Steve Haarman

 
Alopecia
Pacific Ocean
Indoor plant
Aloe lotion
 
Willie Nelson
George Jones
Mrs. Butterworth
Ice cream cones
 
Wind-up cars
Greyhound bus
O Suzanna
Elizabeth
 
Cuckoo clock
Regulator
NRA
Trouble-maker
 
Electric train
Insulator
Clean white teeth
Instigator
 
Milky Way
Perpetual motion
Sitting Bull
Indian Ocean
 
Stone Mountain
Abraham Lincoln
St. Louis Cardinals
Pentagon
 
Friday night
Sunday paper
Chocolate soda
Alligator
 
Snake-skin shoes
Easter parade
Baseball game
Panty raid
 
Alabama
Live oak tree
Blue-green algae
Summer breeze
 
California
Thousand Oaks
London Museum
Penny pokes
 
Bicycle chain
Wagon wheel spokes
Apple pie
Bull frog croaks
 
Sewer pipes
Manhole covers
Sandy beach
Piping plovers
 
Stanski
April 26, 2020
 
 
 

I hung my wig, old and
Moth ridden on the wall, 
Then walked to clean up
Down a long forsaken hall
 
Dirty and smelly, the water cold
I felt so lonely and empty, but
The rent wasn’t much at all
I sat on the throne; I was King Tut
 
My life, my good life passed
Right before my cloudy eyes
Tears began to well up
I thought of all the goodbyes
 
There was a day I could rattle chains
Cause people to stop and turn
Success after success followed me
You would think that I would learn
 
But power is power and
To have it is often fine, but
I wanted more and then more
Soon it was the end of the line
 
I was besieged by my enemies
They threw me out in the streets
I disguised myself and left town
There was no one I wanted to meet
 
I became a vagrant
When my money ran out
A fallen hero, unclaimed
I had lost all of my clout
 
I finished; returned to my room
Laid down on my musty bed
I was found there the next morning
The sad one was now dead
 
Stanski
April 24, 2020^
 
 

I hung my wig, old and
Moth ridden on the wall, 
Then walked to clean up
Down a long forsaken hall
 
Dirty and smelly, the water cold
I felt so lonely and empty, but
The rent wasn’t much at all
I sat on the throne; I was King Tut
 
My life, my good life passed
Right before my cloudy eyes
Tears began to well up
I thought of all the goodbyes
 
There was a day I could rattle chains
Cause people to stop and turn
Success after success followed me
You would think that I would learn
 
But power is power and
To have it is often fine, but
I wanted more and then more
Soon it was the end of the line
 
I was besieged by my enemies
They threw me out in the streets
I disguised myself and left town
There was no one I wanted to meet
 
I became a vagrant
When my money ran out
A fallen hero, unclaimed
I had lost all of my clout
 
I finished; returned to my room
Laid down on my musty bed
I was found there the next morning
The sad one was now dead
 
Stanski
April 24, 2020^
 
 

 
Once one is acclaimed as outstanding
In their opinions and on what they write
Their words take on biblical proportion
Even though the truth of everything, no matter
The slant, remains the truth which cannot be altered
 
Hail to those who wave the flag and
Point out the plight of the polar bear,
The melting polar caps and rising sea
Science when studied in depth
Tells us a different story
 
No one sins by silence when they disagree
DDT when used properly is effective
When banned it has no effect and while it
Could have saved millions of lives in Africa if
It had it been used properly to kill the infected
Female anopheles mosquito which carried
The Plasmodium parasite, it wasn’t
 
It would have saved Jimmy Carter the need to pass out
Mosquito nets in the dire areas of that country
And receiving the glory and coverage
Given to him by the Smithsonian Magazine
Because of the lives he was saving
 
People were pulled in unwittingly to:
The Sierra Club, National Audubon Society,
Green Peace, World Wildlife Fund and others
And sold the idea that America is ruining the planet
 
Those profiting from these and other clubs
Go home at night and turn on a switch and
Have electricity available to them for heat and
Hot water along with refrigeration
They are happy people and enjoy these blessings
While being critical of those who provide it
 
Pollution exists now and has for as far back
As we have recorded history.  Big steps have been taken
To improve condition in our country while giving a pass
To China and India and other third world countries
Reality may be reviewed and one person is not responsible
For our vulnerability as some would like to point out

A succession of bad decisions over many years by various
Countries and administrations has allowed
The whole world to be potentially at great risk
Now one could ask who are the
Sinners by silence or the sinners by protest
 
Many industries have folded 
Who avoided telling the obvious truth?
It was proclaimed that certain birds including
The Northern Spotted Owl needed old growth trees to breed
The lumber industry in the Pacific Northwest closed down
 
The same birds later were found breeding and nesting
In Target and Walmart Signs on buildings nearby but no one cared
Because truth deniers had accomplished their goal of
Shutting down a great lumber industry causing great
Harm to the area and the workers as well
 
The scientific worldview seemed to coincide with the aspect
Of man caused global cooling, then man caused global warming, and
Finally because of acceptable terminology manmade climate change
Scientific consensus became science for many who traveled the
Globe in private jets, but bought carbon credits to cover themselves
 
A former presidential candidate from Tennessee is one who
Travels the world in his private jet going to meetings on climate change
Zinc is mined on his father’s land and resulting pollution puts the
Cumberland River Valley and the Tennessee River at risk
We would like to interview him about the alternative facts
Hammered from the bedrock of reality
 
Muses and poets may be praised for their efforts
Truth will eventually raise its head and those
Who so wanted to be correct will find themselves
On the wrong side of the equation
The Light will overcome all darkness
 
Stanski
April 24. 2020 ^
 

 
Everyone is in wonder
How long can this thing last? 
Who much can we endure?
We entertain ourselves on Facebook
Or watch movies on Netflex
While still wondering
If this condition will go on and on
 
We are the fortunate ones
We have sources for what we need
Can basically live in luxury while
Many about us are suffering.
Some are without work because
Their employer had to shut down
It is, in this case, a bad situation
 
Everyone has an opinion
Many have prejudices and
Are blatant in voicing them
The finger of blame is pointed
Everyone in their mind is right
Even without the virus
This is a bad situation
 
We hear and repeat
Without checking the source
Become parrots without knowing
We think we are smart
But God forbid we are proven wrong
The sad thing is that this is what we are
A malignancy that eats us up
 
There is hope
People are waking up
They can see who is tending the fire
They know who have caused the waste
And that things are not as they seem
Vigilance is the answer and
Openness to new ideas and positions
 
Stanski
April 23, 2020 ^
 

This morning looked bleak
Two inches of snow and
A beautiful wind storm
It looked like a blizzard
There were white outs
Traffic at a standstill
Don’t worry
We are used to this
Six months in a row of snow
Icy roads because they
Don’t plow on the weekends
Unless there is over four inches
Then during the week the
Snow plows scrape down
The clear roads pushing
Dirt, ice and snow to
The shoulder and beyond
You can see sparks and smoke
 
It is almost May
Maybe the worst is over
Ice in the lake is mostly gone
Fishing is from the docks
Not a lot of action though
Nature does not keep a schedule
We are under quarantine at the time
The Covid-19 has us tied down
Many think it is a China conspiracy
Churches are fined if anyone congregates
Non-essential businesses are closed and
On the way to bankruptcy
The snow takes your mind off of this
You stay at home and pray
Pray that others are safe
No selective surgeries can take place
Bureaucrats know how to take care of us
They know April blizzards among other things
 
Stanski
April 22, 2020 ^

When it is time to write
And you are sitting in the same place
Wondering what you want to say
One would think that bewilderment would set in
But that is not the case
It is opportunity coming your way
There are many people waiting to be entertained
Waiting for information that will set them straight
 
They look for light at the end of the tunnel
Life has been a cramped up situation for them
Trapped between different points of view
They don’t know which way to turn
I can take you where you need to go
Just follow me, follow me
I see your frown changing to a smile
Just follow me, follow me
 
You have followed before and were left stranded
Your faith in others has been depleted
So many promises made which you believed
So much hope and so little change
Now you are asked to listen again
And you see for yourself, new chances
Life has no guarantees
But you can succeed if you give it a try
 
There is a Light to follow; not obvious to all
There will be leg work involved
Reaching the goal is not always easy
You have to trust those who guide you
Listen carefully to their every word
Just follow me, follow me
I will lead you down an unbroken path
You will make it; just follow me, follow me
 
Stanski
April 21, 2020

I feel so sorry for those
Who tend to lean the wrong way
And depend on morsels of news
To give affirmation to their views
 
Somehow, along the way,
They have been dragged into
That web of society which
Tends to disrupt the natural flow
Of sane and working people, who
Have found success by following
The precepts of natural being
 
Which means being prepared and
Involving themselves in action
Rather than observing it from a distance
And then criticizing the efforts and
Creating obstacles which attempt,
Although foolishly, to stop progress
 
They are the Pied Pipers for the Devil
They will distract many and because
Their false promises of utopia
Which cannot be sustained, but are
Convincing attract followers and
By narrative, blind them from the truth
 
How unwise these followers are
They have left their safe harbor,
Their shelter, for what they call life
But this is not life
It is spineless existence
A scheme of evil which whittles the heart
Where false hope and doubt exist
 
Who of those who have lived life
Would cherish and long for this
Only the sad who feel that fulfillment
Comes by languishing in the den of evil
 
Stanski
April 20, 2020 ^

Days go by
One after another
I get lost 
They all seem like Saturday
It doesn’t matter
You can’t go anywhere
Nothing seems essential
Small business survival
Does not seem important
These merchants are nervous
Gritting their teeth
Precautions can be taken
They are smart people
Business people are that way
It is the customers who are careless
Hygiene and masks
Social distancing
All are important
All can be done
It is not a game
Survival of business is also not a game
Relief is needed
Our curve has flat lined
Time to open up
Just be prudent
Downstate is a different story
Population numbers are different
Death occurs every day
From all sorts of reasons
We cannot prevent death
We can be wise and use safeguards
Leaders try to make good decisions
One size has never fit all
This should be taken into consideration
We should put a halt on the blame game
It does nothing but cause apprehension
Disinformation is disservice
This is not politics
It is life and death
Small businesses are the victims
Open up
 
Stanski
April 19, 2020
 

 
The day is quiet
How unusual
It is a Friday
Sun is shining
Sky is blue
Wind is blowing
But not too cold
Life is surreal
An abstract painting
People hobbling along
Don’t know what to do
Kindness is apparent
People wanting to help others
Limited however by the rules
Some of which make sense
Others give cause to wonder
We have to wait it out
All areas are not the same
All surgeries are not the same
Some not allowed are very
Similar to ones that are allowed
We are trying to prevent death
Attributed to the Covid-19
Lives of the unborn are
Allowed to be taken
It is a bazaar world
A circus with many performances
Wild animals trained to dance
The holder of the whip is supreme
We will eventually flatten the curve
The normal deaths each day will continue
We will feel comfortable with this fact
We can avoid most pitfalls
Ring bells to celebrate truth
The show is over
Blamers will be quiet for a day
Then start pointing fingers
Why not?
What are epics for?
 
Stanski
April 18, 2020