Friday, October 28, 2022

The Ballot Lay Before Me Like a Snake - poem

 

Lawrence Hall

Mhall46184@aol.com 

https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/

poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

 

The Ballot Lay Before Me Like a Snake

 

The ballot lay before me like a snake

Or like a Klansman predatory in white

Slithering across the official page

That same old roster of the same old

 

Democrats

Republicans

Greens

Libertarians

 

That same old Unwanted List of ideologues 

Of plotters, scroungers, graspers, creepers, oafs

Aliases, scofflaws, incompetents

Poltroons

 

(I’m not sure what a poltroon is, but they are poltroons anyway, so there)

 

Ignoramuses, bigots, and bubbas in bad wigs

Best fitted for those old post office walls

Incapable of self-government, not to be trusted

With firearms, sharp objects, pointy scissors, or glue

 

(But those topics were not on the ballot)

 

The ballot lay before me like a snake

Or like a Klansman predatory in white

Slithering across the official page –

 

I gave it back as blank as the candidates

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