Dear George,
If only you were living at this hour,
Day, week, month, year. These times are newly strange—
Hilarious, but not. You had prime power
To forge a nation, though within the range
Of law. Good whisky and false teeth might help
Us muddle through an age without decorum,
As candidates bite both their thumbs or yelp
Outrageous claims. With each and every forum
Intemperate behavior seems to spur
Support! Since no one sounds a louder note
Than some audacious trumpeter, which sir
Or madam, native born, deserves my vote?
Tell me, is my best recourse to complain
Or to abstain? Your second cousin, Jane
Vis-à-Vis
(Kanye West versus Taylor Swift)
A man who likes the spotlight grows
Accustomed to its glare;
On each and every public stage
He wants the world to stare.
In time he starts to notice that
The beam can shift or fade;
Repeatedly he tries to throw
More than a little shade.
His efforts only make himself
Look fabulously small,
The woman who responds so well—
Phenomenally tall.
Jane Blanchard lives and writes in Georgia. Her poetry has recently appeared in the Anglican Theological Review, The Evansville Review, and U.S.1 Worksheets.
Featured Image: “George Washington,” 1790, by John Trumbull.
Like is inadequate. I loved them both. Best write one for Nelson (Washington)or he will feel left out. They come from very different places.
I knew you were on the mend. I have been checking. So glad. Are you pain free?
Just returned last night from Wake Forest. It is the most exciting stuff I have every seen. Reynolds building is a Klimt hotel with condos , tobacco factories are science spaces for WFU and BG-WFU, We met in a fabulous old factory yesterday. It is done and ready for students. Now if the dumb politicos don’t screw things up. 14000 applications for freshmen Admits. Incredible. Glad you are mending. Lv, MG
Both excellent poems – really enjoyed them both – especially the epigrammatic quality of the Kanye/Swift poem.
I also enjoyed your work, especially the Kanye/Taylor Swift poem. Dichotomous poetry always seems to be able to get to the heart of what or who is being compared. You have done that elegantly here.
“Dear George” is a cunning work, in the way Ms. Blanchard puts herself in the poem, yet uses echoes of a language prevalent more than two centuries ago. And the slanting reference to Wordsworth’s poem about Milton and the hard times of early 19th century England are brilliantly worked in. A wonderful poem.