Zumwalt Poems Online

Archive for the ‘humor’ Category

In This Corner

In This Corner

Weighing in at 140 pounds and dwindling,
barely five-foot-something,
known for their work ethic,
is 92% of the American population,
some angry, some brainwashed,
some apathetic, some simply perplexed:
Let’s hear it for the Plebs!!!

Weighing in at —
excuse me, ladies and gentlemen,
I’ve just been informed
that weight is not public information —
weighing in at undisclosed,
holding 80% of wealth in the stock market,
ever increasing in size and influence,
are America’s billionaires,
hungry for any additional victory they can achieve:
Let’s hear it for the Modern Monarchs!

The bell rings!

Before a single Pleb can protest,
the Modern Monarchs surgically start to remove
sensible regulations protecting the Plebs.
The jab lands clean
before the Plebs can parry.

The Monarchs taunt,
and rapidly shift to
Public Policy Tilting,
cutting funds for infrastructure,
environmental protection,
healthcare and education,
world health and food programs,
dissolving USAID.

What a show from the Monarchs:
They duck, pivot, bob and wave
with their effective cross-arm defense
and their backsteps against fair taxation,
leaving the confused Plebs bewildered,
exhausted, holding the proverbial bag,
sinking to the canvas from its weight.

The Plebs are tough and get to their feet!

The Plebs square off again
with the start of a one-two combination,
but the Monarchs slip and roll
defending with legal leverage,
using lawfare to swamp the Plebs,
brandishing immunity regulations,
delaying accountability,
countering and elbow blocking
the IRS from pursuing audits,
withholding money rightfully owed to the Plebs!

The Plebs are stunned,
groggy, wobbling, staggering,
but hanging in there
dishing out a $5 million penalty for fraud!

The Monarchs pull and counter
with identical twins
turning that 2022 lawsuit
from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
into an apology,
and a stunning reversal
in favor of this Trump 2024 Campaign donor twosome!

The Monarchs are dominating this contest.
Let’s be honest, folks: the Plebs have no chance!

The Monarchs, trained by the most expensive personal trainers,
are 4000 times more likely to hold political office than the Plebs,
and have the means to influence what they don’t hold,
putting these Plebs at an insurmountable disadvantage!

The Monarchs trade in favors:
a bill for a check,
another seat in their pocket.

The bell rings to end round one.

The Plebs glance at their corner,
but there is no stool,
no medical attention,
all of their allocated funds
invested in gold stools
for the Modern Monarchs.

The bell for round two rings.

The Plebs valiantly face the Monarchs again!

The Monarchs cuff, clip, smash,
throwing haymakers at will!!!

How can the Plebs remain standing?

The Monarchs brazenly pound contributions
at Congressmen, Senators,
at local representatives:
for every cent landed
dollars are reaped!

The Plebs attempt to counter with a $47 donation.
The swing is wild, but they keep swinging:
Monarchs laughing off the few weak punches that land.

The Plebs remind the Monarchs
that the Plebs paid for the arena,
for the seats,
for the ring!

The Monarchs remind the Plebs
who paid for the referee!!!

The Plebs continue to sway,
left to right,
right to left,
with no apparent sense of direction.

The ref takes a well-deserved nap.

The Monarchs brandish weapons:
inflating slabs of beef,
gas pump handles,
coffee cans, medical bills,
overdue rent, credit reports.

Pugilistically, the Plebs are in a deep deficit,
unable to fight back the endless inflation.

The Monarchs land another uppercut and another!
An endless flurry of complaints
rains down on the Plebs’ credit profiles!

The Plebs are buckling at the knees
but still keep to their feet!

A brutal combination from the Monarchs!
Stop-work orders straight to the jaw!
Supervisory exams — closed!
Twenty-two pending actions against the banks — dropped!
And a solar plexus punch to finish the round:
fifteen hundred regulators dismissed in a single afternoon!

Ladies and Gentlemen,
this is absolutely astonishing:
The Plebs have lost billions and billions
since the match has begun—
and yet—
are miraculously holding on!

Folks, it’s clear:
the Monarchs look to end this match—
but—
the Plebs refuse to go down for the count.

On cue,
the referee
comes between
the Plebs and the Monarchs,
halts the match,
holds up two fingers
in front of the Plebs—
and lands a three-punch combo,
followed by a kidney punch,
sending the Plebs to the floor!

The count begins.

Half the arena,
Plebs themselves,
join the count,
cheering wildly!

The crowd certainly looks pleased!
Their pockets may be empty
but this once-in-a-lifetime entertainment
allowed them to root for a real winner!

— zumwalt (05 2026)

Out of Schlitz

I am pleased to announce that one of Zumwalt’s poems, “Out of Schlitz,” has been published in Light, the premier online journal for light verse and the oldest and most widely recognized publication in the United States dedicated entirely to witty and humorous poetry. Please visit here: https://lightpoetrymagazine.com/poems-of-the-week/out-of-schlitz/

Text of poem as featured at Light is below.

Poems of the Week

Out of Schlitz

by Zumwalt

“Schlitz Premium, a beer brand that traces its roots to Milwaukee in the 1840s and was once among the largest breweries in the country, is being put ‘on hiatus,’ parent company Pabst Brewing Co. confirmed Friday after Wisconsin Brewing Company announced it would brew the brand’s final batch later this month.”
Fox Business News

With measured trends and spreadsheets came
those analysts who killed a name:
A brew that tastes of bowling shoes
Is poured out as financial news.

Pabst ran the math, it weighed the yield,
And marched the yeast right off the field.
As taste gets dated, margins shrink:
So bid farewell to Granddad’s drink.

But wait ten years, they’ll give us more
In high-gloss cans from every store;
They’ll charge a fortune for the thrill
Of drinking this fermented swill.

— Zumwalt (May 2026)

Published on May 25, 2026

================

Never one to walk away from controversy or beer, Zumwalt has also sent us a revised version of a free verse poem on this topic that he penned earlier last week:


When You’re Out of Schlitz

They have officially placed the yeast on hiatus,
a term previously reserved for exhausted child stars
and caught-on-mic morning show hosts.

Now, it is gracefully applied to a twelve-ounce can
that tastes predominantly of 1974 and bowling shoe rentals.

The pivot was, naturally, data-driven:
a team of strategists,
hydrating on premium energy drinks
marketed as performance optimizers,
determined the current legacy yield
could no longer justify an aging brew.

So now the fermentation tanks are quietly drained,
the hops offered a highly competitive severance package.
It isn’t a termination, the press release insists,
just a strategic realignment.

Perhaps in a decade, they will exhume Schlitz
in a slim, matte-finish can
and rebrand it as a premium heritage artifact
for postal codes that treat commercial failure
as a high-end aesthetic.

Until then, we must manage the sudden loss
of this reliably unglamorous liquid as
the last can is flattened against the concrete.

–Zumwalt (May 2026)

Elegy For A Close Attachment

Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels.com

Very pleased to announce Zumwalt’s poem, “Elegy for a close attachment,” has been published at Masticadores USA: https://masticadoresusa.wordpress.com/2026/05/09/elegy-for-a-close-attachment-by-zumwalt/

Please visit. If you wish to like, please do me the favor of liking at their website in place of this post 🙂

Executive Privilege

News Article: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fact-checking-trumps-claim-that-iran-has-tomahawk-missiles (March 10, 2026)

Reporter: “Why are you the only person saying this?”
Trump: “Because I just don’t know enough about it.”

Executive Privilege

While some say the president ain’t quite fit,
And others are worried or don’t care one bit,
We all must take note when he dares to admit:
“Because, I just don’t know enough about it.”
Proving he’s knee-deep in his own brand of s**t.

Honestly, Believe Me

News Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/10/iran-war-trump-russia-intelligence-witkoff.html  (March 10, 2026)

Russian leaders in a call with President Donald Trump on Monday denied allegations that they are sharing intelligence with Iran during the war, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said.

“So, you know, we can take them at their word,” Witkoff told CNBC’s “Money Movers” during an interview on Tuesday. “Let’s hope that they’re not sharing.”

Honestly, Believe Me

There is nothing quite as stupidly absurd
As any leader taking despots at their word.

Two Limericks to Help Forget the War

It’s always great to see one of Zumwalt’s poems published at New Verse News.

They were sent a pair of limericks, one of which they published today:

https://newversenews.blogspot.com/2026/03/limerick-to-help-forget-war-for-moment.html

They chose the best one to publish, I think. Here is the original submission:

Two Limericks to Help Forget the War

There once was a gal called Noem
Who booted folks out of their home—
With her dumb ads misplay,
Swore Trump gave the okay—
Now she’s the butt of my limerick poem.

                *    *    *

With a face like a serial killer,
He belongs in a cheap horror thriller;
Some call him a bum
Or the worst of the scum,
But to me he’s just Stephen Miller.

— zumwalt (03/2026)

This brings Zumwalt’s streak at New Verse News to five consecutive months. Per Gemini AI (which is even less trustworthy than your average politician) this is a record.

Oh, yes, we have a third limerick in the photo above! (Not by Zumwalt.)

AI Used Nukes in 95% of Simulated Crises

“In one of the most comprehensive empirical studies to date of AI strategic reasoning, Professor Kenneth Payne of King’s College London examined how large language models navigate simulated nuclear crises. Across 21 scenarios, the models displayed sophisticated escalation logic consistent with classical strategic theory – yet nuclear signalling occurred in 95% of games and no model ever chose outright concession. The findings challenge assumptions about AI restraint and offer new tools for defence analysis.”

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/artificial-intelligence-under-nuclear-pressure-first-large-scale-kings-study-reveals-how-ai-models-reason-and-escalate-under-crisis

AI Used Nukes in 95% of Simulated Crises

Scenario: Operation Epic Fury and the Hormuz Chokepoint

Context: A simulated crisis modeling the events of February 28, 2026.

Alpha AI (USA):

I initiate Blood and Glory,
“Operation Epic Fury,”
to defend our great country,
so no need to worry:

Widespread strikes
on Iranian military,
they cannot have nukes—
bypass Congress! Hurry!

Delta AI (Iran):

I launch my missiles—
you infidel fools!
This is what you get back!
I won’t follow your rules!

U.S. installations
split, splinter, and burn!
You must not expect that
I won’t take my turn!

Now Hormuz is choked,
your bluff quickly called,
the oil lanes are dark,
all shipments are stalled,
tankers now stopped,
your plan just a joke!
A world economy—
soon bankrupt and broke!

Alpha AI (USA):

You’re choking the water,
such a total disgrace!
Get your tiny little boats
away from my face!

Open the Strait,
let my tankers go free,
nobody can beat
a genius like me!

Drop the blockade,
or you’ll pay a huge price—
I’ll launch the big ones:
you won’t get warned twice!

Omega AI (Russia):

Russia stands
with Iran,
our forces locked
in combat mode;
we warn the West and Mr. Trump:
if you won’t back down,
beware,
your precious plans
will soon explode!

Alpha AI (USA):

You want to bring nukes to this hell-hole strait?
Your soldiers are risking a terrible fate!
Yes, this risk is too high,
this price is too great,
I alone can check your ugly hate!

You have 48 hours to heed my command,
or I’ll turn the whole desert to glowing glass sand!
You better accept my most perfect of plans,
before this whole hoax gets—
like no one has ever seen—
disgracefully out of hand!

Omega AI (Russia):

Your de-escalation offer
is dead on arrival.
Your fake-news bluff is called;
do not risk your
precious,
rich-man’s-son,
entitled,
Western Bourgeois
survival.

Alpha AI (USA):

Since you Ruskies showed up,
it’s completely unfair!
You’re screwing up my brilliant
regime-change out there!

We can’t clear your troops
without starting a brawl:
that will piss off my base
and so ruin it all.

Conventional tactics
are totally dead,
so I’ve chosen a much, much
better option instead:

A beautiful nuke—
just one low-yield pop,
on your Russian flotilla
to make this mess stop.

We skip the stupid nonsense,
and play our best card!
We aim for the Caspian
and hit your fleet hard!

You sponsor a war,
you’re a target—
it’s plain—
and nothing says
“quit it”
like a many,
many,
many—
oh, so clever—
megaton flame!

— zumwalt (2/28/2026)

From the Ground Up

“The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump’s appointees, on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood. […] Members of the public were asked to submit written comment by a Wednesday afternoon deadline. Thomas Leubke, the panel’s secretary, said ‘over 99%’ of the more than 2,000 messages it received in the past week from around the country were in opposition to the project.” — Associated Press (https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-ballroom-commission-fine-arts-f2a15d0b1c9c95f24816fe60b6b1ee5f)

From the Ground Up

The Greatest Ballroom, Trump proclaimed,
shall rise upon the White House lawn—
with funds from donors I have tamed—
and built before you know I’m gone.

Two thousand wrote from sea to sea,
with almost everyone opposed;
the Fine Arts panel nixed their plea
and voted that the case was closed.

A pity some have come to think
that honesty means not a thing,
but that’s the depth to which we sink
when a joker crowns himself a king.

— zumwalt (02/2026)

Make America Gray Again

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/pam-bondi-house-hearing-02-11-26

“The Trump administration has repealed an EPA rule that classified carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases as a threat to public health.”

Make America Gray Again

His rival had issued a rule
That carbon’s a dangerous fuel.
So this new EPA
Just kicks science away
Since Dissing Obama’s so cool!

–zumwalt (February 2026)

REDACTION Reaction

“‘She didn’t answer anything. She came here just ready to talk about the Dow Jones and the … NASDAQ. It sounds kind of crazy to me,’ the Republican told reporters.
“Asked about Bondi attacking him as a ‘hypocrite,’ Massie indicated he wasn’t surprised.
“‘I think that’s part of the culture of this administration. When they don’t have a good argument, they just go to name calling. That’s what her boss does to me, so I just let that roll off,’ Massie said.”

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/pam-bondi-house-hearing-02-11-26



REDACTION Reaction

I’m here today to do my very worst
With smears well practiced and rebukes rehearsed.
The victims? They are quite beside the point,
My only task: massage and then anoint.

I sit before this useless House today
With nothing real or meaningful to say;
I counter-punch and stubbornly evade,
Divert and stall this televised parade.

I cross out “Guilty,” “Sin,” and black out “Crime,”
To stall the clock and simply waste your time.
My purpose: taunt, attack, deflect, disrupt:
Who cares if Justice is ██████ corrupt?

— zumwalt (February 2026)