Rhyme, Reason, and Realities ... Crime, Treason, and No Guarantees

ALPERN AT LARGE-Poetry and sleepiness, drive and dizziness, cross my mind.

Deadlines and struggles, coziness and cuddles, pose my bind.

Competing narratives, opposing truths, are my reality.

Screaming priorities, battling visions, blare in hyperbole.

The end is nigh, a year lost by, bodes the winter cold,

The new year to follow, bearing promises hollow, as glaringly foretold.

Distractions and hypocrisy, by our elitist aristocracy, demand our attention.

Whilst family and friends, and those needing amends, call for their mention.

Thus, this year, filled with promise, was lost in cacophony and false prominence.

And next year, to be honest, is all but predictable in preordained predominance.

So many people, myriad tired souls, cried "Brexit" as their choice.

Ere this side of the ocean, spirits tired and weary, seek to speak with one voice.

To doubt oneself, proof positive beyond itself, is the thoughtful essence of the West.

Emotions set aside, reason set high and steely-eyed, is proclaimed as mindful best.

Yet friends beckon, family needs to reckon, and know we must what lies next.

Lines forever crossed, unknown now at what cost, as we approach 2020's apex.

And so we turn, our hearts a-burn, for are we not surrounded by oppression?

And continue we turn, our hearts a-yearn, as friends and foes we question?

Thus, we hold true, confused through and through, yet may we know no fear!

Because we are strong, with our patience long, and survive and thrive this New Year!

(CityWatch Columnist, Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father to two cherished children and a wonderful wife. He was (termed out) also a Westside Village Zone Director and Board member of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Outreach Committee, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee and Vice-Chair of its Planning Committee. He was co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee and chaired the nonprofit Transit Coalition and can be reached at Ken.Alpern@MarVista.org. He also co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)