After Too Much Time Scanning News

While this lands somewhere beyond the spirit of Grow Mercy there may be a few here with a slight appetite for this bit of throw-away foolishness. (For anyone else, please forgive my straying, I will make it up to you.) You see I admit to a voyeuristic fascination with American politics; but I do try being vigilant to limit that lure. As you no doubt know, too much time spent cruising ‘media outlets’ and you’ll find yourself in a sea of despondency. Nevertheless, right now, it’s hard not to pay attention to the (sadly bizarre?) spectacle of the US election. Recently, one morning after a couple hours spent scanning NYT and WP and surfing CNN, I found myself writing this poem as a bit of purgative relief. I then thought to send it off to Rattle, a California-based poetry magazine, to ‘Poets Respond’ (a weekly current events contest). It made the editor laugh, so they published it.

Here, for what it’s worth, is the link.


(I post this while still in the shadow of my friend’s passing: knowing he would have probably smiled at this.)

 

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