The white man is afraid
he is fading away.
He looked in the mirror today
and thought about the mistakes he made.

He thought he should be a darker shade
in order to be seen more clearly,
so he sat in the sun sincerely
and now with skin cancer he’s being repaid.

First basal cell, then carcinoma squamous
finally, all out melanoma.
He’s quite a pathetic fella.
He says, “There’s a conspiracy upon us.

Foreign physicians are excising who we are
until there is nothing left of our white race.
There’s hardly anything left of my face.
Some might think my thoughts bizarre,

but just you wait till there is no white race
left for others to hate.
Oh, no, I think it is too late.
Oblivion is our fate.
There goes my face!”

“It’s okay, darling,” his white wife said
as he jumped out of the chair.
“I think you should go to bed.
You’ve given me quite a scare.”

So, he stopped by the bathroom
to have a quick look just in case.
“Oh, no,” he screamed,
“I now have a black, Hispanic, Asian,
First People’s face.”

It looks like restorative justice
for the white race.
He had it coming, because
we all came out of Africa, in the first place.

The last line of Alice’s sonnet Sonnet
Is, “I still have some of the pills.”
It was George speaking after
Gracie died. Ted was sick but
He hadn’t died. Anticipatory
Grief? We dread what will come
But how did she know what
Would come – after? All those
Pills we continue to hold in our
Hand but won’t (can’t) do any
Good anymore. How long do
We hold them?

At least, twenty-five died
in New York City before 12;
ditto, twenty-five died
in Chicago before 12;
twenty-five died in
Denver before 12;
twenty-five died in
Phoenix before 12;
twenty-five died in
Los Angeles before 12.
That’s 150 who died before
12 in the time zones
combined and none, zero,
nada, nyet died from a
terrorist attack and none
of those deaths made it to
ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN,
FOX and MSNBC because
they weren’t about terror-
ism. But the message is
be afraid, be scared, be
alarmed because, that is
what those who hit with
stupid bombs hither,
thither, and yon want
everyone in the Western
world to get and apparent-
ly they are winning the
stupid war on us with
all our cumbersome,
heavy-duty, trillion-dollar
armaments and their
penny-ante, cheap shit
devises, which are built
for one thing and one
thing only — blowback.

As the cliché goes
and everybody knows
we dislike someone because of
what we see
in him or her in me.
The President serves that purpose
to a T, tittle de (not Tweedledee),
I would think, for most everybody.
Though, the Donald may be
both Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
Unfortunately, I do see both in me.

The Franciscan wrote,
“Francis knew there is enough for everyone’s need,
but not for everyone’s greed.”*
And that’s one reason
why I’d rather see
Jesus in me.
Even Francis would fit to a T,
too, tittle de (not Tweedledee).

*from a meditation by Richard Rohr

My wife tossed a verbal salvo
wondering if I would retreat in defeat.
While not fast on my feet,
after some time on my seat,
I decided not far to retreat
because I can think of things
about which to crow.
I told her so
and decided to rejoinder
for happy hour
on the patio.

She painted flowers in watercolors.
She said, “Listen to this. I have
looked these up and I might include
this information in the paintings.

Ivory Rose is charm, Peach Rose is
modesty, Pink Rose is grace, Hydrangea –
heartfelt emotion, Myrtle – love and
joy, Phlox – harmony and good partner-

ship,” He roused himself from his
stupor and exclaimed, “Get the Phlox
out! Oh, how I have wanted to yell
that from the pulpit.” Then he laughed

at his own lame humor. She wasn’t im-
pressed, “So much for harmony and good
partnership. Clematis – mental art,
beauty.” “Clematis!” he exclaimed. “Is

that a combination of climax and chlamydia.”
“What is that?” she asked. “Never mind.”
“Finally, periwinkle – everlasting love
and purity.” Now he sits and opens

sympathy e-cards with sad organ music
and bouquets of flowers and he recites
the meaning of as many as he can
remember, which isn’t many.

There are no jokes.

One of our Jewish friends who grew up in New York City but now lives in the same
condo association in Phoenix we do sent a response to my message about how I had
honeymooned fifty years ago in New York City. She said that meant we were
“mishpocha” — family.

I had hoped I had Jewish blood thinking it would raise my IQ about ten points
but my DNA test came back, “Sorry, Charlie.” Turns out Charlie is tuna not lox.

I guess I have to thank our friend Nancy for making me part of the Jewish family. As soon as I read her message, I felt I was getting smarter. Well, Nancy actually said “almost” family, so, maybe not ten points smarter. Five, four, three, two, one?

“Sorry, Charlie.”

Fifty-years ago,
Standing at the foot
Of the chancel
Waiting for his
Future bride as she
Walked down the aisle,
He saw her red eyes,
Tears and runny nose
Behind her veil.
He thought that
She was never
More beautiful.
She died twenty-
Six years later
And her eyes
Live on in another
Who may have
Walked down
Another aisle
On the way to
Her future
With someone
Who thought
She was never
More beautiful.