By Ron Faust
Remember a reasonable time for a democracy
When we had Democrats and Republicans
Representing change and conserving tradition
A chaos President came on the scene flamboyant
Advocating superficial policies and white nationalism
Fading into irrelevancy and leaving the GOP a mess
Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are street gangs
Ready to mobilize another Jan. 6th insurrection
Willing to deny peace to promote national chaos
Two years after the January 6 insurrection
Far-right extremists have divided the GOP House
Pushing conspiracy theories but unable to govern
This was in full display as GOP took fifteen rounds
To elect maligned McCarthy as Speaker of the House
While Jeffries gave a brilliant oratory for Democracy
Voters of this Trump era are complicit in the chaos
Supporters of a culture of violence are to blame
Those who ignore political realities allow ruination
We need a cease–fire everywhere for our madness
For destruction, for nuclear weapons, for inequality
Only then, we stand on a thresh-hold of a new dawn.
1/6/23 (On occasion of experiencing the disarray of the Republican Party and the last line of this poem coming from a Christmas Eve sermon by Rev. Dr. William Barber of the Poor People’s Campaign)
