Reflections On the Aftertaste

Reflections On the Aftertaste
by Michael Doyle

It was just one of those endless nights
I sat feasting on a garden of fried delights
Turning the channel to hear a bit of debate
Surreally hoping to help decide the nation's fate

There on the stage were two grown men
Who had been down the road and back again
Like the pointed fingers of schoolchildren
I saw a lashing out of name-calling again

A passive-aggressive suit wanted to sell wares
He was barely able to avoid falling up stairs
Clinging to talking points, he showed his memory
Was less than desirable and has a weak familiarity

Of what passes for the life we Americans live
Under a tyrannical administration, we won't forgive
All in the name of our own good, so they say
But no one elected the agencies or their way

Whatever the administrative way might be called
The policies given have given an economy stalled
Maybe fascism isn't the way for American dreams
The evidence shown, the verdict is in, it seems

The blessing and the curse of being overtly snarky
The other speaker dressed the truth in styled malarkey
Who could blame him after a bevy of hostile charges
Pointing fingers just leads to obvious countercharges

The puppet master of the suit spoke up at the end
Obviously, his suit was unhelpful and hard to defend
How this isn't elder abuse is hard for me to understand
Unable to fill two minutes means unable to lead this land

These are simply my reflections on the aftertaste
Maybe a dog ate his homework, but he prepared without haste
It's more than hard to sit here and swallow this illusion
Let's be kind but direct about the "Medicare" confusion

(c) June 29, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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Dig Our Way Out

Dig Our Way Out
by Michael Doyle

There is no treaty we can sign
That can reach for and define
The reasons why I made a ghost of you
There is no explanation for what I do

I hide my shame deep in the shadows
Keeping to the places memories won't go
There is no honor in locking you away
The price is one that I pay every day

I feel like raging against the dying light
Throwing verbal punches without a right
It sometimes feels like a snake shedding skin
Trying to itch my way to my original sin

There's a still voice inside that says it's my friend
But all it wants to talk about is the final end
Whispering it doesn't matter how we got this far
The only difference is -- here we truly are

The truth laid down on the void of once-blank pages
Is what puts each of us in our own special cages
The further and deeper we shake and thrash about
The harder it is to ever dig our way out

(c) June 20, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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Thought For the Day: All Things Are Possible Until They Are Proved Impossible – and Even the Impossible May Only Be So, As of Now

“All things are possible until they are proved impossible – and even the impossible may only be so, as of now.” – Pearl S. Buck

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First Principles: The Right To Freedom Being the Gift of God Almighty, It Is Not In the Power of Man To Alienate This Gift, and Voluntarily Become A Slave

“If men through fear, fraud or mistake, should in terms renounce and give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the great end of society, would absolutely vacate such renunciation; the right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of Man to alienate this gift, and voluntarily become a slave.” – Samuel Adams (1772)

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Citizens: Me and You

Citizens: Me and You
by Michael Doyle

I.

This nation was born under the authority
Blessed into birth by God's wise dignity
As one filled with freedom and liberty
Given to us, not by government, but God's divinity

We, this republic, are born by providence
That all persons have the right to independence
This is especially true when oppressed in station
Burdened by excess demands and absent representation

From the Mayflower Compact, American Civilization
Rests on the reverence for God across our nation
Madison and Washington were not suspicious
Of the Commandments and God's hand conspicuous

That we, the People, were to adopt the right attitude
Keeping prayerful hands joined in faith and gratitude
Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams found Jesus sovereign
Holding all of us should keep eyes on God, averted from sin

God governs in the daily affairs of all men
Holding our liberties are held best by avoiding sins
In the complex interplay between faith and philosophy
We founded our nation under God and promised liberty

These true beliefs are to be kept in good maintenance
To pass on to future generations as our inheritance
Faithfulness to God's ways is manifest in our destiny
As such, belief and obedience are integral to our history

II.

Scriptures tell us of our duality
That our lives are led by spirituality
We are to lead lives striving for good
Following godly principles as we should

Our country is founded on the Christian proposition
From which we take our Judeo-Christian disposition
This creates a unique tension requiring attention
If we are to live our lives to the best intentions

In the beginning, God created everything
Putting God's thumbprint over all things
In this, God's reign is seen with clarity
Lived in the Garden and the world with sincerity

Don't believe Satan's lies over the truth
Those raised Christian are taught this since youth
God has always kept Himself in graceful contemplation
That each of us is to live for our redemption

God raised Abraham to raise Israel to raise our king
Jesus, the Messiah, raised to reign over everything
Yet, when the Lord walked before our human eyes
Somehow, most did have the ability to see and recognize

Our Lord want us purposefully engrossed in prayer
In a personal relationship of love with moments there
To recognize His will, not ours, is what is to be done
And that we, as God's children, are to follow God's son

Parables of priorities reach to teach by simplicity
To seek the kingdom in God's created complexity
As His disciples, we are to love with our integrity
Living out each day to our best with our sincerity

Living as we do by God's logos that is the truth
That we've borne witness to since our early youth
And instead, as an alarming number have walked away
We are to remain citizens serving heaven in every way

We, as Christians, must take our actions as if by cue
Living our lives faithfully as servants, me and you
Loving faithfully in keeping Christ in everyday
Doing this in our utmost in all Christ's living ways

(c) June 27, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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First Principles: That Form of Government Which Is Best Contrived To Secure An Impartial and Exact Execution of the Law, Is the Best of Republics

“That form of government which is best contrived to secure an impartial and exact execution of the law, is the best of republics.”– John Adams (1776)

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Thought For the Day: Optimism Is the Faith That Leads To Achievement. Nothing Can Be Done Without Hope and Confidence

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller

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Stone Cast

Stone Cast
by Michael Doyle

Memory building on this June's night
You walk beside under the pale moonlight
That you're not troubled seems clear
But there's something to the something there

These things are important to you
Let's talk about how it is we will do
This life of ours together every day
I promise my love to you in every way

Come along with me on this walk
With joined hands, we will talk
I want you to confidently know
How our love is, and we will grow

I don't want to set the world on fire
I only want to be your heart's desire
I love you with a heart that is ever true
No one else can mean as much as you

We learn, we think, we blend
Coming together as each other's friend
It's how we share each other's smile
Our worst day is my more than worthwhile

Our comfort levels are achieved
In natural faithfulness believed
And the moon shines as we walk
Holding hands, amazed; I love the way you talk

There's a look of love in your shining eyes
It captivates me as the sun begins to rise
Catching us still awake and still talking
Wrapped in my arms, no longer walking

Remembering, with one look, I could see
That I hoped you would be the one for me
One dream shared with my bride-to-be
Then the thought; maybe love will last an eternity

Once in a lifetime - seen before my eyes
This is a true love unveiled without disguise
It's in the banter that we casually share
That brings us together deeper as we care

I wonder how it will be; together - as we blend
I know you're my lover and my best friend
Being faithful comes completely natural with you
You're my one; my person who will always be true

All my inner demons are tired and put aside
No more struggle; you are my truth, my love I won't hide
It came so fast; too fast? Yet, I'm sure it will last
Our promises made, lips-to-lips, are stone cast

(c) June 26, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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Thought For the Day: When You Want To Help People, You Tell Them the Truth. When You Want To Help Yourself, You Tell Them What They Want To Hear

“When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.” – Thomas Sowell

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First Principles: The Essence of Government Is Power; and Power, Lodged As It Must Be In Human Hands, Will Ever Be Liable To Abuse

“The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.” – James Madison (1829)

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