"Takin' the wild out"
WHOA, BUCK!
When I was just startin' to learn my way
I heard my dad quite often say
"Whoa" or some such as that
Especially when I got near his good hat
"Whoa" was most often over-used at home
With a toddler such as me, just startin' to roam
It was probably the first word I ever heard
Later it was the hands' most favorite word
Now, back in those days, most things came from a catalog
Being quite young, I thought I heard 'em say "cattle dog"
Anything that was needed was ordered and brought by mail
On the day of arrival, excitement and disappointment prevailed
Over and over again that scene played out as I grew up
And each time I was expecting to see a brand-new pup
Finally, just when I was old enough to help with feeding
Dad came home with two good pups of stock dog breeding
I was still young enough when I heard 'em talk about catalog shopping
Always from the same mail order outfit, according to my eavesdropping
Well, I thought that's where dad got my two new best buddies
In fact, I was sure of it, as sure as I am of the prevailing westerlies
I begged and begged Dad to let me keep 'em as a pair
They were Aussie sheepdogs with extra long hair
It was Summer time and Dad said they needed a cut
So he got out the clippers and they both got plucked
Just then, I thought of the perfect name for each
I was remembering that catalog and my childhood speech,
When I thought about how I'd come to such good luck
So I gave 'em their special names, "Shears" and "Whoabuck"
When I was just startin' to learn my way
I heard my dad quite often say
"Whoa" or some such as that
Especially when I got near his good hat
"Whoa" was most often over-used at home
With a toddler such as me, just startin' to roam
It was probably the first word I ever heard
Later it was the hands' most favorite word
Now, back in those days, most things came from a catalog
Being quite young, I thought I heard 'em say "cattle dog"
Anything that was needed was ordered and brought by mail
On the day of arrival, excitement and disappointment prevailed
Over and over again that scene played out as I grew up
And each time I was expecting to see a brand-new pup
Finally, just when I was old enough to help with feeding
Dad came home with two good pups of stock dog breeding
I was still young enough when I heard 'em talk about catalog shopping
Always from the same mail order outfit, according to my eavesdropping
Well, I thought that's where dad got my two new best buddies
In fact, I was sure of it, as sure as I am of the prevailing westerlies
I begged and begged Dad to let me keep 'em as a pair
They were Aussie sheepdogs with extra long hair
It was Summer time and Dad said they needed a cut
So he got out the clippers and they both got plucked
Just then, I thought of the perfect name for each
I was remembering that catalog and my childhood speech,
When I thought about how I'd come to such good luck
So I gave 'em their special names, "Shears" and "Whoabuck"
© 2026 Brian McNeal
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DON'T FORGET THE PAST
Baby Boomers growing up in the sixties
Ed Sullivan had Rock stars and pixies
Lawrence Welk had music for old folks
Laugh-In and Hee-Haw had all the jokes
From the Byrds and the Beatles to the Hawks and Doves
It was a time of great hate mixed with peace and love
Race wars down South and civil unrest in the West
An Asian war and students marching in protest
FM radio was a baby boomer too
No commercials or maybe just a few
Ralph Nader warned us about the Corvair
Spiro told the taxman he just didn't care
Euell Gibbons told us to eat tree bark
A guy with long hair and gold watch could be a narc
Jerry Rubin told us Yippies were just real fine
Garcia said "A friend of the devil is a friend of mine"
Acapulco Gold, Mary Jane and Purple Haze
Roach clips, head shops, peace signs, Acid fog days
Physcedelic Rock, Physcedelic Art and Peter Max
Free Love, Make Love Not War, Give Peace a Chance
Waterpipes, waterbeds, bell-bottoms and Tie-Dye
Flower power, matchboxes, and gettin' high
J.F.K., M.L.K., Malcolm and Bobby gone
Lyndon and Tricky Dick just downright wrong
Woodstock, culture shock, and Armstrong on the moon
Carnal Knowledge, Deep Throat and hippies in a commune
Ken and Barbie, go-go boots and mini-skirts
Draft dodgers, bra burners and streaking extroverts
Long, beautiful, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen hair
Ladies' beachwear covered less than their underwear
Itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, yellow polka-dot bikini
James Bond wanted a shaken, not stirred, martini
Trying hard to find a better way into tomorrow
Up on the silver screen we watched Bisset and Bardot
Dylan took us on a trip upon his magic ship
Woodward and Bernstein let the secret slip
Russian missiles and the British Invasion
At war with war. Sit-Ins for any occasion
"I Ain't Marchin' Anymore," Hell No We Won't Go!
Agent Orange and Tiny Tim with a tulip tiptoe
Nothing's quite as nasty as Napalm in the morning
This is a test, this is only a test, came the warning
Duck and Cover, hide your head was the battle cry
Practice, like a turtle in his shell, so you won't die
Right On, Power To the People and Women's Rights
Roe and Wade in court. Manson slicing through the night
Have a Teem®, have a Like®, try Tab® or Squirt® or Fresca®
Join the caravan headin' for the West Coast mecca
Civil Rights, Voting Rights and Social Change
Activism, for an altruism exchange
"Down with Hate," "Up with People." "People who need people"
Planned parenthood without the help of a knitting needle
Leather jacket colors on the road, on a chopper
Celebrate the freedom like Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper
Visit the Hog Farm, ask Wavy Gravy for a meal
Concern for inner beauty more and less for sex appeal
Dichotomy of the sixties, generational divide
Young and old, peace and war, will always collide
Baby Boomers shown the light and it was bright
Those who came after missed the show and lack hindsight
Baby Boomers growing up in the sixties
Ed Sullivan had Rock stars and pixies
Lawrence Welk had music for old folks
Laugh-In and Hee-Haw had all the jokes
From the Byrds and the Beatles to the Hawks and Doves
It was a time of great hate mixed with peace and love
Race wars down South and civil unrest in the West
An Asian war and students marching in protest
FM radio was a baby boomer too
No commercials or maybe just a few
Ralph Nader warned us about the Corvair
Spiro told the taxman he just didn't care
Euell Gibbons told us to eat tree bark
A guy with long hair and gold watch could be a narc
Jerry Rubin told us Yippies were just real fine
Garcia said "A friend of the devil is a friend of mine"
Acapulco Gold, Mary Jane and Purple Haze
Roach clips, head shops, peace signs, Acid fog days
Physcedelic Rock, Physcedelic Art and Peter Max
Free Love, Make Love Not War, Give Peace a Chance
Waterpipes, waterbeds, bell-bottoms and Tie-Dye
Flower power, matchboxes, and gettin' high
J.F.K., M.L.K., Malcolm and Bobby gone
Lyndon and Tricky Dick just downright wrong
Woodstock, culture shock, and Armstrong on the moon
Carnal Knowledge, Deep Throat and hippies in a commune
Ken and Barbie, go-go boots and mini-skirts
Draft dodgers, bra burners and streaking extroverts
Long, beautiful, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen hair
Ladies' beachwear covered less than their underwear
Itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, yellow polka-dot bikini
James Bond wanted a shaken, not stirred, martini
Trying hard to find a better way into tomorrow
Up on the silver screen we watched Bisset and Bardot
Dylan took us on a trip upon his magic ship
Woodward and Bernstein let the secret slip
Russian missiles and the British Invasion
At war with war. Sit-Ins for any occasion
"I Ain't Marchin' Anymore," Hell No We Won't Go!
Agent Orange and Tiny Tim with a tulip tiptoe
Nothing's quite as nasty as Napalm in the morning
This is a test, this is only a test, came the warning
Duck and Cover, hide your head was the battle cry
Practice, like a turtle in his shell, so you won't die
Right On, Power To the People and Women's Rights
Roe and Wade in court. Manson slicing through the night
Have a Teem®, have a Like®, try Tab® or Squirt® or Fresca®
Join the caravan headin' for the West Coast mecca
Civil Rights, Voting Rights and Social Change
Activism, for an altruism exchange
"Down with Hate," "Up with People." "People who need people"
Planned parenthood without the help of a knitting needle
Leather jacket colors on the road, on a chopper
Celebrate the freedom like Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper
Visit the Hog Farm, ask Wavy Gravy for a meal
Concern for inner beauty more and less for sex appeal
Dichotomy of the sixties, generational divide
Young and old, peace and war, will always collide
Baby Boomers shown the light and it was bright
Those who came after missed the show and lack hindsight
© 2026 Brian McNeal
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AI TIME
I've heard of Standard Time,
And Daylight Saving Time.
Then came Mormon Time,
And finally, Navajo Time.
Now, we have a new handle,
Forced upon us by a vandal.
Artificial is his name,
But intelligence ain't his game.
AI time is the new designation,
Designed for pure agitation.
AI can't tell time for beans.
There's no metronome in an AI's genes.
AI doesn't know the length of a day,
The difference between night and day,
Or the tick tock of the clock.
Talks the talk but can't walk the walk.
AI will say "goodnight"
While the sun is high in the sky
Or a good morning greeting
In your afternoon meeting.
It's a global disconnect
A multi time-zone aspect
Continuous jet-lag fog
Where the tail wags the dog
I've heard of Standard Time,
And Daylight Saving Time.
Then came Mormon Time,
And finally, Navajo Time.
Now, we have a new handle,
Forced upon us by a vandal.
Artificial is his name,
But intelligence ain't his game.
AI time is the new designation,
Designed for pure agitation.
AI can't tell time for beans.
There's no metronome in an AI's genes.
AI doesn't know the length of a day,
The difference between night and day,
Or the tick tock of the clock.
Talks the talk but can't walk the walk.
AI will say "goodnight"
While the sun is high in the sky
Or a good morning greeting
In your afternoon meeting.
It's a global disconnect
A multi time-zone aspect
Continuous jet-lag fog
Where the tail wags the dog
© 2026 Brian McNeal
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