Bonfire of Verses – 28th April 2022

 Bonfire of Verses – 28^th April 2022

 

Twas Wodin's Day, wintry the weather,

Cone Man, prone to daydream,

Struggled to pull thoughts together,

Before dreams became more extreme.

 

Movement should never be confused with action,

Twas true, but movement could break a reverie.

Walking, even in no direction,

Was the way out the Desert of Apathy.

 

Walking to the Working Man’s Club,

Cone Man reflected:

Anger was superior to angst,

Action was superior to anger.

Planning, superior to mindless action

- without a plan nothing happens;[1]

Plans fail for lack of counsel,

but with many advisers they succeed;[2]

Determination, often the difference

between success and failure.

 

Anger's sword stuck morose flint,

Sprang sparks of illumination,

Firing kindling of inspiration,

Inspiration grew into flaming verse.

 

Mind's resurrection moved the stone,

Breaking free of procrastination's reverses.

Darkness no longer chilled him to the bone,

Warmed by this blazing bonfire of verses.

 

© Craig Turney

---

[1] Bonaparte, Napoleon.

[2] Proverbs 15:22

An Age of Fools – 1st April 2022

 An Age of Fools – 1^st April 2022 

Twas the annual Day of Fools,

A day permitting a practical joke.

Till mid-day you could break the rules,

After that you became the joke.

 

Celebrated by Europeans since the 17^th century,

Origin of this tradition remained unknown.

Cone Man suspected it was brief frivolity,

After Northern mid-March wheat crop sown.

 

The Day of Fools seemed redundant,

Out of place in a Year of Fools.

Inflation raging, tribal leaders were unrepentant,

Currencies in turmoil, tribes breaking financial rules.

 

Angst wracked the Stars and Stripes Tribe,

Looking for leadership, they saw a weak chieftain.

Enthralled by the counsel of mad, bad advisors,

Suppressing domestic oil production,

While quarreling with foreign oil suppliers,

Precipitating economic destruction.

 

Poorly advised too, was the Bear Tribe’s chieftain.

Uninformed by sycophantic advisors that:

Crane Tribe was determined to resist;

Europe would help them to resist;

Bear Tribe’s army could not persist;

More Bear Tribe warriors would have to enlist;

 

Bear Tribe’s chieftain was a ruthless realist,

Ruthlessness, however, led advisors to lie to him.

Now subservient to Dragon Tribe to exist,

He surveyed the future, and it was grim.

 

Drinking red Wolf’s Blood wine, Cone Man sighed:

“A Day of Fools in an Age of Fools …”

 

© Craig Turney

A Lull in The Storm – 30th March 2022

 A Lull in The Storm – 30^th March 2022

 

Twas Summer’s End, short of material,

Cone Man reviewed events less climactic.

Interesting times, shocking, even surreal,

Yet even crises paused for effect dramatic.

 

Surreal times made the shocking mundane,

Reports struggled to stand out in a crowded field.

What was important? Choice taxed your brain.

How to digest the daily news yield?

 

News was plentifully supplied, and free,

Expense marked oil, wheat, everything.

Inflation afflicted employer and employee,

Awash with news, all felt inflation’s sting.

 

War raged in Eastern Europe,

Yet it was not the same war.

Javelins burned Bear Tribe’s paws,

Missiles pierced Crane Tribe’s heartland.

 

Anguish defeating anger,

Horror defeating hatred,

The tribes parlayed midst danger,

Hours marked by blood red.

 

Fear of Death concentrates the mind,

Harrowing daily fear clarifies attitudes.

Both tribes were in a terrible bind,

Truth slowly began to supplant platitudes.

 

War humbled Bear Tribe’s over-reaching pride,

War presented Crane Tribe with realities harsh.

Bear Tribe saw tanks did not have so thick a hide,

Crane Tribe saw Bear Tribe stuck in the marsh.

Ruthless warriors forced to become reasonable,

Ruthless realities forcing remorseful reconciliation.

Bear Tribe saw Crane Tribe’s will to be implacable,

Crane Tribe saw the need for a neutral equation.

 

‘Closer’, thought Cone Man,

‘Still far apart,

yet getting closer each day,’

Blood still flowed, but it was a start.

 

Cone Man nevertheless had a care:

Were negotiations merely a lull in the storm?

 

© Craig Turney

No Easy Way Out – 29th March 2022

 

No Easy Way Out – 29^th March 2022

 

Twas a sunny March Day,

Cone Man was taking stock.

His life easy and far away,

From Eastern Europe’s monstrous shock.

 

Comfortable in his man cave,

Uncomfortable with his inaction.

Crane Tribe defended by warriors’ brave,

While Cone Man thirsted for action.

 

Too old and inexperienced to enlist,

Too far away to dig a trench or build a barricade.

He could do no manly deed of might,

While manly men history made.

 

Twas too soon to tell while warriors fell,

What path the antagonists would take.

Peace negotiations were painful; War was hell,

What settlement would they make?

 

Twas also fearful to contemplate,

Realignments of erstwhile friends and foes.

Permanent interests concerned every state,

Knowing not what new blocs lurked in the shadows.

 

All bets were off, all pundits were fools,

Myriad possibilities presented themselves.

All possibilities had their academic schools,

Which theories would languish on library shelves?

 

Would the Yuan replace the Dollar?

Would inflation render both currencies worthless?

How to survive without Eastern European wheat?

Would Dragon Tribe stand by Bear Tribe?

Would Hindi Tribe ally with them both?

Would the Stars and Stripes Tribe keep bumbling?

 

The terrible monster held humanity in its thrall,

Epic in scale, heedless of humanity’s fate.

Sooner or later, the monster would call

The shadows lengthened; the hour was late.

 

The monster would die hard, thrashing about’

There was no safe way forward, no easy way out.

 

© Craig Turney

God help Ukraine! - 8th March 2022

 Twas Tuesday, twas a terrible day,

Cone Man was done with wasting words.

War raged in eastern Europe that day,

Tragedy defying attempts at humourous parody.

 

Twelve days had the war raged,

Twelve days Cone Man avoided the subject.

Young Russians died, Ukrainian civilians outraged,

Cone Man knew he must object.

 

Who would listen to him?

Would verse afford the defenseless a defense?

Why should others listen to him?

Who would take mortal offense?

 

Blood flowed freely, so try he must,

Could verse help others to find their sense.

Speaking his mind, in God he would trust,

Let others mock his efforts as pointless pretense.

 

Where to begin, how could a path be found,

Out of this mounting tragedy?

Knowing not the answer, unsure of his ground,

He decided to begin with analysis by allegory.

 

All hopes were but a prayer.

Victory? Ruthless commanders and dark allies.

Peace? Conferences, concessions, and myriad lies.

Surrender? Slavery and servitude to a foreign man.

Flight? Save yourself by becoming a ‘foreign’ man.

 

Each Ukrainian made his or her choice,

Each choice accompanied by inevitable pain.

Groaned Cone Man’s inner voice:

“God help Ukraine!”

 

© Craig Turney

Embittered Recluse – 23rd February 2022

 Duke Drew declaring his innocence,

Ransomed himself from a jury trial.

Dreamt of return to public presence,

Drawing comfort from delusional denial.

 

Cone Man had no sympathy,

What man was entitled to exemption?

Cone Man had empathy:

What man would not seek redemption?

Cone Man had no illusions:

Society would never forgive or forget.

 

 

When would cruel reality dawn,

Closing in on some dreary morn?

Terrible sin without excuse,

Enduring public abuse.

Could not leave town, live it down,

Or endure society’s freezing frown,

Inevitably asking: ‘What’s the use?’

Becoming an embittered recluse.

 

© Craig Turney

The Gathering Storm – 1st February 2022

 

The Gathering Storm – 1^st February 2022

 

Twas February, and unusually hot,

Seven degrees hotter than average.

Global Warming? He knew not,

Bearing above average heat with cold beverage.

 

International affairs were also intemperate,

Crane Tribe fearing Bear Tribe.

Many with Bear Tribe irate,

Bear Tribe vexing many a scribe.

 

Dragon Tribe supported Bear Tribe,

Who likewise supported Dragon Tribe’s aims.

Sport also united each tribe,

Olympic games delaying their Olympic claims.