The President Goes to Paterson

The governor and local officials gratefully await
The arrival of the President.
He will greet the area's hard-hit residents
After flooding left them devastated in its wake.
Though he visits only Paterson, with a brief stop in Wayne,
People all along the Jersey shore
Are comforted and reassured
The President is coming himself to see their pain.
"Floodwaters have inundated our soul",
And we too await the arrival of our King.
We yearn for the comfort only He can bring,
The aid and assistance needed to make our lives whole.
It's been a long time coming round -
But we're waiting on the tarmac for His plane to touch down.

The Olive Tree

I'd like to think the olive tree braves the storm,
But that's fond self-projection -
With winter's blows the olive goes along -
Its innate strength the best protection.
Wild winds dash its branches to and fro -
Like silver tresses unloosed by a gale -
You'd think the unleashed forces were its foe -
The small tree emerges hearty and hale.
Take its gnarled diminutive trunk,
Holding firm like mightier trees -
A fictive pen would say it had spunk -
It survives only by Divine decree.
True it is the tree's fruition
Comes with the oil it was created for -
Still I grant the claim of intuition
It was also made to be a metaphor.
So praise the brave olive tree down to its roots -
The embattled olive - yielding its fruits.