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.