Tuesday, April 28, 2020

New Poem: NO RESPONSIBILITY

let that President riff
like a fifth-grader convinced
he can play cornet like Louis Armstrong 
even though said fifth-grader
doesn’t look at a music book
can’t make his mouth form an embouchure
blows out a bunch of flat, air-filled notes
>
he wasn’t being sarcastic when he mused about
UV rays and bleach maybe doing for human insides
what they do for stovetops, tables and other surfaces
>
and then he realizes, lies and waves it away
and an until-now renowned scientist 
follows him almost scarf-deep into the Big Muddy
complaining about how that mean old press
takes a what-if remark and chews on it like gum
for at least two news cycles
>
to the staff, to the attorneys worrying 
about copycat behavior and poisonings,
and especially to the press and TV cameras,
the President says I take no responsibility 
even though he was elected to the highest office
which requires a lot of responsibilities—
such as don’t kill your voters
if you’re intent on being re-elected
to riff again and again
without regard for consequences 

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