:

    Not all bad
when a toddler, illness forced
a fearsome confinement -
hours of therapy daily,
no contact with other kids;
the compensation has been
that restriction reluctance
kept me out
of jail and hospital!

 Some universities have
Confucius institutes. There's
a lot of postmodernism and
identity politics around. Maybe
more should be taught about
Shakespeare, the ancient Greeks
and Western civilization generally.
What do you think?

Here's a new poem of mine
which might apply to various
times and places:

    Political fog
tread carefully
and know who to follow
horrors may be near
but light should come

   Manual for poets
See like a child,
yet be a useful adult.
Love language.
Seek sagacity.
Enjoy the marvel of creativity.

A newspaper with about 600,000
readers likes that poem of mine.

My poem below is in two print magazines - the usual one and a church one.

    Hope?    
so many adrift, endangered -
can they lift their horizons?
to see something bigger and better,
to help themselves and others

I hope you enjoy my blog. That seems more likely if you don't like most modern poetry and do like good photos.
Poems favored by the poetry "establishment" would seldom be popular with most folk.

Rhyming poetry isn't fashionable,
but sometimes draws big crowds.
Each to his own!

My recent poem below is
also in "Positive Words".
It's a good magazine!

    Campfire yarns
memories and stories flow
as the flames fly;
an ancient way
to grander dreams

Below is one of my earlier poems. It's in the internet magazine.

    Dreams of a poet
will the storms clear
and the warblers sing?
can the love of wisdom
bring the wisdom of love?

Here's another poem of mine from the print magazine:

    What could help?
well, said the bard -
I can't stop wars
or build good cities
or clean the air
but perhaps my words
will make your heart sing

Of course, visual art goes back a
very long way in human history.
So does poetry. In every culture,
there was oral poetry before
writing was invented.