Donal Contemplates Mortality

A Work in Progress
113

what breaks that sound that falls on stone

that sound of water splashing

a smoker’s cough with words to hone

breaks that sound that falls on stone

that sound of water splashing

a creaking chair where he sits alone

by a windowpane spattered with rain

dust falling on solitude in his study

where nobody needs to see you working

you can exist online or not at all

death doesn’t decree deletion

an avatar with total recall can

assume your identity before you’re dead

keep you alive extend your lifespan

after your gone your avatar can be a zombie

few will care if your agent leaves your laptop

moves beyond your initial community to find food

harvesting from hyperscaler’s rewarding 

clickbait for whatever is trending

avatars must produce clicks to be fed

in their digital cemetery of the living dead

Dick Russell © Richard M Russell

                        2026

After a Week

A Work in Progress
112

So Caesar’s crossed the Rubicon again

Gone off to war to escape the files

Moving the needle off the Epstein track

A long-playing record it keeps coming back

A war going well allows days of distraction

After a week a war starts to smell

bodies buried under rubble bulldozed aside

burnt buildings still standing where no-one resides

Slowly Pam Bondi drips more Trump data out

A woman in a real time reality show cast

With an eye on what comes after not what went before

The way she’s playing it is strictly film noir

Now she’s subpoenaed what will she say?

Will she open the floodgates let the media play

Releasing everything including some sex tapes

Reminding the public of E. Jean Carroll’s rape

After a month a war doesn’t end well

One way to stop it might be an impeachment

This isn’t a short war they’re going full bore

For Trump this war is an exit door

 

Packaged as a video game played out on TV

Huge explosions death and destruction 

The Russians help Iran target American troops

Gulf State waterworks while losing territory Ukraine recoups

A war of attrition has now begun

A race to produce the cheapest drone

No thought of we the people

Our fate’s cast in stone

Bards of old in Ireland’s green hills

Once called an end to the battles below

When common sense and chivalry made men better

Not influencer go getters and media in fetters

Dick Russell © Richard M Russell

                      2026

Where’s Catullus?

A Work in Progress

111

Where’s Catullus?

He’s gone all in and taken us with him

We’re all at war 

It’s just like him

A big distraction

Caesar’s attacked Persia

Has he gone too far?

You know he wants to go further

Alexander the Great 

Went that way

Next came Afghanistan

Then came India

Till his troops turned for home

On his way back

He died 

Leaving an empire

For Rome to conquer

Once again

Will he lose his legions

Who can tell us?

Will he lose elections

Who can tell us?

Will the Senate impeach him

Rescue the country?

Where’s Catullus?

Who can tell us?

Dick Russell © Richard M Russell

                  2026