Year End 2023

2023 we barely knew ye, your days left are but a few,
Much you’ve given us to ponder, a lot on which to chew.
The good the bad the ugly, we’ll analyze it all,
We’ll hit on all the highlights, the big ones and the small.
A list we have been keeping, the naughty and the nice,
Reflect on it we shall, and perhaps offer some advice.
Sit down or keep on standing, as you listen to these rhymes,
Let’s sum up the year’s events, let’s call out all the crimes.

The war grinds on in Ukraine, the death toll keeps on rising,
A stalemate at the front, no signs of Putin compromising.
For a few hours he looked at risk, from Wagner chief Prigozhin,
Who took some tanks and armor, and up to Moscow went bulldozin’.
Alas he lost his nerve, which meant his living days were numbered,
A mistake by the apprentice, to leave his master unencumbered.
Just two months to the day, from which the coup he did abstain.
Vlad took out some missiles, and shot down Yevgeny’s plane.

Sheer terror in southern Israel, vicious senseless slaughters,
Of young people at a rave, of mothers, sons, and daughters.
Other calamities we’ve had aplenty, in Hawaii deadly fire,
The Titan sub explosion, Ohio’s train derailment very dire.
Spy balloons over the heartland, as China tensions have snowballed,
Amidst US chip export restrictions, DC’s pandas have been recalled.
Boardroom drama for Sam Altman, much fear about the AI creature,
A House Speaker messy change, a Barbenheimer double feature.

Finland admitted into NATO, to ward off Russian dangers,
A first at the World Series, for the winning Texas Rangers.
A first too for Denver’s Nuggets, whose win we did applaud,
A Trump mug shot and indictment, alleging election fraud.
Kansas City came out on top, for the Super Bowl’s 57th ring,
In coronation glory, the Brits crowned Charles third as king.
Taylor Swift went out on tour, and found a new boyfriend,
Some dude named Travis Kelce, for the Chiefs he plays tight end.

Farewell we bid to greats, each one sure had the hunger,
Goodbye to Tony Bennett, goodbye now Charlie Munger.
Sandra Day O’Connor, you broke the glass ceiling on the Court,
Friends star Matthew Perry, a young life cut too short.
Tina Turner and David Crosby, live on your voices will,
No less Jimmy Buffett, in the sounds of Margaritaville.
Sam Zell and Henry Kissinger, your stars they did shine bright,
Yours too Jerry Springer, Dick Butkus and Bobby Knight.

In the financial markets, the Chinese reopening was a dud,
The mag seven soared anew, while crypto shook off the FUD.
Duration losses and deposit outflows, left the regionals shooting blanks,
Silicon Valley and First Republic, an existential crisis for these banks.
Chronic mismanagement at Credit Suisse, had created quite a mess,
Which ran into the ground, and the waiting arms of UBS.
Inflation has come down, looks like the Fed hikes will now stop,
The latest trade that is in vogue, is for interest rates to drop.

So what does it all mean, how to make sense of all this noise?
With so much daily blather, it’s hard to maintain your poise.
Media distraction runs amuck, it can be habit-forming,
So much to make you jumpy, like climate change and global warming.
Tune out the nasty rhetoric, it’s enough to make you tense,
Even the learned out amongst us, can spew some real nonsense.
Like these views on permitted speech, up in the ivory tower.
These college presidents testifying, make you want to take a shower.

With an election coming soon, we’ll pick a new leader in ’24,
With this geopolitical backdrop, who knows what next year has in store.
Maybe you’ll win the lottery, maybe you’ll inherit some Nvidia.
Maybe you’ll meet your spouse, maybe they’ll be named Jim or Lydia.
Take stock in this holiday season, of blessings in your life,
Your kids your friends your loved ones, your husband or your wife.
Don’t put up with all the haters, don’t tolerate a nasty boss,
Let’s make next year a good one, and don’t forget to floss.