tree trunks like bread dough

tree trunks like bread dough

kneaded on the warm green grass

mixed with its own seeds

brown wood and green leaves

brown wood and green leaves

on a sunny afternoon

make the best shadows

A Tweet from Trump -- The Woodward Book

The Woodward book is a scam. I don’t talk the way I am quoted. If I did I would not have been elected President. These quotes were made up. The author uses every trick in the book to demean and belittle. I wish the people could see the real facts - and our country is doing GREAT! @realDonaldTrump

I wish that the people could see

how pleasant my presence can be.

I am so polite

that children delight

to sit on my unyielding knee.

Scooter use is rising in large cities. So are trips to the emergency room.

In Santa Monica, Calif. — where one of the biggest electric-scooter companies is based — the city’s fire department has responded to 34 serious accidents involving the devices this summer.  WaPo

I do not like to take the bus or walk so very far,

 my work place has no parking space for my own little car.

And so I find that scooters are a fast and easy ride;

the breeze whips through my thinning hair as through the streets I glide.

It brings back childhood memories of happy wheeling trips;

when a folding push scooter brought smiles unto my lips.

and if today it happens that pedestrians I clip,

and cause them to collapse in pain or do a full back flip,

I don't think it is reason for them to begin a scene --

after all, my scooting helps to keep the city clean.

I wish there were more bike paths so I wouldn't knock 'em down;

but who needs road construction in the summer here in town?

As for wearing helmets, there's no law that says I must;

so in my navigation skills I place all of my trust.

A pratfall is not in the cards for drivers smart as me;

I barrel down the boulevard, in attitude carefree . . .

But when the brakes did fail me and I crashed into a wall

I found my joy in scooting smothered with a painful pall.

The doctors say I'm better now, although I must take care

as I cross the curbside in my motorized wheelchair.  

A Tweet from Trump -- The Anonymous Coward

Are the investigative “journalists” of the New York Times going to investigate themselves - who is the anonymous letter writer? @realDonaldTrump

Anonymous contributors should never be allowed

to make an accusation that will stir an angry crowd;

At least when I make statements that cause people up to jump

I'm mighty proud they know that they're from me -- old Donny Trump!

ant on the sidewalk

ant on the sidewalk --

brown piece of the puzzle;

will autumn be hard?

A Tweet from Trump, and Other Nonsense

Isn’t it a shame that someone can write an article or book, totally make up stories and form a picture of a person that is literally the exact opposite of the fact, and get away with it without retribution or cost. Don’t know why Washington politicians don’t change libel laws? @realDonald Trump

Isn't it a shame that books are published all the time;

that all their information isn't treated like a crime?

If I were made the President, I'd make those authors scram.

Oh wait, what am I saying? The Chief of State I am!

In that case, have a care, you swine, that publish such malarkey --

My apparatchiks will find you; and they can be quite snarky.


****************************************

Schools in multiple states are tearing out water fountains and old faucets after finding elevated levels of lead in their drinking water.  WSJ

The reason that Johnny has read
nothing of late is the lead
from school water which
his brain does bewitch --
no wonder his parents see red.


*****************************************

Nike revealed on Monday that Colin Kaepernick — the out-of-work NFL quarterback who generated controversy for kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality — would be featured in its 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign.  WaPo

There once was an athlete named Colin
who liked on his knees to be fallin'.
Such rank sedition
brings to fruition
a bank account with greenbacks crawlin'.

accomplish nothing

accomplish nothing --

be nothing and go nowhere --

peace already comes

Roman Sea Gulls -- Salt Water Taffy -- Cleaning Up San Francisco

The sea gull population in Rome has grown in recent years to the tens of thousands, according to some experts. Their physical dimension has grown, too, as they gorge on the smorgasbord of trash, snack on handouts from complicit tourists and snatch sandwiches from unsuspecting pedestrians.

NYT

The sea gulls in Rome are so rude

they'll snatch up your al fresco food.

And like any bird

they'll leave you a turd --

they're pigeons with bad attitude. 

*******************************************************************

Saltwater taffy, a practical treat easily found in most beach towns and less expensive than chocolate, is a candy that seems to hang around longer than most, said Debbi Shaffer, 51, an executive assistant based in Florida. “Not all the saltwater taffy flavors are delightful,” she said.

WSJ

When taffy is offered to me

I always decline gracefully;

although I am willing,

it takes out a filling --

and I can't afford dentistry.

**********************************************

“I want people to walk around this city and think, ‘Wow, it’s so clean here,’ ” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said during a recent interview.

WaPo

The best way to keep cities clean

is moving the poor off the scene.

All that does not glitter

is certainly litter,

and ought to be hid with a screen.

poets, leave it be!

even a dullard 

knows brilliance during sunrise --

poets, leave it be!