Do No Harm

Another poem to ponder:

Do No Harm                          By Martin H. Levinson

so said Hippocrates of Cos,

“As to diseases, make a habit of

two things—to help, or at least

to do no harm.”

 

Nowadays

there is no single oath

all physicians take upon

entering practice.

 

Similarly

there is no single oath

all humans take when

starting relationships,

 

and that is a shame

because the world would

be a far better place

if we all vowed to

do no harm to friends, family

strangers, acquaintances, pets,

and other life forms, the rest

is just commentary.

There are Bombings in Iraq

Below, my poem on news overwhelm.

 

There are bombings in Iraq

 flare-ups in Afghanistan too,

a tsunami is hitting Japan,

a lion just escaped from the zoo.

 

Three killings in the Bronx,

two more murders in Queens,

a riot is raging in Brooklyn,

they’re calling in the marines.

 

The Democrats say they were wronged,

the Republicans say they feel tricked,

the President says his hands are tied,

the Congress does not contradict.

 

The climate is getting real hot,

the gun debate getting real cold,

student test scores are falling real fast,

the Supreme Court is out of control.

 

My walk is covered with snow,

loads of dishes lie in the sink,

haven’t done laundry in weeks,

haven’t had much time to think.

 

There is so much in the news,

don’t want to miss a darn thing,

the chores will just have to wait,

I’ll get to them in the spring.

At the End of the Day

Below, my poetic take on clichés:

At the End of the Day

Some folks strut their stuff

line their ducks up in a row

step into the sunshine

and feather their nests.

 

Other people are always at loose

ends, backs against the wall, dealing

with one damn thing after another with

no light at the end of the tunnel. Well,

 

life may not be a bowl of cherries but

the show must go on, the game’s worth

the candle so eat, drink and be merry,

but moderation is the best bet in health.

 

Don’t eat like a horse and drink like a fish,

that will make you as big as a house.

Please don’t grudge me my platitudes,

long story short, I’ve been up to my neck

 

in alligators and its been hard to maintain an

even keel, still, my father didn’t raise any

idiots and I want to age gracefully so I will

try to be cool and go with the flow. At the

 

end of the day that’s far better than getting

bent out of shape and popping one’s cork.

That’s probably even true at the end of

the night.