THE MIRROR, a poem

The idol, his foremost trait is greed

a voracious appetite for wealth

praise, purchased sex, gross food

His admirers are warped

striving to emulate him

Cheering his selfishness

as a towering achievement

his bold narcissism

as worthy of imitation

a reflection of themselves

In an age of i-shopping

i-phones, i-everything

an I-president has emerged

Ever ready to say

I am perfect

HELL AT THE BREECH by Tom Franklin, a review

HELL AT THE BREECH is a story of greed and violence in a section of turn-of-the-century Alabama, which is reminiscent of the wild west. The writing carried me along; whenever the author focused on the protagonist, Sheriff Waite, the book came alive. There is an element of the mystical in one character, a midwife, who has second sight. There are the innocents who do casually evil things. There is a string of false assumptions that carry the characters into deadly actions in the novel as in real life. Justice comes in the form of a crazed mob killing innocents as well as the guilty and from the sheriff who is capable of relentless brutality. It was a well-written, at times powerful book, but one reading of this author is enough.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

ON BP OPENING PANDORA’S BOX

BP on a greedy quest
Gave us an oily pest

Oh tell me BP, can it really be true
Oil in the marshes is everlasting goo



(Note to readers: Feel free to add your own BP/Pandora’s Box couplet in the comment box)

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.