The Burglar

 The Burglar is not quite extinct;

they're common as white kitchen sink.

Just get with your banker;

without any rancor

he'll rob you before you can blink.

Limerick: The Anti-Consumer.

I consume very little these days.
To me shopping malls are a maze.
I like a thrift store
where prices don't soar;
pooh-pooh to J. Galbraith's essays! 

The Gecko

The gecko can outpace a fly
when traipsing a ceiling up high.
The hairs on its feet
with molecules meet
(though I've known 'em to fall in stir fry . . .)

1MDB

There once was a canny Malay
who wanted an endless payday.
"A movie with fizz"
said Mr. Aziz
"will make me as rich as Norway!" 

Judy Garland took a trolley

Judy Garland took a trolley -- sang about it, too,
back when things moved slower and there was no traffic queue.
Now the tracks, paved over in a mad attempt at speed,
have been relaid to gentle the vehicular stampede.
The sense of dim nostalgia, and concern for dirty skies,
have made the trolley on the tracks an urgent enterprise.
A streetcar named Ambition might attract a lot of fares
if it featured wifi and some padded, comfy chairs.
If I could drive a trolley powered by the city's juice
I'd feel as proud and haughty as that fabled daemon Zeus!
But I am a pedestrian and do not choose to ride
any such contraption that with others may collide.
Give me a peaceful stroll upon the pavements straight and firm;
it keeps my bowels quite frisky (with a bit of raw wheat germ).

The Great Magician Satan

Mosiah 15:29 --   ". . . for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion."

That great magician Satan uses misdirection so
we never can see eye to eye but must fight toe to toe.
Our Zion can be made anew, yet we are unaware
in our squabbles and our broils of God's most steady care.
My hand is not for smiting, nor my tongue for deep abuse;
O Lord, help me seek beauty and contention to refuse!   

You can't go wrong with sugar

I don't care what nutritionists desire us to think;
You can't go wrong with sugar in a carbonated drink.
That fizzinated bev'rage just aint right without the treacle;
take it out and what you have is very nearly fecal.
Sugar from the cane or beet or even ground up dates
will never tread upon my dreams (to quote from Mr. Yeats).
I always knew corn syrup was a vagabond ingredient;
just a cheapjack substitute that hardly was expedient.
Now we're back to good old sugar in our many treats;
this should cause rejoicing in a million million tweets!
Throw out that Diet Pepsi and start guzzling sucrose.
(Who cares that at the dentist we'll be paying through the nose!)   

Clap your hands!

Mosiah 18:11 -- "And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts."

Clap your hands and make a noise that joyful stoutly rings
through the bedrock of the world and over puzzled kings.
And let the sound of exultation enter ev'ry ear
that the ransom has been paid and Christ is drawing near.
Pure fountains bursting forth upon the wretched, poisoned land,
leave no doubt that God His work is starting to command.
Then take your leave of sorrow and upon the Mountain gaze,
and cry up acclamation for the Lord and all His ways!  

The Clown is our best teacher . . .

Who teaches us the meaning of Life's truths in cap and gown?
Not the smug professor, but the laughing circus clown!
His cap is patched and jingles with the sound of jester bells.
His gown is gaudy and immense; it holds delightful spells.
He's given tenure by the crowd to caper and explain
that thinking our existence is a burden must be vain.
His lectures may be silent and be full of custard pie,
but his conclusions never blush or have to tell a lie.
Exuberant and ever keen all ignorance to throttle,
he graduates his students with a brimming seltzer bottle.
The clown is our best teacher, since he goes straight to the heart
and never complicates things like that old Rene Descartes. 

Justice and Mercy

Mosiah 15:9 -- ". . . having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice . . . "

As I am growing older I'm not sure I'm more astute;
but my taste for pure compassion sure is growing more acute.
As "justice" I have found to be a ruthless thing of stone;
relentless and remorseless, never leaving man alone.
The cry for justice often has revenge as motivation;
with welfare, rights, and mercy getting no consideration.
We are all a victim at some time in our brief life,
and also play the villain during seasons of deep strife.
I hope to never take the club of justice up again,
but spread instead some kindness and some good will now and then.
To understand another and to advocate release
is what I think it means to emulate the Prince of Peace.