Civil discourse

Tea for two
by David Weller


tea for two
for you and me

rather for a cup
to sup, to gather

whether hot or warm
we charm or not

yes, leaves to please
with ease it relieves

tea in a cup
yes, sup with me


Synonymous with the British Empire is the afternoon tea. The ritual of having tea in Japan has survived many centuries; it is an honored tradition, from the preparation of the drink to drinking mannerisms. It is a ritual of civilized culture, with civil speech in a civil setting.

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At the polls: a song

AT THE POLLS: A SONG
By David Weller


Lasting in Line
is a crazy thing...
There is so much to do
before you can be voting

there is the heartfelt
chatter of hazing,
by those that have voted...

there is the cute
crashing of the computer,
by those that sell to voters...

there is the quaint
intimidation,
by those that legislate the vote...

Yes, Lasting in Line
is a crazy thing...
There is so much to do
by those that help voting

Oh, Lasting in Line
is a crazy thing...
There is so much to do
by those that help voting

This is a tongue-in-cheek look at the polling place during election day. As nerves get frayed waiting for the final count of delegates for each of the remaining presidential hopefuls this election season, a little light humor is quite called for! And, as they say, there is a little truth in humor, as, in fact, yours truly has experienced the same things mentioned in this poem at one polling place in one voting session! Seriously, though, we must honor the men and women who take time off their own busy schedules for the oft-maligned job of poll worker and thank them for the thankless work they do.

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