A Screed with Seven Days To Go

Posted on 2020-10-27 by Bartholomew Barker

Washington still smells like a swamp.

We send living representatives
to dredge out the grime
but they die from the stench
and we keep re-electing their corpses.

If you want change— change your vote.
Even if he’s from your tribe,
if he’s been there long enough,
he’s lost whole fingers to the rot,
hands corrupt and greasy
from the money like methane
bubbling up from the boardrooms.

Vote out the zombie incumbents!
Be the term limits you seek.

For the Living Poetry Prompt: Outrage.

Just one week until the election is done and the shenanigans begin. If enough of us vote, they might not be able to steal it this time. I’ve done my duty. Have you?

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About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
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16 Responses to A Screed with Seven Days To Go

  2. Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld's avatar Lisa Tomey says:
    2020-10-27 at 19:09

    “If you want change— change your vote.” My favorite line.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2020-10-27 at 23:03

    “…they die from the stench…” good line.
    well done

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  4. gentraveling's avatar gentraveling says:
    2020-10-28 at 10:32

    Great post! Perfectly timely on multiple timelines. And oh, if only we had non-corpse-like people willing to put their names on the ballot and air out the stench!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Katy Claire's avatar Katy Claire says:
    2020-10-29 at 01:34

    Oh my… yes. “we keep re-electing their corpses.” 🧟‍♂️ yikes but true.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  6. Priscilla Bettis's avatar Priscilla Bettis says:
    2020-10-30 at 19:10

    OMGosh, great poem. I’ve voting bright and early Tuesday morning. These are my favorite lines:
    he’s lost whole fingers to the rot,
    hands corrupt and greasy

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  7. Chen Song Ping's avatar Chen Song Ping @ TPTan says:
    2021-05-07 at 06:26

    Interesting way to relate politics to zombies!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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