Poetry: Election Dejection

The heat of summer

Fries the pavement,

Wilting flowers 

While sucking dry
Any ambient moisture.  

Election season rages on, despite this heat. 

Or the resultant drought. 

Or earthquakes in Iran. 

Or current economic troubles or triumphs.  

Election season rages on.

Lies pile onto lies,

Burying the Truth

Until the truth is no longer.

Mudslingers, naysayers, accusers, 

Political pawns willing to sacrifice their own morals

For a chance at 15 minutes of fame.

Or to be the next Sarah Palin.

Doesn't everyone want an obnoxiously colored bus with their name on it?

Local elections in July

Chase down independents,

Democrats,

Republicans,

Each one vying to get a vote

For their Favorite Cause,

Favorite Candidate,

Favorite Bill.

But no one stands willing to listen to others,

Engage in a real debate,

Reform opinions based on facts,

BE HONEST!!!

The lies of the elections

Pervade and Pervert 

That which they lie for.

The Preamble to the Constitution

Now tells its own lie.

We have no justice,

No domestic tranquility,

No common defense,

No general welfare,

For ourselves or our children.

The Bill of Rights

Now tells its own lie.

We only have rights

IF the government does not declare us terrorists.

One statement,

One word,

And we lose every right.

They say that Evil only prevails

If good people do nothing.

If good people look the other way.

What are you looking at now?

by Kathryn Patterson, 

It's The End of the World As We Know It....

It's the last day of the 2011 - 2012 school year!  That means in less than 2 hours, I will have a fifth grader and an eighth grader - woot!!!  One more year, I will no longer be an elementary school mom.  One more year, and I will become a high school mom.

Something about today makes me feel as though this is the end of the world as we know it.  Both of my kids keep growing up, gaining faith in themselves as they expand their world.  Both kids now have the run of the neighborhood and the surrounding areas on their bikes; they can bike to the library, to Target, to the swimming pool, and to the bike shop.  Both kids want to learn how to cook more meals, so we already started on menus.
My daughter knows how to solder, and has two or three projects just waiting for her to have the time.  My son loves paintball - luckily the field is close by.  And both kids love science - can you say homemade liquid nitrogen?

The most exciting part of the summer, though, is called Camp Terry.  My son, Terry, decided to run a week long summer camp for a neighborhood boy (a six-year old friend of the family).  Terry planned out activities to do every day, including a field trip, and even offered to watch this kid overnight.  When my daughter, Rachel, asked what she could do, Terry offered to hire her as a camp assistant.   So everyone is now happy and looking forward to having the best week of the summer. :-)

As for me, I need to balance writing, programming, and spending time having fun with my kids.  I love doing science experiments, doing large art projects, and exploring areas of Georgia.  Mostly, though, I just like hanging out and discussing life, liberty, and the universe.

I hope you have a wonderful summer, wherever you are.