.........AFTERWORD — In 1937 Robinson Jeffers wrote a poem about America. The last line was: "Shine perishing republic!"
.........When I became a Unitarian our minister Bob O'Brian preached a sermon in 1965 likening America to a giant snowball rolling toward the edge of a deep canyon. He pointed out that America's problems have grown so immense that what ever we might try to do would not be enough to keep the snowball from going over the cliff.
.........Then there was this "Dooms Day" prophet lecturing around the country who said to an audience: "No matter what, in about two billion years the earth is going to fall into the sun and be burned to a cinder!" A fellow in the audience jumped up shouting, "What?" The speaker repeated the statement, "In about two billion years the earth is going to fall into the sun and be burned to a cinder!" "Oh," the man in the audience said, sitting back down in great relief. "I thought you said in 'two million' years."
........These stories come to mind when I watch CNN and listen to the folks seeking to be the candidate of each party. I wrote a short poem about them a few elections ago —

.........In these latter days, MONEY and MEDIA pick our candidates. If a clone of Abraham Lincoln were around today he would never be nominated, let alone elected president. President? Today? No way José! He was a not particularly attractive man who had a high raspy voice and a wife on the verge of insanity. But even knowing that our next president will not be another Lincoln I did get up this morning and I plan to keep getting up each morning as long as I can! And yes I'm going to vote, even if it is for the lesser of two evils