Let’s hear it for Amy Coney Barrett
The Supremes will add a woman
to their nine-voice justice choir.
And this Charismatic Catholic can “sing.”
At Notre Dame and elsewhere,
she has praised the rule of law
while genuflecting to her only King.
Yes, Amy Coney Barrett
is a voice the Court must have
so to harmonize God’s truth with what’s deemed right.
The Supremes have lacked a balance
and at times seemed out of tune.
It is time a voice of reason joins the fight.
A reminder to vote
Unmask your voice
and speak your mind.
You have the right. Take note!
This is your chance
to make a choice.
The time has come to vote.
To choose our leaders
is a gift.
But gifts unwrapped? Beware!
There is so much
that is at stake.
To vote makes clear you care.
So do your duty.
Don’t delay.
The ballot box awaits.
Our future lies
within our hands
in these United States.
A poetic tribute to semi-truck drivers
God save the king whose cab’s his throne.
He rules the roads while all alone.
His subjects are the reason why
he drives himself so hard.
He knows we need what he transports.
His ship on wheels goes port to port
delivering a priceless load
that keeps our lives afloat.
Both day and night, from state to state,
his eighteen wheeler navigates
all kinds of highways (weather, too).
This hero is unsung.
Kids pump their fists to hear his horn.
That custom has become the norm
when truckstops lure the king to rest
and fuel his mobile home.
So here’s to those who risk their lives
while missing both their kids and wives.
May God protect this special breed
that makes our nation great.
Rotary’s core values in rhyme
In Rotary we have a quiz
to help us be our best.
Before we speak or choose or act,
we take the four-way test.
Is it the truth? That’s where we start.
We’re fact-checkers. No lie!
Quite honestly, we won’t mislead.
By that we live and die.
Fairness is the second way
we judge what we allow.
Is there a level playing field?
To justice we will bow.
And to that end we seek goodwill
befriending blacks and whites,
those old and young, both gay and straight
protecting each one’s rights.
And will our actions benefit
the good of all concerned?
Or will the rush to speak our minds
leave some besmirched and spurned.
This four-way test in Rotary
is just a simple aid
that serves to keep us honor bound
beyond the dues we’ve paid.
Confessions of a chaplain during COVID
A vaccine, Lord! We need it soon!
Without it, Sir, those empty rooms
in churches, restaurants, bars and schools
will yet be empty still.
A vaccine, Dr. Fauci, please.
The waiting world is on its knees.
We’re praying for your COVID team
with hopes a cure awaits.
A vaccine by Election Day?
Or Christmas? Maybe Ash Wednesday?
What matters most is that it works.
Dear God, please hear our prayer!
My Rhymes and Reasons 