An Ode to Superman

When I was a kid of seven or eight

Comic books were my life passion

Superman stood at the top of the list

He rescued the world in fine fashion

Superman was born on Krypton

Kal-El was his name at birth

With Krypton facing destruction

A rocket ship brought him to Earth 

The baby was found in a Kansas field

By Martha and Jonathan Kent 

They named their miracle Clark 

Not knowing what rearing him meant 

Clark Kent grew up a reporter

In Metropolis for the Daily Planet

Mild-mannered, even timid and shy

He actually had muscles of granite

Clark Kent, in disguise, was Superman

He had such astonishing power

He could lift up a train or a semi truck

Or fly off to Mars in an hour

He also had X-ray vision 

He heard whispers from miles away 

Machine gun bullets bounced off his chest 

He could rebuild Hoover Dam in a day

Lois Lane was Clark’s fellow reporter

She loved and adored Superman

She had no inkling that he was Clark Kent

Clark, she thought — just a flash in the pan

Superman fought evil and injustice

Gangsters and Nazis and thugs

He saved the lives of the innocent

And conquered bad dealers of drugs

This hero had many arch-enemies

Brainiac, Bizarro, General Zod 

The most fearsome of all was Lex Luthor 

A billionaire known for his fraud

Kryptonite was Superman’s frailty

One dose, he’d be nauseous and weak

This debris had travelled from Krypton

That’s why it made Superman meek

Superman never murdered the villains

It’s because he was noble and good

He strove to make Earth a better place

And showed us that all of us could

There was much that we learned from Superman

He gave us a model for living

I know we’ll never be as super as he

But we can be more brave and more giving

An Ode to the Green Bay Packers

The Packers of Green Bay are America’s team

They’re the only group owned by their fans

They played their first game in nineteen nineteen

Their field didn’t have any stands

They beat Menominee in that very first game

The score was fifty-three versus zero

They had guys named Biggy and Hexbert and Sam

Captain Curly Lambeau was their hero

When I was just eight Don Hutson was the star

An offensive star, he played defense too

The greatest split end in league history by far

Three NFL titles were his due

Coach Lombardi arrived in fall fifty-nine

He brought still more glory to Green Bay

They won the first Super Bowl in sixty-five

Then Super Bowl Two went their way

Brett Favre joined the Pack in ninety-two

He stepped in when Magic got hurt

Seventy thousand yards Brett eventually threw

Two Super Bowls in that Packer spurt

So that’s how it’s been for us Green Bay codgers

Our moods shift around with the Packers’ fate

Fans’ hopes for the year lie with Aaron Rodgers

We trust he’ll be nothing but great

My Achilles Tendon and I

I don’t even know how this happened

A punishment for having bad thoughts? 

I raced across the street to dodge a bus

When I felt my leg tie up in knots

This happened on May Twenty-Three

Since then I’ve not gone here or there

Though I’m one percent better each day

I still plant both feet on each stair

My world, as I know it, has come to its end

No workouts, no Zumba, no dancing

I’ve ended all hikes in the forest

All running, all skipping, all prancing

I’ve stopped doing walks to my office

All sojourns to our new grocery store

I don’t even browse at the the yard sales

I’d have to say life is a bore

Of course I’m still living and breathing

I watch more TV than my norm

I keep closer track of Donald Trump 

And sit in the eye of the storm

Who would think that one muscle determines one’s fate? 

I try for a modicum of hope

Ice and rest and occasional stretching

Even so, it’s a slippery slope 

Is It Better To Be A Duck?

On summer days I stroll through the park

And ponder the ducks on the lake

I ask, “Is a duck’s life better?” 

It seems such a sweet piece of cake

Ducks float on the pond so peacefully

Dip down now and then for a bite 

They watch their darling baby ducklings 

You never see a Mom get uptight 

Ducks do many things human’s can’t

Number one, the ability to fly

They take off with ease from the water

In seconds are high in the sky

Perhaps they are not the best walkers

But no one is better at swimming 

Their feet form remarkable paddles

Made perfect for diving and skimming

Ducks also are sociable creatures

They spend the whole day in their flocks

They form perfect V-formations

Their leader is watchful for hawks

I also think ducks are so clever

Migration to Mexico is easy

I get confused on my way downtown

A Mexican route leaves me queasy

And ducks talk less than we humans

They mostly say “quack quack quack quack”

They have sad quacks and happy quacks and surprised quacks too

And hungry quacks when seeking a snack

Ducks eat more healthy than people

They do nuts and berries and seeds

I once saw a duck eat a baby frog 

Those  vegan ducks like to eat weeds

The adults have titillating sex lives

They’re monogamous but for only one year

It’s sort of like Hollywood marriages

“So long, Sweet, you’ve been such a dear”

Ducks have their babies each year in the spring

You see them go by with their mother

The ducklings swim in a perfect row

Keeping track of each sister and brother

Like people, ducks do have some enemies

The worst is the crocodile 

A duck has to keep a watchful eye

If she hopes to preserve her lifestyle

There’s one horrid truth that I’m loathe to bring up

It’s that humans enjoy eating ducks

This fact raises deep moral issues

To eat or be eaten is the crux

So here is the ultimate question

Is it true that it’s better to be a duck? 

A duck’s life, while good, isn’t perfect

To survive, for most ducks, takes some pluck