January started with “Flu” in the air –
And France into Mali to give us a scare

Hagel awaiting Defense confirmation –
And debt ceiling threats — again –to our nation

Hillary gone and Kerry at State –
And Mayor Ed Koch dead – at 88

Ankara Turkey the site of more terror –
Torture or drones? The debate of this era

The Pope “had enough” & relinquished  his “throne”-
Was followed by one who was sure not his clone

The chatter intense about the “sequester” –
A long lasting subject with issues that fester

Hugo Chavez now gone from the scene –
Cypress in need of a money machine

Rand Paul of the House – a long filibuster –
N. Korea made threats that ALAS were no bluster

A real bomb in Boston – and runners were smote  –
While assault weapon bans received a “no” vote

In Texas, explosion! A fertilizer plant  –
While Syria’s WMDs brought on rants

Benghazi again and the IRS scandal –
Feds doing wire-taps – too much to handle

Comes young Edward Snowden with whistle to blow –
High-tailing in flight til he lands in Mos-coe

Gay marriage ok and DOMA struck dead –
Time for the Feds to get out of the bed

Zimmerman jurors saw fit to acquit  –
A verdict that hardly came off as a hit

Immigration reform still stuck in the air  –
In many a state voter’s rights aren’t there

In Egypt the army performed quite a coup –
While the debts of Detroit were much more than a few

Anthony Weiner aspired to Mayor –
But  NYC (enwhycee) voters  could not have been “nay”-er

NSA NSA  tapping  — just who ? –
Everyone worried – but who can you sue?

Diana Nyad accomplished her swim –
This time those waters – did not do her in.

And then came September and-the Tea Party fuse –
And daily it was all about Senator Cruz

The government shutdown – an actual fact –
Many folks thought that we’d finally cracked

Chris Christie returned to the governor’s manse –
while ex governor Christ made a turnaround stance

The website! The website! The ACA  shame –
Health Care got snookered but who was to blame?

In Toronto, the mayor admitted to crack –
and the comics of late night chimed in as a claque

Goodbye to the filibuster rule thanks to Reid –
it may come back to haunt him, Harry, take heed!

A hero in death as in life –was Mandela –
Revered through the world as a mighty good fella

The budget – the budget, by God, it got passed —
  both aisles together – finally, at last

And the year ’13 faded – it surely was weird –
as a new word was coined when the “selfie” appeared

On a personal note – a sad goodbye –
to a long standing marriage and a really good guy,

Welcome to 14, who knows what we’ll get –
we see the apocalypse, but it’s not coming yet