Chef's Secret
by Ted L Glines

At the place where I work,
a hotel of repute,
owned by India folks,
here's a tale quite cute.
Every morning comes the order
from the owner's spouse,
for a grape jelly sandwich,
my special of the house.
I'm the only one can make it,
she knows that this is true,
it's an old Shaman secret
but I'll whisper it to you.
Take the slices of bread,
slice the crusts off quick,
then spread on the jelly,
spread it nice and thick.
The secret's in the jelly,
as you will swiftly see,
I snag it in the packets
from the local Mickey-Dee.
I am humble in my fame,
for my culinary art;
I'd never spoil her illusion,
I wouldn't have the heart.

Chorus
by Ted L Glines

"President and Cabinet Kidnapped"
blared the Monday news
they were missing without clues
by Tuesday it was
"Major World Leaders Missing"
"Terrorist Plots Feared"
"Wall Street Moguls Disappeared"
"Fidel Castro - Tony Blair
Simply Vanished in Thin Air"
and the terrorist connection
was  proved beyond a doubt
for they could not be found
they were no where about
Arab TV strangely silent
no one bragging tattling
no strutting in Haifa
nor in Tel Aviv
and no swords were rattling
Wednesday - Thursday - Friday
brought no bombing death
as we waited - watched - listened
held our collective breath ...

Namaste
in a Tibetan monestary
came a vision of peace
all the men of power gone
what a sense of release
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

in her forests - sunlit glades
with countless sparkling pools
she danced and merrily  laughed
with her Goddesses and Nodes
thrilling to the chorus
the mighty raucous sound
those voices all around
of all her newly made
toads ...

ChatRoom
by Ted L Glines

Dracula never did fail,
beware his inviting note,
he may give you cause to wail
with a sweet little kiss on your throat.

When black widow says "Come to dinner,"
you may wish to look at her venue,
no need for pomp - you sinner
when you're the one on her menu.

If a cannibal fondly smiles
and says "Please come for tea,"
beware his ingestive wiles
or his "tea" you will certainly be.

As the scorpion said to the maiden,
"I was always a poison cup,"
(and the light in her eyes was fadin)
"you knew when you picked me up."  *

"Sugar will catch more flies,"
so goes the wisdom of ages,
and  you may be caught by lies
like a fly on sticky-sweet pages.

Author's Notes: *  ("Like the scorpion said to the  maiden as she lay dying, 'You  knowed I was poison when you picked me up.'"  ~Stephen King, "Wizard  and Glass") . And this (?) reminded me of Chat Room  Internet dangers.  Older predators pretending to be sweet teens, and sweet teens  pretending  to be more experienced than their years - both of them heading toward  the disaster which lurks in the swamps of Forbidden Fruit. It  happens every day  on the Internet, and the next victims may be  our own children. Chat - a place  where friends from all over the  planet may meet to enjoy each other - so  terribly misused by both  predators and their so easily fascinated prey. If you  ever see  your child in a Chat Room, and she types "pos" (parent over shoulder)  and sends it, shut off the computer. Could be "mos" (mom over  shoulder) or "dos"  (dad over shoulder) . This child you save may  be your own.