Verses from a Trip to France

Standing on the street

Where the Amexit deal

Got signed in 1783. 

Feels a bit unreal.

Among medieval thinkers, Aquinas 

Was surely one of the finest. 

A post-dark-ages trailblazer,

His arguments rocked ‘em and socked ‘em. 

Later came William of Ockham,

Who left us his never-fail razor.

Lady sitting behind me

Coughing on the plane,

If that’s something contagious,

Kindly refrain. 

Always good to be home again

After a trip to points far-flung. 

Everything feels simpler when

You know the local tongue. 

City Names

Kansas City, Missouri,
Needs renaming in a hurry.
Michigan City, Indiana,
Also makes me worry.
And as for Champaign-Urbana,
Here in Illinois,
I’ve spent some time, and boy,
There isn’t much champagne.
They really need to explain.

Augury

I try to stick to a far-distant year
When making specific predictions,
So I can be sure that I won’t be here
When they’re revealed to be fictions!