An ode to an odd election
The insults, the barbs,
the teasing galore.
The candidates fight
every night, but what is it for?
These men and this woman want our trust.
At this point, many warrant disgust.
Who are they who want a job like no other?
Do they listen, or do they make us shudder?
Are they good, are they smart, do they have what it takes?
Can they bring us to glory
and not become fakes?
What do we need in this
election year?
Are they really the ones
to calm our fear?
Hillary and Bernie duke it out,
they argue, fight
and sometimes they pout.
On the right, Cruz, Kasich and formerly Rubio chase
the man with the hair.
Trump is his name,
and they want their share.
He’s a bully, a braggart
and he’s way ahead.
The others sound desperate
and they seem to see red.
Mitt Romney has come
to throw sand in Trump’s face.
Mitt’s presence is odd, some say it’s a disgrace.
He lost but didn’t go gently
into that good night,
he’s worried about Trump
and wants a fierce fight.
We like to believe we are part
of a whole,
but we have huge differences down to our souls.
Some believe Muslims
should all stay away,
others suggest we should all have our say.
Protesters appear to cause
commotion,
the sounds and sights are fraught with emotion.
The wife of the president long ago,
Hillary is under fire for
making dough.
A university fight
nips at his heels,
Trump says, “It’s OK,
the school is real.”
The debates offer jabs
and tough one-liners,
some of these leaders could
be sporting shiners.
Tough choices now, the voters have to take sides.
With each new vote,
there’s nowhere to hide.
The country is vast,
it’s hard not to offend.
We’re different in New York from those in South Bend.
Bernie Sanders shares plans
that people adore.
He wants the working class
to have so much more,
but can he do half of what
he desires?
Or would he wind up putting out vast fires?
The people crave change,
it’s clear as a bell.
The same old approach
has no chance to sell.
We’re sick and tired of being tired and sick.
We the People don’t want
something so slick.
The rhetoric has grown
increasingly coarse,
it’s ugly, messy and the leaders sound hoarse.
Who will you choose
on Election Day?
Do you really want
anyone to stay?
Will the candidates discuss
issues that matter?
Or will they just make their own pocketbooks fatter?
On what do we agree,
from sea to sea?
What is there that’s common
to you and to me?
Can you picture these people when they were kids?
Do you think they were proud of all that they did?
Were they good to friends,
to teachers and foes?
Or did they know better
than average Joes?
When one of them wins and wants to lead us together,
will he or she make us stronger and help us get better?
They fight with their rivals
and say others are wrong,
how can any of them help people get along?
You have to vote, like it or not,
it’s our duty, we’re in a big spot.
Tune out the bluster
and the attacks,
and ask yourself if they
have our backs.
Who are they who want a job like no other?
Do they listen,
or do they make us shudder?
Are they good, are they smart, do they have what it takes?
Can they bring us to glory
and not become fakes?
