March 19, 2024

Nose Job

The other day I shaved my nose Without a second thought. And, now, I find my life has changed!— In fact, it’s changed a lot! While staring in the mirror I saw Some peach fuzz on my snout, And, so, I took my razor and I scraped it down and out! A few days passed, and once again, While studying my schnoz, I saw ferocious fuzziness, Like on a rabbit’s paws! Two weeks have come and gone and now My nose is cloaked in fur!— An unintended consequence, A pelt I can’t deter! I’m thinking now of changing jobs To…

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Popcorn Drip

by Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland I went to see a movie at A Phoenix metroplex And found I am a dinosaur!— A “Cinesaurus  rex!” The first thing was the squishy seats!— Recliners with foot rests!— With infinite positions to Anesthetize the guests! The next thing was the menu with Martinis and Chablis, Roast suckling pig and quiche Lorraine And oven roasted brie! And, finally, the table that Swung underneath my chin! I wondered,  “Is this hospice with A movie screen and gin?” The waitress came to welcome me Installing the IV! “It’s liquid popcorn, sir,” she said. “With Medicare, it’s free!”…

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Doug (Rabbit) Sutherland…Minister of Reality

BUT NOT DUCK The adjectives abound these days To grapple with a schmuck — The man who we all recognize As “Donald” (but not Duck)! The word, repugnant, can’t describe This man whose life is built On pompous, self-aggrandizement, Without remorse or guilt! — A man without compassion who’s A loser and a pimp, A man who puts down others who’s A bully and a wimp, A cowardly misogynist, A bigot and a fake, A narcissistic idiot, A crass, unworthy flake, A xenophobic demagogue Who’s dragged us through the muck — Inadequate pejoratives For “Donald” (but not Duck)! Related posts:…

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Amassing? . . . by Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland

AMASSING? I woke up from a nightmare in A black, depressing chill! The president had just decreed All rivers flow uphill! “Don’t worry,” he was heard to shout, “For it will be amassing!” (Amazing with bad spelling? or Just presidential gassing?) But, then, the Mississippi turned, As millions dropped their jaw, Flowed north to old St. Louis then Northwest, to Omaha, Amassing, in a world class flood, Then, surging on, upstream, Pushed on along the Mighty Mo, And quickly gathered steam, Transforming my Montana to An inland sea of sorts!– The shoreline lined with parking lots And Donald Trump resorts!…

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My Pod . . . by Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland

MY POD The podcast of my life is out On iTunes and online. So, if you’re tired of living yours, Rejoice! You can live mine! Experience your birth again That brutal, freezing day, As doc Berg drops you on your head And sends you on your way! And, soon, you’ll be rejected by Your teachers, friends and peers, Unable to learn basketball And laughed at for your ears! Then, taste humiliation’s dust Through years of workplace hurt, As colleagues soar ahead of you And leave you in the dirt! The podcast of my life’s for sale At all the podcast…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

APPLE SEASON November is the end of it– Though autumn’s gold beguiles– Another apple season ends, While one old woman smiles! For, Evelyn loves apples and She loves her apple trees, And, one last time, she struggles through Her orchard, where she sees The ancient trees she planted with Her husband, buried here– Their lives and deaths still intertwined As winter days grow near– And, holding forth their shaky limbs And offering their gifts, Her trees seem to enfold her, as Collective memory drifts To one November morning, when They knelt down, on their knees, And dreamed of apple seasons…

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Minister of Reality . . . by Doug (Rabbit) Sutherland

JOLLY PROCTOLOGY My daddy said it loud in spite Of my repugnant scowls: “You’ll know you’re growing old when you Start talking ’bout your bowels!” His words rose up in horror and My forehead ran with sweat While googling “proctologists” Upon the internet. The doctor’s name was Jolly and He grinned out from my screen; Doc Jolly loved proctology!– On colons, he was keen! He said he was a genius with His radiated gas, And, if I had ten thousand bucks, He’d fix my sorry ass! My youth has been restored again!– No talk about my bowels! (Except, these days…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

JOLLY PROCTOLOGY My daddy said it loud in spite Of my repugnant scowls: “You’ll know you’re growing old when you Start talking ’bout your bowels!” His words rose up in horror and My forehead ran with sweat While googling “proctologists” Upon the internet. The doctor’s name was Jolly and He grinned out from my screen; Doc Jolly loved proctology!– On colons, he was keen! He said he was a genius with His radiated gas, And, if I had ten thousand bucks, He’d fix my sorry ass! My youth has been restored again!– No talk about my bowels! (Except, these days…

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Doug Sutherland, Minister of Reality

JUSTICE RE-DRESSED It should have been predicted by Sheer logic of the head That Justices in dresses would Concur that gays should wed! The habits of the past were changed On that Supreme Court day– Traditional traditions all Transmogrified away. On TV, boys were kissing boys, And girls were kissing girls, While fat, white, male Republicans Were pulling out their curls. The thing that never changes is That change is here to stay, Though change-deniers backward-march To drums of yesterday. Or, as my daddy wryly said, While stroking his old dome, “The folks who stand in front of trains Will…

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QUANTUM GARDENING, by Doug (Rabbit) Sutherland

QUANTUM GARDENING I spaded up my garden and I planted beans that climb; I planted fragrant rosemary; I planted sage and thyme. I planted squash and carrots and Tomatoes, corn and kale; I planted cukes and onions, but My thyme began to fail! I planted spuds and lettuce and Cilantro, chard and peas; I planted beets and peppers while My thyme dropped to its knees! My Brussels sprouts were cheering as My garlic raised a toast; My parsley celebrated as My thyme gave up the ghost! (Make room, dear Stephen Hawking, for The Physicist of Rhyme!– Courageously rewriting, A Brief…

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Minister of Reality, Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland

JUDY’S SELFIE Well, Judy had another fight Down at her Apple store. They flat out said they won’t replace Her iPhone any more. She told them quite respectfully, The new phone didn’t work– That just like all the other times, The camera went berserk. She wore her hot bikini to Some beach that’s all the rage, And tried to take a selfie to Enhance her Facebook page. But, once again, the camera took A shot of some old bag!– A woman twice her age with warts, Gray hair and jowls that sag! And, as they walked her to the door,…

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Minister of Reality, Doug (Rabbit) Sutherland

PRISM GLANCES I saw the little girl again In that old woman’s eyes!– The look, the smile, the twinkle that Belies her aged disguise! Her eyes are prisms bending time Back 90 years or more, And, there she is, a clear-eyed child Prepared to rise and soar! My Friend, who loves a boy of two Declares with certainty, Through prism glances sees him as A man of seventy! His eyes confirm experience Of decades still unknown!– Of mended hearts and scattered dreams, The fruits of seeds unsown! In every girl of 90 there’s The child to clearly see; In every…

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Doug (Rabbit) Sutherland, Minister of Reality

THE SHROUD OF WISDOM It’s true I’m old and wizened with All systems set to fail. My knees are weak, my elbows creak, My wattles flap and flail. But, there are compensations for The countless years I’ve sown. For, all of life’s a tradeoff, and In countless ways I’ve grown. I understand my fellow man Far better than before; I find compassion in my heart, Forgiveness at my core. The multitudes petition me To council in their strife– The shroud of wisdom, settled on The shoulders of my life. They tell me that I’m blessed and wise; To them it’s…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

DOG, SOLVED It finally occurred to me Why people love their dogs! A dog is eye-contact on paws, With no distracting slogs Into the black hole also known As, “Social Media,” Which sucks up eyeballs through the likes Of Wikipedia And countless other websites all Competing for our time– The Facebooks and the Twitters And the You Tubes–all sublime, And, frankly, all compelling when We need to feel unique, And worthy of attention when We’re feeling incomplete! I’ve never known a dog who needs A password or a shove To make his eyes peer into mine With pure and simple…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

SEVENTY-SIX My birthday was two weeks ago– Three score and sixteen years!– Which pushed me past the milestone that Articulates slipped gears And qualifies me clearly as A doddering old fool, Who’s lost all of his senses and Subsists on prunes and gruel, Whose cohort is identified As puzzled and confused, Who can’t remember falling down Or how they got so bruised, But still remember Dinah Shore, And Packards that had fins, And kisses at the drive in show, And wars that all had wins! It’s True! I’ve never been this old! But, quote me when I say, “I’ll never,…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

GOLDEN SHEEP The winning daily number on The evening TV news, If changed into the losing one, Would save us from the blues: “The losing daily number is One, Two, Three, Four and Five! And, if you haven’t got it, then Be glad you are alive, “Because it’s possible you’ve won Nine hundred million bucks!– Can quit your job and buy a farm And raise a herd of ducks “Or buy a private island with A speedboat and a dock And stargaze from your villa which Is perched high on a rock! “No sense to dash your fantasies, Before you…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

A STRETCH The evolution scientists Are tracking a new trend: Our arms, for eons quite unchanged, Have started to extend! The evolutionary leap Began ten years ago– Has escalated ever since, Producing cries of woe From manufacturers of shirts And sweaters, coats and stuff, Who say the sleeves of last year’s clothes Are never long enough! This puzzling phenomenon Caused scientists great pain Until I stepped into the light,Quite eager to explain: Our butts have grown much broader with Each smart phone upgrade bought, Requiring longer arms to take That wider selfie shot! Related posts: Minister of Reality, Doug “Rabbit”…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

FORGIVENESS I found myself once scoffing at The efforts of a fool Whose awkward failures made me feel Superior and cool. But, as I grew much older I Could see another view: That those more competent than I Saw me without a clue! And, yet, we each were only what We were, and nothing more; We’re stuck with that and even though We’d really like to soar Above the cruel reality Of our quite finite selves, No matter if we’re giants or Just Lilliputian elves, We’re set down in an axiom– Forgiveness at its core: We each just do the…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

THE BEST My grandpa told me, long ago, He’d had a talk with God! I quickly raised my eyebrows and Declared ol’ Gramps a fraud! “I see you don’t believe me, boy, You think I’ve lost my mind! But God has time for folks like me Who’ve fallen far behind. “In fact, He has a special spot For those who’ve lost their game; He takes a special interest in The folks who take the blame! “In failure I was writhing–in Self-loathing and disgust! Through gagging tears I asked my Lord If I’d betrayed his trust.” “I’ve watched you do your…

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Doug “Rabbit” Sutherland, Minister of Reality

INTELLIGENT LIFE They’re searching for pollution all Across the Universe Because, they say, all folks like us Commit the common curse Of spewing crap into the air And poisoning the ground, Enabling detection, so Those E.T.’s can be found, And, finally, lay to rest the search For higher forms of life, Whose brains, like ours, evolved and grew Behaviors that were rife With growing fat and lazy while Extracting coal and gas To fuel their stupid cars so they Could slouch there on their ass And motor to extinction through Stop lights all blinking red, So, by the time we…

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