What a Place! (Part I)

Once upon a time, they say,

There was a country--not far away--

Where a man raised his hand

And said, "I want to rule this land."
He thought to himself, "Competence

And truthfulness make no sense.

To rule this country, all you need

To do in order to succeed

Is to rally the people--make them excited--

Don't let them know your ideas are blighted.

When they ask for specifics, repeat

That once you're the leader, you'll be concrete.

Fill their heads with jingoistic blather.

To fill them with fear, try to gather

Together ways to increase their distrust.

And show your pretended disdain and disgust.

No need to sound erudite;

Just keep pushing them more to the right."
People fell into the man's trap.

He said, "I've got 'em right in my lap!

I will make all their heads spin.

With ME the people know we will WIN.

Effete competitors fear me for sure,

Jealous that they don't have my allure.

My reputation and fame are HUGE!

Whoever doesn't agree is a stooge."

He loved it at rallies when people would boo

And hassle and rough up anyone who

Didn't agree with him. Thus, the scene

Became chaotic and downright mean.

"I promise," he said, "without a doubt,

We will be great if we kick people out,

And GREATER if we--let me be clear--

Keep certain people from coming here."

His followers cheered and shouted "Hurrah!"

As the speaker continued to fill them with awe.

"If everyone had a gun," he'd cry,

"A LOT fewer people would die!

And since terrorists are a cancer,

To stop them, torture's the only answer."

"Yay!" yelled the people, waving their signs

Within the hall and outside in lines.

Much resembling a contagious disease,

The fervor spread, not by degrees,

But by an unusual rush and a flurry,

Which caused many critics to worry.

"How could this happen here?" they wondered.

"What's gone amiss? How have we blundered?"

The world watched as this powerful man

Accumulated fan after fan.

People everywhere couldn't believe

What he still might have up his sleeve?

Did he make it to the top?

Did his promises win or flop?

Did he truly make his land greater?

The sequel will answer those questions later.

 

(2-10-16)