Month: May 2009

The Bronx Cheers

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

But the jury is still out on this judge;
And It Didn’t Come to Pass

The Bronx Cheers
But the jury is still out on this judge

So, who is this The Bronx cheers for?
It’s Son-i-a So-to-may-or!
She is Hispanic, female, smart.
As PC as can be.

So will this woman be confirmed?
It seems most likely, but I’ve learned
that unhatched chickens sometimes die
in Washington, D.C.

Those leaderless Republicans
may hold out just to prove they can.
And if they do, Soto-may-or
won’t be a V.I.P.

But, if Obama gets his way,
he’ll find an Asian and a gay
so that our highest court
can one day sing Y. M. C. A.

Should this be our supreme concern?
That no niche groups feel dissed or burned?
I rather think the benchmark is…
Is this one qualifed?

And It Didn’t Come to Pass
Attempting to digest North Korea’s nuclear tests

Like diarrhea, North Korea’s
claims are more than gas.
We are misled to buy the lie
their tests have come to pass.

Like diarrhea, North Korea
could strike without alarm.
And worse than simply stomach flu,
that would spell global harm.

Like diarrhea, North Korea
must be kept in check.
To just pretend that all is well
could blow us all to heck.

So what’s our option to deter
the likes of Kim Jong Il?
Perhaps a missile whose warhead’s
a Kaopectate pill.

Memorial Weekend Reflections

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Let’s not take those names for granite

It’s a weekend to remember
those whose names are etched in stone
on some marker
in a quiet grassy field.
It’s a respite for recalling
those who fought to win the peace
lest the doom of untold millions
would be sealed.

Lest we take their names for granite
and assume that freedom’s free,
we’d do well to take some time
to just reflect
on the currency of valor
that was used to purchase peace.
Spending moments is a task
we can’t neglect.

As we seek out cemeteries
to plant flags or lay a wreath,
let us thank the Lord
for those who paid the price.
Those who now lay six feet under
were once foot soldiers of peace,
who with courage gave their lives
in sacrifice.

Mr. Trump and Miss California

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

A lesson in grace but not integrity;
Reality TV vs. Real Life

Mr. Trump and Miss California
A lesson in grace but not integrity

The Donald did it once again.
He trumped popular opinion.
The words “you’re fired!”
were expected
by the media minions.

The Miss USA runner-up
had fallen down it seemed.
When photos surfaced from her past,
we knew what that would mean.

This one who answered from the right
that gay marriage is not,
appeared to be up to her neck
in water boiling hot.

But Mr. Trump, who once before,
had graced a fallen beauty,
surprised the press yet once again
by saying, “It’s my duty

to stand up for this one whose views
on gays I don’t agree
because this poor girl’s been maligned.
That’s how it seems to me.”

And yet I am a bit confused
by how she chose to pose.
Her actions undermine her words.
They’re fodder for her foes.

And so the moral of this tale?
Feel free to bear your chest.
But if you judge the plight of gays,
don’t play the game of sex.

Reality TV vs. Real Life
The choice is up to us

The Apprentice,
Biggest Loser,
Survivor,
Amazing Race.
Dancing with the Stars
and Idol
plus
The Bachelor’s
bold disgrace.

This reality programming
renders viewers peeping toms
watching those who win a challenge
and those fired who are gone.

Aint it really kind of stupid
to just watch while others play?
What say we turn off the TV
and start living life today?

A Man Named Jack

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

A tribute to Jack French Kemp;
And God Created Mothers

A Man Named Jack
A tribute to Jack French Kemp

The “passing Bill” in Buffalo
passed bills in Washington.
And Jack passed on his legacy
before his life was done.

In an unkempt world
where moral trash
consistently litters the landscape
of a decaying society,
Jack was Kemp.

In an unkempt culture
of careless commitments
and sloppy thinking that contributes
to rampant irresponsibility,
Jack was Kemp.

In an unkempt society
where family values are wrinkled
and the definition of marriage
seems up for grabs,
Jack was Kemp.

In an unkempt and too-often
divided Republican party
where lack of leadership has resulted in
unprecedented chaos and clutter,
Jack was Kemp.

Jack French Kemp
was a stabilizing influence for our time
who brought order and focus
to a nation whose vision for the future
is blurred by a myopic fascination
with tolerance
and a tendency to turn a blind eye
to truth.

This JFK
(unlike another celebrated politician
with the identical monogram)
was a principled man.

For fifty years he invested
in a committed marriage
to the Main who watered the garden
of his heart.
In Joanne he found the mate
for which his soul longed.
He was a contented man.

He was a wealthy man
whose worth and possessions
could not be adequately accounted for
by stock portfolios and real estate alone.
He was well aware of his worth
in the eyes of God.
This amazing man also owned
the love and respect of two sons
and two daughters.
What is more,
he claimed the undying admiration
of seventeen grandchildren.

Here is a man to whom also belonged
the gratitude of countless Americans
whose lives are richer and more significant
for having lived in a country
indelibly marked by a man named Jack.
And I am one.

Peace be to his memory!

And God Created Mothers
A special Mothers’ Day tribute

On the eighth day of creation,
once the Lord God had His rest,
He created what (in retrospect)
we call His very best.

This new species He named mothers.
Adam’s better-half with child.
Grace incarnate, strong yet tender.
An oasis in the wild.

And the Lord equipped this species
with a sixth sense and a heart
that can break, but keep on loving,
when sweet kids become quite tart.

Mothers see both front and backwards.
They survive on little sleep.
And when life may hurt them deeply,
you will rarely see them weep.

They persist though feel like quitting.
They forgive before they’re asked.
They deny themselves routinely
rarely sidelined by a task.

When the Lord created mothers,
it was hardly just a whim.
His main purpose was to emulate
the love we find in Him.