Pulaski
by Ted L Glines

Hotel work is cool,
ya meet the whole gene pool,
some of them folks
are tellin jokes
and some of 'em act the fool.
Tell ya 'bout Jim Jones,
big ole sack of bones,
country boy,
his mommas's joy,
from the land of hot cornpones.
From Pulaski, Tennessee,
just proud as he could be,
he grinned and bragged
(I could have gagged)
'bout Pulaski's history.
No room for any scorn here,
a-tootin on his horn here,
a downtown plaque
declared the fact
"the KKK was born here."
.......... well  ..........
There'd been trouble from outsiders,
skinheads and low-riders,
fightin and a-cussin,
lots of racist fussin,
and scared the law-abiders.
The City Fathers frowned,
all that fightin in the town,
they would keep their pride
even if they had to hide,
so they turned that plaque around.
.......... and ..........
Now  -- I ain't ever rude,
but I found his story crude,
I may be white
but black is tight;
devil take this racist dude!!!
As quick as I could be
I said, "drive carefully,"
I sent him back
where things ain't black,
in Pulaski, Tennessee

Author's Notes: This  is a true story, as told to me  by  one of my departing hotel guests.  In this business, you get to hear about  places and viewpoints  from all over the globe. I always ask the guests about  their hometowns,  and what they share is always interesting, but not always  uplifting.

Purpose
by Ted L Glines

Ya'll need to have
a purpose in life
for life with no purpose
is meaningless strife
with no validation
no chance for elation
just long approbation
and endless frustration

as a very young man
with everything pending
I saw there were folks
who asked for offending
ever ready to take offense
never accepting recompense
(playing “poor me” seems dreadfully dense)
never showing a lick of sense

ah ha, said I
seeing my chance
I'll spend my life
putting ants in their pants
so from that day to this
my life has been bliss
poking frownies who hiss
(so many frownies, so little time
making them mad with innocent rhyme)
it's my job, my purpose, I wouldn't miss
my chance to offend - (even with this?)

and I can tell it's working ... says the clown
I stand on my head to watch people frown
and a frown is a smile from upside-down!

Proud
by Ted L Glines

Colonel's chicken -- really nifty
taste is great -- finger lickin'
but he wants a dollar fifty
for a piece of crispy chicken.
I figure he's too proud
and he must be allowed
to munch that crispy chicken
by himself.

To Iraq goes Uncle Sam
home of  Jihad -- Holy war
be a voter -- try some ham
teach the Sunnis to be poor.
I figure Sam's too proud
and he must be allowed
to keep his western lore
for himself.

Missionaries coming 'round
pushing spiritual relief
selling Heaven by the pound
if I embrace their belief.
I figure they're too proud
and they must be allowed
to keep their faith belief
to themselves.

I came here just like you
born to learn and grow
I'll die when my time's due
knowing what I know.
And if I am too proud
I will always be allowed
to keep the things I know
to myself.