mcradloff Poetry (529)

I got a call from my mom
Three of them
I was out trying to watch the sun set
I couldn't because clouds were near the horizon
I couldn't get a hold of her
I went the next day to see what she needed
Money
I knew where the money she had went
Her grandson had gobbled it all up
The drugs, the cigarettes, fast food every day, trips all over
She loves her grandson
Enough to exclude all the rest of her kids, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
I don't know how long she can keep it up
Are there loans against the house?
How far in debt is she really?
There are plenty like her in the same situation
I call it stealing
Others might call it elder abuse
Either way, it sucks, big time!

I went to Belmont, Wisconsin
I asked at the gas station if there was a parade
I was told yes there was
I went to my usual spot in front of the post office
I read my books, one on stories from Vietnam Vets called Nam by Dave Baker
Another book was ghost story from my childhood about a miser
Called Walking Otto who befriended a ten year old girl
I ate my beef sticks from Haubers in Dickeyville
Ate my string cheese from Piggly Wiggly
Played Tetris on my Nintendo DS
Listened to Key and Peele and the George Floyd Funeral on my recorder
I finally left at ten minutes to ten o'clock
There was no parade, but there was a fair with cows, pigs, goats, rabbits
And chickens, no rides, no food
At least I tried to go to a parade

Whitney Houston was one of my favorite artists growing up
The Greatest Love of All
How Will I Know
I'll Always Love You
1991 Superbowl National Anthem
and a slew of other great songs she sang as only she could
Then she met Bobby Brown
And it was a shame
He certainly isn't alone in the secret abuse that goes on behind the silver curtain
There are many, many more who have fallen to drugs and inner demons
Whitney has been gone for over eight years now
Bobby still lives on and is 51 now
Hopefully he is away from the drugs that destroyed his wife
And hopefully other will learn from this and find peace in this world without drugs
As Whitney so famously said, "Crack is Whack."

Prince and Michael Jackson
Both were awesome artists from the best decade in music
The 1980's
Michael started out on top with his Thriller album
Prince came out with Purple Rain
Both have some awesome songs
Prince's When Doves Cry
Michael's Billie Jean
Both were Jehovah Witnesses
I was approached by one on a walk this week
I researched some of their beliefs
They don't celebrate birthdays or holidays like Christmas
They don't vote
I think Michael did celebrate birthdays and give presents
I don't know if Prince did or not
There is no question which was the bigger influence
Michael Jackson
The 80's wouldn't have been the same without them

I saw the Cubs playing baseball against the Pirates
No fans were present
The Cubs are one of the most popular teams with good attendance in 2019
Good attendance all the other years too
I went there in 2000 to see Sammy Sosa play
It is surrounded by houses
It has a nice family feel to it
With the ivy just coming in when I went there in May
Now it looks like all sports are going to be fanless
The Packers are playing next week in Minneapolis against the Vikings
There is no decision as of yet, but likely will have no fans
No horns, no purple, no beer, no hotdogs, and no cheering
I went to 11 games at Green Bay since 2006
It is an experience
It is fun
And it will be sadly missed by many who enjoy sports
Weather it's baseball or football

Once again the Democratic committee hand picked who they wanted
The people wanted Bernie Sanders
Instead the people got me
I think I'm better than Hillary Clinton
And thankfully the economy is in the crapper
So I'll have a better chance this time around
As far as my accomplishments
Umm....
I did help a child who stutters just like I used to
That's something, right?
So vote for me America
Or you'll have another four years of making fun of the orange man
Donald Trump!

Kermit the Frog had a hit back in November of 1979
A song called Rainbow Connection
I got my record of it this week
I first discovered the song when I found out my dad would soon be dying
I found out last month that a child adopted after parents loss of a child
Is called a rainbow adoption
I also have Gwen Stefani's version of it
As well as another version from a recent Muppet Movie
I found a video of it with Debbie Harry from Blondie singing it with Kermit
I see maybe one or two rainbows a year, some are double rainbows
Starting at the bottom the rainbow the colors are
Purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red
The last line in the song is
Some day we'll find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers, and me

I have had a neighbor since January of 2019 park way too close
This morning I wanted some snacking bacon from Dunkin Donuts
I try to get in my car and I can't get in because her car is parked too close
I can't slide in, so I crawl over the passenger side and get in that way
Now my leg hurts from having to contort my body to get in my driver's seat
I couldn't even get my bacon in Platteville because they open at 6
I got there at 5:30
So I drive to the one in Dubuque which is about 27 miles
They open at 5
If I go to the Landlord again, she will tell me to talk with Mary
I just talked to her last week about it
She says she's sorry, but I don't need sorry
I need her to quit parking me in
So I will have to do one of two things
Either back in, so my driver's side faces the other side
Or park in my neighbor's parking spot
I guess I'm backing in
Cause my leg is @#$%ed!

I started my day of celebrating black history month by listening to Sam Kinison
On his Live From Hell CD he talks about how rap sucks
In it he mentions 2 Live Crew's album As Nasty As They Wanna Be
The songs are offensive
I sang to Bobby Brown's No Humpin Around in my car
I also sang to Michael and Janet Jackson's song Scream
The movies I saw were Lean On Me, 187
Both movies about teaching, the first had a good ending, the other didn't
Higher Learning was another movie about teaching with a bad ending
I think of my old neighbors from my childhood, the only black people in town
I think of Anthony Ferrill, a black man who was racially harassed at work
He shot five people dead, including himself
He had a good job as an electrician for 20 years there
My hero Bill Cosby was Fat Albert and on Captain Kangaroo when I was little
Michael Jackson wowed me with his moon walk and his Thriller Album
Sammy Sosa played for the Cubs and the Orioles and had a cool gesture
Reggie White was the most popular defensive player for the Packers
Oprah brought me Dr. Phil who I still watch five times a week
Dave Chapelle has been making me laugh since 2003
I even liked Barack Obama till 2013, I still have my tshirt from 2008
Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were hope masters for us
I am thankful for them all as they have deeply enriched my life

I have to answer this question with No! and Hell No!
My experience was no picnic, that's for sure
I didn't even get an apple!
What I did get was a lot of abuse
Let's start with my paycheck
The pay from over 25 years ago has only gone up by about one percent
The cost of living goes up way more than that
Pay for a catholic school teacher in 1994 was 13,500 a year
Now it's 18,500
Sure the public school teachers get more
But since 2003 when Walker came in to bust up unions
The work started by Reagan, teachers have jumped ship in droves
So what should the pay for a teacher be?
I would say that it should be at least 50,000 dollars a year
Give these teachers some respect
And give them the same deal the teachers who were old enough to retire in 2003
It shouldn't have to be all about the money
But without it
You'd be better off mopping floors
At least you won't be subjected to the public humiliation

Tattle tale
Fink
Nark
Rat
Snitch
Whistleblower
These are the words that could describe Ted Kaczynski's brother David
I ask myself, could I have done what he did?
What about all the people who stand by and don't become a rat or a snitch?
It's hard, especially when you are afraid of the fall out
If you love that person then they will probably shut you out of their life
I think what he did was the right thing to do
And it saved a lot of lives
I have a friend who has a brother who has two sons
One was drinking and driving and his dad called the cops on him
He snitched on his own son because he has seen the carnage as an EMT
He didn't want his son to be part of that, and loved him enough to stop it
David Kaczynski saved at least 38 people in the 25 years Ted has been in prison
I know they are thankful

There are millions of Americans who spend a big part of their budget on debt
The interest rates can vary wildly from three to three hundred percent
If you have good credit you get three
If you have bad credit you get to pay a lot more
And continue to pay and pay and pay
With nothing to show for it
What about our national debt
At 23.2 trillion and rising around a trillion a year as of late
Ronald Reagan was the first to reach the trillion dollar mark
Obama was the first to add ten trillion in just eight years
The ones at the top and the voters who tend to be older
They just don't seem to care at all
Just gimme gimme gimme
With no concern what the future generations will have to endure
So they can steal
Ross Perot
Where are you?