There were politicians, poets, puffery, promises, the public,
The holy, rich and powerful were there. School kids, scarred
Veterans of last week’s, current and far away years’
Social, political and martial wars. Choirs, cheers, bands,
The press, ruffles and flourishes of rhetoric.
Star spangled quavers in a voice hitting
High notes firmly and smoothly.
Lincoln’s and Martin Luther King’s
Bibles were present. The nation’s heart
Pounded and staggered on. And the President
Didn’t even get shot!!!
Gridlock will be padlocked by the next working day;
Plans made for ideologues to have their way.
A guitarist strummed about “sea to shining sea,”
Hinting at the problems simmering in between.
It’s all games and plays we’ve seen before.
We just hoping for a different ending—
And a better score.
~Horace Colman, poet and Vietnam veteran
