Saturday, May 16, 2026

Write off Today Then

A Work in Progress
125


Write off today then
It’s gone past the hour when
Folks back East are settling into their theatre seats 
Sipping Manhattans or whatever treats
Civilized people in a town at peace
Choose for the eve of a weekend at war

Write off today then
It’s long past the hour when
Transactions occur so hope for the morning
A night’s sleep without an air raid warning
With all that’s going on raise a glass to …
Hoping all sides start letting ships through

Write off today then
It’s long past the hour when
We should have had substance on Trump in China
Instead we’re told by people who went there
He had a nice visit    nothing to brag about 
Except we all noticed now China has clout

Write off today then
It’s long past the hour when
Anything made sense in this midterm moment
Pundits, pollsters commenting Substack posters
If this was a chess game, he’d resign, start anew
Always playing to win    he’ll end up in the stew

Write off the day then
It’s long past the hour when
Anything momentous makes it memorable
Enjoy the moment     live for each other
Hope springs eternal so, raise a glass to…
Hoping all sides start letting ships through


Dick Russell © Richard M Russell
                       2026

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Ode: To Aloo Gobi

A Work in Progress
124


Midsummer approaches
Will the fighting stop to take in the harvest?

Step out into the fields
Small drones like fast flying merlins will kill you

Muscles ache with constant fighting
Remind me for what are they fighting?

The price of oil       the price of freedom
Because they were invaded      just because

Great Britain had an Empire, bigger than Russia’s
Aloo Gobi is part of British cuisine now

England lost the Empire but got the spices
Russia’s losing to Ukraine’s constant surprises

Hoist with its own petard
Systematically destroyed

Foreseeing everything will crumble
A grandmaster resigns rather than tumble

The long days continue to get even longer
Midsummer approaches     step out into the fields…?


Dick Russell © Richard M Russell
                   2026


Sunday, May 10, 2026

Donal Calls Home

A Work in Progress
123


Once upon a time in 1969
if you wanted to call London 
you asked the Operator in New York
to connect you and you were passed to an operator 
at London’s International Phone Exchange

When connected Donal asked 
if his mother happened to be on shift
they weren’t on the best terms

because when Donal came back home from Nigeria
he’d left home to be a volunteer in Nigeria
he found himself barred at the door by Bill
his mother’s suitor

his friend Colin witnessed the door slam
Donal didn’t see his mother again
except once years later after he was married
he took his wife to meet her

long before the Londoner had tramped the Street...
listened to her many tales
who knew so many by their feet

Doris married Bill an accountant
A careful man who wore gloves to drive into town
She came to see Donal act in the school play
His mother couldn’t come working on night shift 
His mother never did see him act in plays
Doris lurked outside their curtained windows
Bill inside in the front room with Donal’s mother

Imagine the tableau
Donal doing homework in his bedroom
His sister off by herself
Mother and Bill in the front room
 behind closed doors
Doris outside the curtained windows of No. 9
Donal could write a screenplay

*

Sing to me muse as once you sang 
you who love me don’t let me hang
sing to me now don’t let the door bang

tell of Penelope in a nightie telling Donal her son
he never slept 
Odysseus
he never slept
with pajama bottoms on

a diffident child 
lustrous Penelope 
Odysseus’ son
unhugged
unheard 

Sing to me muse as once you sang 
you who love me don’t let me hang
sing to me now don’t let the door bang

*

Abigail Morris in front of Last Dinner Party dancing on stage
inspired by Mick with a hand-held mic
she’d watched him when they opened for the Stones

Briseis opened that link for Donal
He’d logged on again to rejoin the resistance


Dick Russell © Richard M Russell
                        2026

Write off Today Then A Work in Progress 125 Write off today then It’s gone past the hour when Folks back East are settling into their theatr...