Election Poems is a listening project. The poems you will read in this series document and respond to the politicized non-dialogue that seems to have invaded all forms of conversation these days, and the gas balloon of portent that’s escaping the seams. This is also a personal project. The content comes exclusively from my own listening experience, meaning conversations that people have had with me or things they have said in my presence, for better or worse, from the 2008 election cycle to the present. The results are not always easy to digest, and many of the poems deal with painful, disturbing, or incendiary ideas that have not gone away, as our current election season so aptly reminds us. But to be clear, the project is not about politicians, pundits, or campaigns, or the rhetorical moves they make in order to earn a vote, or tell the story of a given election. It is about everyone who is not running for office, and who/how we are to each other in an era where politics infuses everything.
For more information about this series and its concept, check out the introductory post. Previous poems can also be found on the series page. A new installment and image will appear every Tuesday through November 2016 (one week post-election), featuring poems from throughout the project, as well as a new one written specifically for the current week. The poems are titled by number, but will not appear in order.
6
Authenticity
is a feeling I have
When I see it
I just know
It doesn’t bore me
or ask me to consider
It’s more of a
gut thing
My colon can tell
when someone’s lying
and when they’re
testifying
And I have to admit
my pancreas
is an excellent judge
of character
So don’t waste your time
coloring maps
gathering data
sorting information
crafting a message
making a difference
Just give me the feels
or my body will reject you
There’s nothing so right
as a belly
55
Hypocrisy is not an option
I can’t pretend what’s expedient is what’s righteous
or claim that something worse does not make someone worse
arguing betterment for the sacrifice
of more than just our values
Embracing demise to get a few things we want
or ignoring what we know to be true
is just holding lost ground as the sinkhole opens
with upturned noses and fingertips
as if that bow in the clouds is a ladder out of what we create
We are not the only ones who need mercy
so I won’t be fed the gospel of concession
even by you
especially by you
if you can’t see what your choices have already cost us
73
exercise caution
steam escaping this pouch is hot
and it could burn you
and I hope it does
and I hope I do
just know
this bag of crazy cannot go unopened
