Poem: Politician

 

Politician

 

the drumbeat pulse in the neck,

the nostrils' red flare,

 

these are giveaway symptoms,

while the rest of it salivates below, 

under a shallow slight smile,

 the barest gleam of surface kindness.

 

noble Gibraltar of chin,

fearless of cheekbones--

one must, of course, favor the cheekbones,

 

the photo/genetics of it,

 

and a jaw sturdy enough 

to chew broken ideals and virtues

down down down into pablum,

where the agile tongue ladles them

to feed the hunger of the speech.

 

the body posture the empire itself, yes,

strong of cold muscle and blood,

whitewashed reflections of the dark,

 

 masculinized white marble self-aggrandizement,

 

the rest hidden under a dark blue power suit, 

and the patriotic blood-red necktie  

of a desecrated oath.

 

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12/3/23 ... tons more changes... 

6/17/22  Multiple changes a few hours after posting the poem

e.g. "belittling" replaces "obscuring"

7/14//22  more sculpting mods...