Poem on the Back of His Envelope
The only thing my congressman’s representation is worth
is the stamp on the return envelope of his fundraising letter
which I plan to pull off and use to pay a bill
if his boss doesn’t ruin the Post Office by then
He wants my money and wants my vote
but calls me names like “the lunatic left”
He talks about left-wing bullies and militants
but not the armed militia who stormed the Michigan capitol
after his boss told them to liberate the state from shutdowns
and not the white supremacists and conspiracy theorists
who the FBI calls domestic terror threats
and his boss says are some “very fine people”
He doesn’t mention his boss by name but talks about values
while his boss pardons criminals, takes revenge on heroes,
sides with dictators and calls Americans and allies the “enemy”
My congressman never mentions the Covid-19 pandemic
that has killed more than 150 thousand of us
particularly in the states that his boss convinced
to open too early after he insisted the virus would disappear
He says nothing about police choke holds
that kill people in broad daylight
Nothing about Russian bounties on American soldiers
or Russia’s interference in our elections to help his boss
He doesn’t say anything relevant to our district
He ignores the worst economic crisis
since the Great Depression
and doesn’t mention his boss’s record-high deficit
or how we can fix it
The last time my congressman spoke in our town
he was still complaining about Jane Fonda
I’d like to vote him out
but no one’s running against him
I’ll vote his boss out instead
__________Colleen Redman / dVerse Poets Pub / Poets and Storytellers United
August 21st, 2020 10:43 am
Colleen
Right on !
When you run for Congress I will definitely vote for you !
Bill
August 22nd, 2020 12:23 am
Colleen, I hear you. Your lament articulates our grievances so well. How many more will die before this bozo is thrown out on his ear? In MI we are blessed with a Democratic governor (and a female who the clown has done his best to diss and failed) who is taking the virus seriously.
August 22nd, 2020 11:46 am
I’m with you.
August 22nd, 2020 6:51 pm
So sad that no one is running against him, but from your mouth to God’s ear about voting his boss out!
August 23rd, 2020 1:46 am
Spot on. I feel sorry for all of you. If it was up to me I would drag him by the hair out of the white house. He just mentioned that NZ had a big surge in Covid-19 cases. lol Yes 6 new cases What a moron
August 23rd, 2020 1:48 am
Looking from abroad it is so sad to see the US decimated like this by a president that is not representing the American population as a whole preferring to cause a division that will take so long to recover from over the whole country.
August 23rd, 2020 2:16 am
Gee, tell us how you really feel! Jokes aside, this is the best kind of invective, indignation supported by facts. Good luck over there!
August 23rd, 2020 3:54 am
I can’t begin to understand the world of American politics, what so-called politicians and other people in positions of power get away with in the so-called land of the free, and I do try, Colleen. I too would use the stamp to pay a bill. Surely, in such a large country with a huge population, there must be a younger person (American politicians seem to be mostly old), who has not been corrupted, with fresh ideas and better understanding of people, who can change politics – better still a whole group of them. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love to see Trump get his come-uppance.
August 23rd, 2020 4:03 am
Part of me is so glad I don’t live in the US but I do wish I could vote.
August 23rd, 2020 8:30 am
Well said! This is an excellent recap of the truth. One of the best lines I heard during the Dem’s convention: “Vote like your life depends on it because it does.”
August 23rd, 2020 8:57 am
The US has a chance out of this mess this November, don’t screw it up. (wish i could vote but i don’t live in the USA)
I heard Lincoln wrote the draft of the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope.
August 23rd, 2020 10:26 am
Relatable and then some. I am so tired of the way certain politicians speak and act as if they are living in an alternate universe. Worse yet, I can’t understand those who ignore reality and choose to live in someone else’s myth. I so hope that everyone approaches the upcoming elections in the same mood as the end of this poem–we might not be able to fix all the small problems, but we can do our best to get rid of the big one.
August 23rd, 2020 11:04 am
Absolutely: Vote the boss out! And make good use of that stamp, while you’re at it. 🙂
August 23rd, 2020 11:30 am
I wanted to laugh at the line about Jane Fonda…but politics this year just makes me nauseous. I love the way the rhythm of this makes “boss” feels like more like gangster and how you manage to create an image of smallness and windbaggery throughout.
August 23rd, 2020 12:04 pm
We have the feckless Toomey here in PA. He’s useless. Sadly he’s not up for removal. But I will cheerfully vote out everyone aiding and abetting the lunatic in the white house. I’ll be dancing all the the way to the local Board of Elections with my ballot in my hand as soon as I get it.
August 23rd, 2020 12:04 pm
You’ve covered it pretty comprehensively. We’re in for some wild days ahead with this election. A forceful statement needs to be made.
August 23rd, 2020 4:00 pm
I am amazed how easy it seems to murder democracy… but it seems to happen in so many places.
August 24th, 2020 9:51 am
Interesting to watch the election from this distance… !!!
August 27th, 2020 8:05 pm
Here, here! Applause, applause. Thank you, Colleen. I’d vote for you, too. Could a write-in win in your state?