King Arthur Has Died

mikeschultz Sun Jan 29 2012, 18:31

Two of our most recent presidents
Have disgraced the office they hold,
And the American People, as well, but not them.
They’re not embarrassed at all, but I am,
And I cannot help but wonder,
“What’s wrong with this picture?”
Have I misunderstood how it has been for so long,
That I’ve forgotten how it should be?

I’ve learned to live through incidents
Where a liar or a thief, brazen and bold,
Will lie and steal and smile to get me to trust him,
Picking my pocket while shaking my hand,
And leaving me filled with anger
And a will to resolve this in the future.
I never forget a kindness, yet seldom forgive a wrong,
And always treat others as I would like to be.

Surely those elected to our governments
Have not forgotten the ideals our fathers held,
Or the source of our inalienable rights as free men
And women, citizens of this great land.
And now to war again, another
Rounding dance with death and torture,
Maimed souls, broken minds and bodies sent home
No longer of service; how sad it must be.

Sadder, the betrayal of trust represents
A serious breech in decorum’s belt,
Releasing the great guilt we’ve been holding in,
In fear’s own anger we fall or stand.
And the Knights of Camelot, where
Are Lincoln, Kennedy and King? Our
Beloved, embarrassed for us by a martyred
Stretch of imagination, as it may be.

Michael Schultz © February 12, 2008 (1738)