On the Farm

When shadows fall
On golden fields of corn
And my day's work is done,
I sit out on the porch, alone,
And think of my beloved Sue,
My dearest wife - long gone,
Wherever she'd be
She's still a part of me
And in my heart of hearts I know,
She's watching over me,
Whatever I do - wherever I go
And when my time is up
And I pass on,
Together we'll be - as one.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Love on Credit

She's my ever-loving bunny,
She sells me sex,
I pay her money,
But I've used up my stash
And I'm out of cash,
Now, she takes my credit card
And bills me for an auto part,
But the missis asks me:
"What's wrong with the car?"
I say: "Needs parts."
Got away with it so far.
Soon I'll need another kind of bill
To avoid a marriage chill.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 AlfredCharasz

Dreams

When dreams become reality,
You maybe the fatality,
For many a dream
Has no practical scheme...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

To Stanley K.

When my little boat
Was caught
In the storm of life,
Threatened to sink
In the whirlpool
Of struggles and strife,
You opened a haven, a port,
To lay anchor and survive,
You were my caring friend,
Forever, I'll be grateful
Till my shadows fall
And my life will end.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court
Is now so constructed
To be by its
Majority corrupted,
From fixing elections
To circumventing Congress's
Campaign Finance Laws selections
To overturning Church
And State separation
Turning the US into
A theocratic nation,
Also as a moral institution
They allow corporate interests
Legalized, unlimited pollution,
While at the same time
They whittle away at abortions
Through manipulative distortions,
Defying a woman's right to choose
Which is a personal abuse,
Yes, Bush packed the Court all right
Real tight - real tight...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

HMO

Health insurance organizations
Are cash-cow sensations
For their main aim
Is to deny any claim.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Suburbia

On Paradise Lane
Elegant living and style
Are the primary game
In a country club atmosphere,
An easy life without care,
Homes and lawns
Trimmed and neat
With pools and gadgets,
They don't miss a beat,
Families living in harmony
In a perfectly set scenery,
Keeping appearances up
That good times never stop,
All seems so perfect and fair
But beneath one senses
An edge of quiet despair
Where one can suddenly see
The hidden conflicts,
Friction and misery,
Sexual promiscuity,
Financial insecurity,
Mischievous talk and jealousy,
Suburbia - a haven with
A polished, gleaming outer shell
Hiding an inner holy hell...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Unemployed

He worked most of his life
As a loyal employee
For the same company,
But with inflation on the rise
He could barely survive,
Till one fine day
The firm moved to Mexico,
Gave him a pink slip
And told him to go,
The bank foreclosed his home,
His family is gone,
Another homeless - living alone.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

The American Worker

Outsourced by
Foreign competition,
Unable to compete in industry
Even under low wage condition,
Losing to tax-free illegal
Workers his position,
His health insurance gone,
His credit cards undone,
In savings he has none,
He looks for help in vain,
But those scoundrels
In Washington
Don't feel his pain.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Music's Id, Ego and Superego

The primitive rhythm,
The beat, beat - hit
Of jazz and swing
Are the psyche's 'id'.

The everyday song,
Direct, realistic, light
Bring the 'ego' along.

But opera and symphony
Lift one to heights
And set the spirit free,
Give us the best we know,
For they express in music
The essence of the 'superego'.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Dream of you...

On nights like these
I dream of you,
The best in life
I ever knew,
Wherever you are,
Wherever you'd be,
I often wonder,
Do you still think of me?

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Bush's Folly

Up on the hill
They pass many a bill,
Stem cell research,
End the war in Iraq,
Abortion rights and
An anti-pollution pact,
Yet, all these good laws fall
Because Bush vetoes them all,
Therefore, let all the people
Rise up and shout out loud:
'Let's throw this misfit out!'

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Anthill

Constant restrictions
And new regulations
Create anthill type nations
With Big Brother
Watching you,
Knows where you are,
Knows what you do,
And after a while,
You'll just be an ant
In an anthill pile.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Tale of Man

After the earth
Has run its course,
With life extinguished
At its source,
The planet turned
Into an icy shell,
A vision
Of a barren hell,
Though man is gone,
His godlike image
Will long linger on,
The music of the spheres
Will tell his tale,
He was as precious
As the Holy Grail.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Chelsea at Night

Let's rip off a dude
In Chelsea tonight,
I'll show him the blade,
You'll hold him tight,
If he squeals
I'll stick him alright,
But if you see the pigs,
Don't throw a fit,
We'll call it a night
And just split.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Our Society

From rags to riches,
From virgins to bitches,
From saints to predatories
Are the roads
To money and glories.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Last Call

I hear the angels calling me,
Even their white wings I'd see,
While the devil beckons me
Straight from the fires of hell,
But I love this world too well
And I don't want to go to heaven
Or, god forbid, to hell,
Though the body is gone,
The spirit wants to stay on.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Hot Gal

The hottest gal in town
Was Petty Pepper,
In sexual proclivities
There was none better,
Her father was the local drunk,
Her mother - a mad hatter,
She was the top cat
In the cat house of Itchy Flo
Where all the guys on Sunday
After mass would promptly go,
Till Crazy Kugel, the town hood,
Stuck her one night for good,
In sorrow since is now
The entire male neighborhood.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Fire

Don't try to set
The world afire,
You may burn
In the pyre...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Butterfly Wing

The air moved
By a butterfly wing
Can be the link
To events
In a catastrophic string
Which can make
A battle ship sink...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Holy Grail

We look, search and dream
But we consistently fail
To ever find the Holy Grail,
It has not been seen,
Don't know where it's been,
But it's there - all right,
It slumbers within...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Roasted Duck

They told him to duck,
Yet, he never did,
So, he wound up
In a barbecue pit,
But he got even
When I swallowed
A piece of his rib,
And the doctor made a hit
When he removed the rib,
Charged me the price
Of ten ducks and a pit.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

At the American Consulate

Let not my destiny be despair,
But let my future be bright and fair,
Not burdened by sorrow and care,
Let peace and plenty be my lot,
Not war, starvation and social rot,
Give me a visa to America,
Let me get out of Africa.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Moses Said:

Said Moses: 'Let my people go,
Leave starvation in Mexico,
Cross the desert under wire,
Go to the US for hire,
Work for wages without tax,
Send some money home by fax
And when you reach maturity,
Get your Welfare and Social Security.'

Thus, said Moses:
'Let my people go,
Let's get out of Mexico.'

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Classes

While the rich at the top
Live it lavishly up,
Dine, rollick and wine,
The middle classes.
Their work outsourced,
Are in a steep decline
And the poor are reduced to:
'Brother, can you spare a dime',
And the unemployed
Are just fodder for war
In some hot desert - quite far,
While the Congress and Bush
Redundantly argue and talk.
Me thinks, those parasites
Should be sent on a walk,
Preferably in Iraq.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Symbiosis

It's not love
Which does us entwine,
It's only interests,
Yours and mine,
For you've got the brain
And I have the money,
A great combination
To make life sunny,
So, be not my loving
But practical honey.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Ordinary Folk

We are just ordinary folk,
We work, we strife,
We barely survive,
We carry the yoke,
While the bloke on top
Collects all the money
And thinks we're a joke.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Terminal Case

To live a life engulfed
In pain and misery,
Burdened by
Constant agony,
Is not a choice for me,
I'd rather wish
For fate to set me free
In death's merciful sleep
Throughout eternity...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Global Village

The computer turned the world
Into a global village
Where the medium is the message,
Spreading news and ideas instantly
Through a worldwide net,
Creating a universal consciousness
And shaping a common bond
Amongst all nations and people,
Spreading the creative spirit of a few
To an international family,
United through cyberspace.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

The Platinum Smith

Out of platinum and diamonds
I create jewels of renown,
Fine works of art, hand wrought,
The most precious gems in town,
Highly favored by the ladies
To enhance figure and gown.

My craft and I may soon be gone,
But my little treasures?
They'll sparkle on and on...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

In the Vortex of the Black Hole

In the center of our galaxy
The vortex of the black hole lurks,
Consuming stars and planets
In its whirling maelstrom,
Cannibalizing and confining them
Into a small space, the singularity,
Where the concentrated mass
And energy of a thousand suns
Exert their specific gravity
And not even light can escape
Their huge gravitational force and
Once the entire galaxy is consumed,
The black hole may explode into a
Supernova or a Big Bang creating
A new universe or it may turn
Into a wormhole, a path into
Another dimension or universe.

Only an oracle can foretell wether
Gods, a superior intelligence or just
Arbitrary chance or circumstance
Cause these strange events
And their purposes are far beyond
Human comprehension...

Thus it seems to us, poor mortals,
That the more we learn about our
Strange universe and our place in it,
The less we understand it,
In a world which seems but never is,
Making one realize there is more
Between heaven and earth than
Meets with our simple philosophy.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Happy Days are here again?

'Happy days are here again?'
Outsourcing shows a major gain,
Devaluated dollars are a strain,
Illegal immigration is a pain,
The Iraq war is the land's bane,
Foreign relations create disdain
And Congress labors on in vain
While Bush leads us down the drain,
But happy days can be here again
If we could only find a Roosevelt
To take our country's reign!

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Lost Love

Though you've been gone
For many a year,
In my heart of hearts
You're still with me,
Right here,
Your dear presence
Still lingers on
Till my shadows fall
And I'll be gone,
But the eternal music
Of the spheres
Will tell our tales
Of lost love and tears...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Poor George

He twists, he turns
While speech he learns
And for his rummy years
He mopes and yearns
While his presidential office
Suffers from neglect
Because of his lagging intellect,
And yet, he's stubborn as a mule,
If it could help,
He should return to school,
But frankly - to be fair,
This poor chap is
Far beyond repair.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

From Nothing to Nothingness

It all starts with a moment
Of sexual gratification,
Arising from nothing
As a new human creation
And at its life span's cessation
Turning to vapor and dust,
To nothingness,
As all organic matter must,
Recycled atoms though remain
For repetition of the game
Through circular infinity
Creating a new life again,
A life started in pain,
Spent fighting for
Survival and gain
And in the end
All done in vain,
An exercise in vanity
With certain death
The final calamity.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Secretary's Ultimatum

This afternoon
At half past four,
I'll be at your
Office's door,
No one to hear us,
No one to see us,
But let my efforts
Not be a waste,
Dear boss,
I want a raise,
Or else,
Stay off my case!

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Rendezvous

In some secluded rendezvous
I'd like to dream
And spoon with you,
Discover passions, fresh and new,
With all the loving we could do
And spend the night,
Perchance - eternity with you...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Jungle of LIfe

All of us are beasts
In the jungle of life
Where the predators
Gain and thrive,
The middle classes
Barely survive,
The meek and the poor
Are eaten alive,
While mores and laws
By the elite are used
For ordinary folk
To be abused
And true morality
Is a fatality.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Old Love...

When I think of you,
I get that old feeling,
Had some lovers since,
None ever as appealing,
Our short affair
Was over long ago,
But whatever I do,
Wherever I go,
I sadly find,
Can't get you
Out of my mind...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Fading...

Fading is my life,
Flickering - the light,
Dimming is my sight,
Take my hand
And hold me tight
Ere I slip into
Eternal night
Into the 'not to be',
Leaving a faint memory...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Liberty for Iraq

Let us pick up
The sword of liberty
And give Iraq
Freedom, democracy,
But if they don't
See it our way,
We'll bomb them
Till they see
The light of day...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Art is Born...

Out of the passions
Of agony and ecstasy,
From this sublime flame
Burning in the smithy of the soul
To purge the innermost self
Through creativity,
Art is born...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Interlude

It was never love,
Only a game for you and me,
A pleasant interlude,
A night of ecstasy,
At dawn we parted
And went our separate way,
Perchance, to meet again
Some future day...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Computerized Woman

A computerized woman
Would be best for me,
I push her little mouse
And she makes love to me
But if I have enough,
I touch a button
And turn her off.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Lip Service to Morality

Preachers and politicians
Pay lip service to morality,
Though hidden deep within
Frequently lurks
A sociopathic personality,
A predatory nature
Tinged with carnality,
That's why we often
Find their mess
Exposed by courts
And in the press.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Those Gods...

Prayed to Jehovah - told me:
'Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth
And let my people go'.

Don't want to exchange
My eyes or my teeth,
Like where I am,
Don't want to leave.

Prayed to Jesus - told me:
'Love thy neighbor
And turn the other cheek'.

No good - don't like my neighbor
And can't sit on one cheek.

Prayed to Allah - told me:
'Be a suicide bomber
And get 72 virgins'.

Dead people don't
Have any sex,
Never mind 72 virgins,
Can't even handle
My wife and my ex.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Problems

Chauvinism and pride
Nations divide,
Fanatic religious diversity
May cause religious adversity,
Too much of any 'ism'
Results in extremism,
Too much of any of these three
Cause problems for you and me.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Concentration Camp Blues

Sad is the song
Of the twilight blues,
The gruesome tale
Of six million Jews,
In gas chambers
They paid their last dues,
Sent there to die,
Went up in smoke,
Way, way up high,
Their ghosts still haunting
The leaden, gray sky
And on windy nights
One can hear eerie voices
Asking - why did we die?

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

To Daniel

May the whims of fate
Bring only kindness
To your mortal coil,
May you be spared all
Tragedy, misery and toil
And let your life be filled
With sunny Sundays,
Not with drab Mondays
And may your fine artistic gift
Give your life a shining lift,
So you can happily
Pass life's every test
And one day say:
'Of all the lives
I could have had,
Mine was the very best...'

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Wake up - America

The roaring twenties
Crashed in twenty-nine
With the economy
In steep decline,
Apples sold on the street,
'Brother, can you spare a dime',
What a similar situation
Now faces our nation,
With an upward flash
Before the market crash,
With Chinese mass production
And our industrial labor reduction
While growing illegal immigration
Ruins the fabric of our nation,
And an unending, futile war
Run by a presidential czar.

Let's stop all that,
Give us a brake,
America - awake
Before it's too late.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Lonely Guy

I'm a lonely guy
In the yellow city,
A place without pity,
Dirty and gritty,
A town in decline
In a world - not mine,
My family and job
Are both gone,
I'm lost and alone,
I stew in my dingy room
In a stage of gloom,
No future - no past,
My luck fading fast,
I'm sick and broke,
I cannot last,
I'm bitter and old,
Miserable and cold,
This whole world
Gives me the chills,
I'll just blot it out
And take those pills...

Landlady found him
The next day,
Called the City
To take him away,
No family, friends,
That's how it ends...

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Drug Lobby

It is a profitable hoobby
For senators and congressmen
To get payoffs from the drug lobby,
Just to keep drug prices high,
Raise them right up to the sky.

For the public, those legislators
Do not give a hooting damn
As long as they collect
From drug czars all they can.
They lower their ethics control
And the constituent pays the toll.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Crucible of Time

Wish I could take this
Worn out, tired body of mine
And melt it like platinum
In the crucible of time,
Cast it into a brand new mold,
Vigorous, fresh and bold,
Pleasing the eye and heart
To give it a new start,
Would be a great thing to do
In an eternal cycle to renew.

Incidentally, there is some
Truth in these suppositions,
For the atoms we're made of
Continue almost eternally
In different compositions,
Within the infinite circle of renewal
They just change their positions.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Israel - Today and Tomorrow

From a haven for a small
Holocaust remnant
They grew into a strong
And vibrant nation
Of seven million
And growing ever faster;
Now, a center of research,
Science, music and art,
With a great economy
And a strong military
Equipped with a sizable
Nuclear force to deter
Its jealous neighbors,
Israel is becoming a major
Center of power and influence
In the Middle East and
Eventually the world
And their slogan is:
'To our ancient home
We found our way,
We'll grow and stay.'

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Leader

In intellect, speech
And communication
This chap is an aberration
And with those talents
Of negative creation
Into the muck
He leads our nation.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Preacher's Dilemma

'Beget, begot and multiply'
Is the holy roller's battle cry,
'But if you commit sins of the flesh,
You'll fall into the devil's mesh'.

What a perverse dichotomy
And contradictory travesty
For in order to beget
You have to commit
Your sins in bed.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz

Bipolar

At times he's in heaven,
Some times he's in hell,
His ups and downs
Are hard to tell,
From the heights of elation
He sinks into the depths
Of desperation,
So, he picked his profession
Because he's afflicted
With depression.

Who is to help him in all this?
Poor chap - he's a psychiatrist.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2007 Alfred Charasz