A Half Empty Timeline For 2023
Fifteen votes to elect a Speaker,
But only one vote will undo it.
A Chinese spy balloon drifts above us,
But Air Force jets don’t pursue it.
Finland joins NATO,
And Russia is pissed,
Elon blows up big giant rockets,
But Tesla and X persist.
A former President gets indicted,
On ninety-one felonies he’s booked.
Ukraine’s counter-offense falters,
But Putin’s Chef’s goose is cooked.
WHO declares the pandemic is over,
When cases and deaths go down
Canada’s forests turn black,
As New York’s skies turn brown.
Hollywood writers and actors strike,
AI, they say, is unsound,
A hurricane lands in Los Angeles,
And Lahaina burns to the ground.
The Big 3 gets struck at all their plants,
And auto workers rejoice.
SCOTUS Justices exposed for grift
While Red States opt for Choice.
Murder in the Holy Land.
Arabs throw a climate change party,
To make oil production descend.
Mass shootings take 649 lives,
But AR sales won’t end.
This all happened in twenty twenty-three.
That’s not all of it, but it seems enough to me.
In “Hair” they promised an “Age of Aquarius”,
Where peace and harmony will rule,
I doubt that it will ever come,
But wouldn’t it be cool?
Thanks for this treat.
Happy Blue Year, y’all!
1The Population Bomb is exploding, and the world population has exceeded its carrying capacity. Meanwhile, Republicans seek to make birth control illegal, and deregulate pollution.
Hopefully, this new year will be the dawning of the Age of Rational Thought.
2Maybe the Age of Aquarius is not tied to the precession of the equinoxes (which anyway puts its start at around the year 2700). Instead if refers to us drowning in rising sea levels, since Aquarius is supposedly the Water Carrier.
Yes, I’m every bit as much fun at parties as you might guess.
Still, best wishes and hopes for the coming year. [I don’t need to encourage the gang here at the Salon to roust out the vote from friends, neighbors, and everyone who can this year. ]
3Well put, Half Empty. Here’s hoping there’s a lot more rhyme and reason and reasons to smile in 2024. And for tonight, just hoping I can keep my dogs calm, but hoping all a very good New Year.
4Bravo! Thank you for the sheer amount of time it took to compose these truths. Well done. Very sad and heartbreaking.
5All the while a US based internet provider was reading the down load from the boxcar balloon and relaying the data back to China
6If the reason to not shoot down the balloon was to evaluate the corruption of a US firm … it was a got-cha-cha-cha.
Well my brother and I do actually mean my brother, you would make our parents proud with your unrhyming poem tho they would think maybe it’s a tall tale or 2… glad they did not live to knew. Wishing you a very good year and maybe a happy new song for all of us too!
7That’s a well done poem.
8Great poem Half Empty, thanks!
9Happy Fun Healthy Safe and Sane New Year everyone!