Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 91

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Kyrgyzstan.

I spelled this country—slowly, though.

It is a word I didn’t know.*

The Silk Road wound its way across—

An early form of Profit-Loss.

In Central Asia—there it is—

And, fitting for a schoolroom quiz,

It takes a bit to spell the name—

Or find it in some world-map game.

It earlier was Soviet—

About as harsh as it can get.

But then came freedom—’91—

And since then it has been the one

So hard to locate and to spell—

And isn’t doing very well

Financially. But people there

Are working hard—and they all care,

And want their country to succeed—

To help them gain what they all need:

Some hope and some stability—

Rewards, they hope, for being free.

*how to spell!

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 90

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Kuwait.

Along the Persian Gulf it sits—

A country small—important still.

A place of towers, oil. It gets

So very hot (I know: Just chill!).

Iraq’s invasion changed the face

Of geopolitics since then.

It seems that then began a race

Back to a dreary past—back when

We settled all with violence.

For thirty years (almost) we’ve been

At war abroad. And ever since

Our world’s divided—kith from kin.

So many everywhere have died—

Have lost their homes, their valued ways.

I wish, for once, we could decide

To strive for better, peaceful days.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 89

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Kosovo.

Oh, such debate on Kosovo:

It’s part of Serbia. Or no.

Declared its independence in

2008—but, well, since then

Some countries recognize it as

A separate place. But, well, it has

Not earned much unanimity—

Some say it is, or not, now free.

It’s mountainous—almost throughout.

And lovely, really—there’s no doubt.

Here’s hoping all the doubts depart—

For Kosovo—a hopeful start.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 88

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Kiribati.

Far out in the Pacific lies

A cluster of some islands that

Is now a country. Though its size

Is not immense—or broad and flat—

It has some recent history—

A World War—and climate change--

In ’79 its liberty

From England. There is nothing strange

About volcanic origins—

And Christmas Island is but one

Of thirty-three—and so begins

A wish to visit—can't be done.

And now … confession (good for soul!) …

A small one—just a little bit.

If truth is here a major goal:

That country? I’d not heard of it!

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 87

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Kenya.

Nairobi is the capital

Of this oft-traveled land.

It’s been in movies—in the news—

Oh, nothing there is bland.

It’s got that fabled wildlife, and

Old Hemingway was there—

Yes, Papa hunted, wrote some tales,

Tales still read everywhere.

Some famous fossils have been found—

Our ancestors of yore.

That looming mountain—starts with K.

Oh, that and so much more!

It has some ugly history—

So much there is to rue.

But so do all the rest of us:

It’s what we humans do.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 86

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Kazakhstan.

This country now called Kazakhstan

Was Soviet back in the day—

Then freedom came—that was the plan—

And now they live another way.

The biggest landlocked country—yes,

The largest in this weary world—

The Ural River, we can guess,

Is like a ribbon—long uncurled.

Ethnicities are many there—

More than one hundred—such a lot—

So there’s unease, well, everywhere,

In mountains cool, in deserts hot.

The climate ranges to extremes—

The people work hard to survive—

This is no land of Tweets and memes—

So let's all hope that peace will thrive.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 85

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Jordan.

Another piece of Holy Land—

That famous river, sea named Dead—

It’s all been living in my head

Since boyhood. So I think of sand,

Of deserts, and of Bible tales—

And, yes, of global politics—

A tricky world still full of tricks—

Where Hope so often cries and wails.

A “crossroads,” so some sources say—

A place so crucial in our world—

Where flags of warfare are unfurled—

Where peace lives in some distant day.