mikevarley.com

On Consolation

Hillary, Hillary,
I rival your sadness with empathy,
Well-meaning lost traveler on sympathy’s path.
Compromise wasn’t easy at first, laying down
Youthful hopes in the face of impossible odds.
Stripped of vigor, a bureaucrat is formed –
Freshly buffed and barcoded.
When aspirations turn to lax inclinations,
Hope’s aperture wanes.

Hillary, when he broke the deal, Hillary,
When he broke the seal Hillary and robbed you
Of humor.
When he did this, to press on or back out, Hillary?
To grit teeth or admit defeat?
‘To hell’ or to home,
Where you lie thin in bed,
Study bloodletting scars with careful fingers,
Waiting for Death’s fortunate orders.

No. To survive,
To persist and prove indomitable.
To strive Hillary, a true champion of bravery, Hillary.
That slick frat bastard, Hillary!
You should have been Clinton I!
You should have risen to rank
Before history’s dress mark.

Hillary, to hole up in Harlem with Mr. Repugnant.
To stomach his oily legacy,
A world turned myopic by successors horrific.
Hillary, you were the champion of the establishment, Hillary.
You were the trough of the wave and I’m sorry.
A new generation is freshly educated and ready for practicum,
Galvanized by acts of atrocity passed off as homily.

Hillary, the Buffalo Bills, Hillary.
The Minnesota Purple People Eaters, Hillary.
The Nineties Knicks, Hillary.
The all time also-rans Hillary,
Striving for sense after failure.
Few people have the chance to grow so much
So late in their lives, Hillary.
The question is simply this:
Does plasticity become you?
Can tabards be hemmed into tunics?
I pray these words for you, Hillary,
To join the olive grove sandaled and free,
Breezy and angelic,
Having won what no contest could purse you.
I will hope for you.

[audio:http://www.mikevarley.com/old/words/MikeVarley.com On Consolation.mp3]