A Plumber's Assistant, a Nazi, and an Artificial Tree - poem

 

Lawrence Hall, HSG

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

A Plumber’s Assistant, a Nazi, and an Artificial Tree

 

Nazi Rally in Madison Square Garden, 10 February 1939

 

Isadore Greenbaum wanted to punch a Nazi

And so he charged – he didn’t get very far

And was beaten up by Real Americans (cough)

          (It took only four or five of ‘em)

And arrested by the New York City Police

 

One Nazi stopped kicking Greenbaum to set aright

An artificial tree that was about to fall

Which is a curiosity – what remnant of good

Was in that man that he kept a decoration in place?

 

Greenbaum is a hero in our nation’s history -

The tidy Nazi remains a mystery

I Hear America Whining - doggerel

  

Lawrence Hall, HSG

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

I Hear America Whining

 

The world’s fattest people, packin’ the pounds

Driving in to McDonald’s whenever struck by the mood

And then to the beer joint, drinking in rounds

While complaining about the price of food

Torah is Written with Flames - poem

 

Lawrence Hall, HSG

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

Torah is Written with Flames

 

English letters are as orderly as a battle line

But Hebrew letters are flames in their shining shapes

Even on a printed page they dance in light

And with Light comes Truth; you can see God in them

 

For Hebrew letters are the Burning Bush

The fires of Mount Horeb, the Temple sacrifice

The light of a Talmud scholar’s study lamp

The light of Torah upon civilization

 

We don’t know our letters as well as we should

But God has written them upon our hearts

Driving Home After Work: "Thus Spake Zararthustra" on the Radio - poem

  

Lawrence Hall, HSG

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

Driving Home After Work:

“Thus Spake Zarathustra” on the Radio

 

The first few bars must always remind us of

That space movie from the future long ago

With sophomores beating each other up

Or anyone trying to spell “Zarathustra “

 

Without looking it up; no spelling now

Driving into a drought-red setting sun

The vapours of chemicals, road tar, dust

Allergens drifting among the toxins

 

Poetry sorts meaning from chaos seeming -

Maybe not tonight (Sneeze!)

We Are All Children When We Attempt Haiku

 

Lawrence Hall, HSG

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

We are All Children When We Attempt Haiku

 

We all write Haiku

We’re not any good at it

But we honor the Shijin

SNL: Because Men Who Betray Women are so Amusing

  

Lawrence Hall, HSG

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

SNL: Because Men Who Betray Women are so Amusing

 

Re: Bang-Bang Baldwin

 

A man shoots a woman

For which another woman takes the fall

And Saturday Night Live

Is okay with it all

Cardinal Dolan Kisses King Herod's (Hands) - doggerel

 

Lawrence Hall, HSG

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

The High Priest Kisses King Herod’s (Hands)

 

His Eminence the Cardinal of New York

 

The High Priest kisses King Herod’s (hands)

And joins him for a feast of mockeries and lies

Giving the tyrant for his crimes a pass

Laughing at Truth as civilization dies

 

Over lobster and beef they pity the poor

While robed in white ties and evening gowns

And silken ecclesiastical couture

(One of them has visions of papal crowns)

 

Gluttony and scorn at a rented manse -

All that is missing is Salome’s dance

 

2024 Al Smith dinner raises record $10 million, but decorum takes a back seat: Photo gallery - The Dialog