So
many hearts keep falling
for
the tainted silver in his tongue,
for
the spit that dazes reasoning
before
sinking teeth into flesh.
Not her heart--
she
recognizes the fakery
oozing
out of the sick,
sick
shine in his eyes;
she
sees him sign more contracts
with
blood of the shackled sheep,
of
the choice-robbed,
of
the enthralled...
she
wonders
if
any of them would ever see
the
muck that sticks to his bones,
the
worms living in the hollows
that
should’ve
housed a soul;
will
they ever
sense
the incubus
under
the wealth-made halo,
or
has he sucked all the marrow
out
of their futures and wits?
– I wrote the first version of this poem in another November, some years ago. Feeling the
need to revisit the topic makes me so very nervous. Sigh.
– for
Poets and Storytellers United (Friday Writings #151: “a box full of darkness”)
"Choice-robbed" is the word. Having lived in a Trump-infested town shows me many reasons to vote against him. Unfortunately any consideration of the Mean Girl shows *the same* reasons not to vote for her. If anything she seems more likely to escalate foreign wars into a World War and drag us into it.
ReplyDeleteOn some blogs Google fills in my name for me; on some it doesn't recognize me.
DeletePriscilla King
I'm sad to have to say I agree with you, Priscilla. I don't know enough about her to know if she's mean, but I do know enough about her and others to know they're too hawkish for my comfort. And I think too dependent on the wealth of the war machine in order to stay in power. How sad that those who seek power are usually not the people who would handle it best in the wider interest..
DeleteVery true. We demand that our candidates be total extroverts, then act surprised when our elected officials are shallow insensitive selfish greedy unscrupulous something-or-others.
DeleteKamala Harris has taken it to a new level though. Lots of pols just don't read questions people post to their web sites, don't answer mail or e-mail, dodge the paparazzi, etc. Harris preemptively BLOCKS even more moderate Democrats. I was surprised she even bothered to block me. Then I learned that she also blocked Kennedy, who could have boosted her campaign. And she asked Megan Markle NOT to support her.
That may be how Mean Girls get elected prom queen but it's not how candidates campaign in these United States. Harris didn't even try to form alliances with members of Congress--picked a running mate who seems hopeless and has since told people she chose him because she was "sleep-deprived."
I wish her success in something else, anyway. Something where she can feel more comfortable and have friends, in her extrovert way, rather than thinking she has to push away people who aren't rich funders.
So...my husband once thought he couldn't go wrong backing a Kennedy for State office in Maryland. He lost money on RFK's sister's campaign. I hate that Harris blocked RFK and Trump's listened to him, and I may be about to lose energy and credibility on RFK, but it is what it is. I am choice-robbed.
DeletePK
Yeah, no. RFK is an anti-vax, anti-trans loon and we are better off not having him anywhere near power. He should be blocked when he preys on grieving families to spew his nonsense. Good riddance.
DeleteYeah, that MAGA bastard. "Wealth-made halo" is a very apt image.
ReplyDeleteThis says it all so eloquently. However, I'm with Debra Maga Bastard. LOL 99% of my family love him, think he's the savior or something. They all voted for him. Believe me I don't understand it and when I ask the women, including my daughter, why...... They get mad, defensive, and no real answer. It's tough being in my family. LOL
ReplyDeleteSuch vivid apt descriptors! I think some poet laureate should read your poem at Kamala's inauguration. :) Meanwhile, it sometimes feels like I've been holding my breath since the previous woman ran, waiting for the universe to set things right.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you tell me what you really think? LOL — but it's a wry laugh.
ReplyDeletePS I don't see much of a gift in this particular darkness. The ability to see clearly — the only good I can discern here — must be a very mixed blessing indeed.
DeleteIt's good to realise the fakery instead of being doomed.
ReplyDeleteIf Trump is successful God Help America.
ReplyDeleteBut the rest of the world may be happier!
DeleteI can really sense the fear and foreboding in this poem - let's hope for a better future and person - Jae
ReplyDeleteThat wealth made halo is noose. He's digging his own grave.
ReplyDeleteHe may well be. Some have commented on it. Trump, Musk, and Kennedy don't even agree with one another on much, but they do have mad desperate physical courage in common.
DeletePK
What they have in common is being privileged men who have never had to face the people they have harmed. It's funny how wealth and the attendant feeling of being untouchable translates into bravado.
DeleteThe election looks very different from here, quite clear that neither candidate will make a difference to foreign policy and the horrible wars will continue...
ReplyDeleteWhat drives me crazy is that most people fundamentally misunderstand what is actually being decided upon. We are not voting to declare which one is the anointed of heaven. We're not even voting for whom we'd think we would be our bestest buddy. We are deciding the conditions we will be working under to achieve our goals. That's it. And for the change I want to see in the world, it is more than obvious which one will be easier to bring about those changes. Kamala Harris'.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean I agree with her on everything and love all her positions? Hell no. But even the small chance to push the needle towards a more equitable world under her administration would be better than the hell promised under Tangerine Palpatine. At the end of the day, she's a politician, but I'll take that over a fascist POS and his army of bootlickers and grifters.
I do not blame already marginalized people to be highly skeptical of the Democrats' promises. They absolutely have left groups hung out to dry and so-called limousine liberals will be more than happy to return to their brunches free from political talk so long as their interests are protected. That's why I think it is important to stress that merely electing Harris will not be enough, not for me or for anyone who cares about a just world. But we will be able to push farther and do so much more under her administration than we would under Dolt 45.
Misinformation abounds thanks largely to some Trump supporters who have hidden agendas not favorable to the USA or other democracies like Canada. It's beyond policy. This blanket acceptance of an obviously unfit man by so many is beyond anything I've ever seen and it shows me how people end up with an autocracy.
DeleteI love the "wealth-made halo". I felt like I was in mourning on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteI actually feel afraid.
When I read your words I feel myself connecting and nodding my head. It makes me want to hold your hand and raise it in solidarity.
ReplyDelete