Wednesday, October 30, 2024

DON'T DESPAIR, OHIO IS NUMBER ONE

 

What with J. D. Vance, 
the rightwing state legislature, 
and the Trumper majority, 
I’ve become more and more disheartened about the state I live in. 
Searching for positives 
I asked Gemini, my AI chatbot chum, 
what Ohio ranks number one in. 
You will be surprised. 
It’s not smoking or obesity or child poverty. 
No sir, Ohio ranks number one in one major area: 
the production of buckeye nuts. 
I should have guessed. 
This is, after all, the Buckeye state. 
Buckeyes, while attractive to the munchkins, 
are bitter to the taste. 
Eating one results in nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps. 
Eating excessive buckeyes 
one will first be paralyzed 
and then one dies a painful death. 
Despite this annoying side effect, 
our founders selected the buckeye 
to be the Ohio State Tree. 
If not for this, we wouldn’t be number one at all.

Thursday, October 24, 2024

TIMES OF OUR LIVES

 

Whenever I dropped by Uncle Kent’s drugstore 
Lucien, the pharmacist, would tell me 
“Cheer up, this is the best time of your life 
“You’re as free as you ever will be” 

I didn’t believe Lucien for a moment 
I guess I was a most mopy youth 
But now I’ve made a list from those childhood days 
Holy mackerel, Lucien was telling the truth 

Crawl right through a barbed wire fence 
Overnight camping, pitch pup tents 
Boardwalk, Park Place, such huge rents 

Capture fireflies in a Mason jar 
Ride the toboggan behind our car 
Search the heavens, there’s the North Star 

Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, a cool double feature 
Bring a spring trillium to my teacher 
That’s a porcupine, a weird weird creature 

Press autumn leaves inside a book 
Catch wiggly tadpoles in the brook 
Dribble, dribble, shoot a hook 

Cops and robbers in the yard 
Twenty Questions, that’s so hard 
Love that Groucho, what a card 

Step on a crack, break your mother’s back 
Two oreos for an afternoon snack 
Put a penny on the railroad track 

Listen to neighbors on the party line 
Eat green grapes right off the vine 
Tie pine logs with heavy twine 

Ride no handsies on my bike 
Swim the river with our setter Mike 
Make a hole in the ice, fish for pike 

Laugh at Jack on the Benny Show
Bury two peach pits, hope they’ll grow 
Make an angel in the snow 

Turn a turtle upside down 
Go trick or treating as a clown 
Triangle Park, I score a touchdown 

Climb to the top of the willow tree
Spread mud on the bite of a bumble bee 
Tease little sister, so much glee 

G.I. Surplus, buy some gear 
Grade school football, give a cheer 
Sixth grade’s coming, one more year 

Ten cents for the matinee 
Make a jar from river clay 
Snapping turtles, stay away 

Poke the ant hill with a stick 
Easter morn, get a new chick
Back from hiking, find a tick 

Catch a crayfish by its tail 
Dick Tracy wristwatch, check the mail 
Put fishing worms in the pail 

Summer’s here, YMCA camp 
Night-time basketball, use a desk lamp 
Joe Louis, Brown Bomber, he’s the champ 

Acorn battles with my brother 
Make a valentine for my mother 
Eat one carrot, then another 

Headfirst on the slide at Henes Park 
Secret messages on birch bark 
Tell a ghost story in the dark 

Buck Rogers serials, endless fun 
Cowboys and Indians with my cap gun 
Ring a doorbell, turn and run 

Skip a stone across the lake 
Santa’s coming, stay awake 
Beautiful Mary Jane, first heartache 

Now I realize that Lucien was right 
All those fun things that I used to do 
A long time since I did any of them 
Perhaps I’ll go back and try a few

Sunday, October 6, 2024

I'M JUST CRAZY ABOUT THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW

 

I’m embarrassed to admit it 
but I’m absolutely crazy about the Lawrence Welk Show. 
When the champagne starts bubbling 
my heart starts beating in rhythm. 
There’s the maestro himself 
with his cool hairdo, 
his quasi-European accent, 
his sincerest of grins. 
Jo Ann Castle hammering at the piano, 
Myron Floren, accordion wizard, 
the Lennon Sisters, their voices like angels 

Lawrence and I both hail from 
rural towns in the North Central U.S. 
His ancestry is Polish, mine Swedish. 
We could easily be cousins. 
And all that wonderful big band music 
from the Great American Songbook. 
Plus Bobby and Cissy, 
so smooth, so flawless, 
the finest ballroom dancers since Fred and Ginger. 

When the camera shifts 
to audience members dancing, 
lots of oldies in suits and ties, 
nineteen-fifties hairdos, 
polka dot dresses, 
hearing aids, bifocals. 
My kind of crowd, 
all grinning to the camera, 
all thrilled to be there. 

Some know-nothings complain 
that the Lawrence Welk show is corny. 
That’s ridiculous. 
And even if it were true
there’s nothing wrong with corny. 
Corny is good old-fashioned Midwestern fun. 

My wife claims I watch the Welk show 
just to irritate her. 
There is a speck of truth to that 
but I also watch when she’s not around. 
 I’m just crazy about the Lawrence Welk show.

Thursday, September 26, 2024

DEBATE PREP

 

Rule #1: Tell Them Who You Are 
The greatest since Kubla Khan 
As smart as Einstein or Ronald Reagan 
The richest, the best golfer 
A mistake to be modest 

Rule #2: You Are the Arbiter of Fact 
Facts are human creations 
The only difference between facts and falsehoods 
is whether people believe them 
The people accept everything you say 
Make up facts that are to your liking 

Rule #3: Breed Hatred 
Hatred is your most useful emotion 
Pit Whites against Blacks 
Christians against Muslims 
Native-borns against Immigrants 
Straights versus Gays 
Always align yourself with the white Christian nation 

Rule #4: Be the Entertainer Only You Can Be 
Politics is another form of entertainment, 
a spinoff from reality TV 
Make the audience laugh 
Tell titillating stories 
like immigrants will eat your pets 
or world leaders respect you 

Rule #5: Use Your Finely Honed Debating Skills 
Never worry about the question asked 
Change the topic, wander off, attack the moderator 
Spew out gobbledygook 
If all else fails, blame the illegal immigrants 

And if the communist pundits say you’ve lost the debate 
Go to the spin room and set things right

Monday, August 5, 2024

A TRIP TO MENOMINEE

 

A ten-hour road trip to Farm 
Day One, through Chicago and Milwaukee 
Finally a motel in Sheboygan 
And only one eighty-two fifty 

The Marinette Best Western, our local respite 
A grand view of my home town’s skyline 
Scrambled eggs and sausage each breakfast 
We slept like oak logs until nine 

Farm could be featured in “Better Homes and Gardens” 
Jim cleared a new space by the coop 
New roofs on most of the buildings 
A welcoming abode for our group 

Our parents’ presence was everywhere 
The organ refinished by Doris 
Vic’s photos, oils, and stained glass 
A paradise they passed on to us 

Jennifer, Wynn, and Ingrid drove here from Seattle
Jacob and Delphine flew in from Brooklyn 
Justin, Alex, and Leo traveled from NOLA 
Katja and I, the last to come in 

Justin has great fun with his cousins 
Many jokes, lots of laughter and smiles
An only child, his cuz are like siblings 
Well worth it to travel those miles 

The youth had their fun time at Farm 
Shooting B-B’s, riding bikes, doing art 
Alex and Leo and Ingrid and Delphine 
Growing up evermore and so smart 

Co-Co and Osa were also there 
Seattle poodles, filled with play 
They raced about, rolled over on their backs 
Delighting the humans every day 

Justin was teaching his kids to drive 
Back and forth on our road, M-3 Drive 
This struck me as a little bit scary 
But they both gave their dad a high-five 

Menominee’s the new home of six cannabis stores 
They’re lined up on Highway Forty-One 
I askedif I could buy a few gummies 
Katja scowled, “No way under the sun”

Justin brought us pasties for supper 
A reminder we were in the U.P. 
I have to conclude they were tasty 
Eaters gobbled them up with such glee. 

On Saturday we did all the yard sales 
A great buy, Katja’s colorful rooster 
Justin found me a Maroon tennis cap 
Now I’ll be an out-of-town booster 

We toured the Marinette thrift shops 
Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul 
One buck for a Menominee River T-shirt 
Plus “Oconto Golf”, quite a good haul 

We devoured our burgers at Mickey-Lu 
They’re voted the tastiest in the state 
Butter burgers and scrumptious buns 
Plus thick chocolate malts, flat-out great 

Main Street Antiques was thriving 
The top floor, Rusty Wolfe’s fine art 
I searched for Lundgren Drugstore bottles 
Once again my fruitless quest broke my heart

I love to cruise around the Loop 
The best part is Menekaunee 
I told the kids, there’s a murder each week 
I’m not totally sure they believed me 

Every day we hung out in the gazebo 
I’d say Jennifer’s the life of the party 
She reminds me a lot of her dad 
With the bonus that she’s much more arty 

Jim and Sharon paid us a visit 
The longstanding caretakers of Farm 
They keep the property shipshape 
And guard it from every kind of harm 

A family night out at Berg’s Landing 
A long-time tradition from Vic 
Walleye for me, filet mignon for Katja 
Berg’s continues to excel at their trick 

We did a quick tour of Henes Park 
The new bathhouse, a splendid addition 
The views of Green Bay are glorious 
John B. Henes accomplished his mission 

We accompanied Jacob to the river 
Vicki’s property was again looking swell 
We had a nice chat with neighbor Troy 
He still dreams that my sister might sell 

Jacob treated us to lunch at Jozwiak’s 
Their famous burger, the Wabash 
Vic and Doris’s favorite hangout 
Beer and burgers, they spent lots of cash 

Before we knew it, the time came to leave 
Tons of family photos in the front yard 
Hugs and kisses and sayonaras 
Goodbyes are always too hard 

I’m pleased that we came on this trip 
It keeps me in touch with my history 
The river, the bay, the forests, the town 
A world that enjoys its own mystery

Friday, July 5, 2024

UNALTERABLE JOY

 

Every five or six months
my father would bundle us up 
and take us after hours
to my grandfather’s Rexall drugstore
on Electric Square. 
Inside the dark store he’d let us loose
behind the soda fountain, 
encouraging us to create any ice cream 
concoction we wanted. 
The only rule: if we made it 
we had to eat it. 
As the oldest of four 
I always constructed 
the most mammoth sundae.
Six giant scoops of ice cream, 
a mix of vanilla, strawberry, 
chocolate, and butter brickle. 
Then the tongue-teasing syrups:
butterscotch, cherry, raspberry, 
chocolate, strawberry, 
peppermint, caramel, 
Topped off with globs of whipped cream, 
a fistful of crushed nuts, 
and three maraschino cherries. 
Maybe even a banana. 
So magnificent, so delicious. 
If we finished and were still hungry, 
we’d simply make another. 
Holy moly cajoley. 
These were the most thrilling 
moments of my youth. 
My father was a stoical man, 
born of Swedish Lutheranism 
and hardly taken to extremes, 
but he’d suffer uncharacteristic 
lapses into hedonism, 
and his offspring 
were the fortunate beneficiaries.

Sunday, June 16, 2024

FATHER'S DAY

 

My father died in 1993. 
It’s been very strange all these years. 
not having a father. 
Actually kind of scary. 
My father took us to the drugstore after hours 
to eat all the ice cream we wanted. 
Towed us behind the car on the toboggan. 
Introduced us to Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman. 
Bought the World Book Encyclopedia to enlighten the youth. 
Also a Hammond Chord Organ. 
Let me charge all the gasoline I wanted 
at Cooney’s Standard Oil station. 
Taught me how to do water color and oil painting. 
Rowed the boat when 
we swam across the River to Pig Island. 
Hid quarters and dimes in the sofa 
where my siblings and I found them. 
Took our Christmas trees to the body shop 
and had them painted red or blue. 
Bought me my first camera, 
my microscope, 
a tape recorder. 
Took our family in the boat 
to Indian Island for picnics 
with our dog Mike swimming behind. 
Also to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. 
And the Chicago Art Institute. 
Erected a basketball hoop above the garage door. 
Took Steven and me on a trip to Mexico. 
Hired me as a drugstore clerk 
and paid me 25 cents an hour. 
Paid my way through Antioch College.  
Treated Katja and me to a French Riviera stay.
Held family reunions at Farm every August.  
I have to say Vic was a terrific dad. 
I miss you.