Poem: Politician

 

Politician

 

the drumbeat pulse in the neck

and the nostrils' red flare

are giveaway symptoms.

but the rest prefers to salivate hidden:

a slight smile

 and a gleaming surface of kindness,

 belittle the horror of it.

 

noble of Gibraltar of chin

with fearless cheekbones

(it’s all about the cheekbones),

 

the photo/genetics,

 

and a jaw sturdy enought to chew

on broken ideals and mashed truths,

feeding  them to the hunger of a speech,

 

yes, fed and helpless

 

against the will-to-erect

 statues of masculine white marble self-aggrandizement,

 

an empire, yes,

strong of cold muscle and blood,

whitewashed reflections of the dark

hidden under the patriotic cloth

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...