Ellen McGrath Smith: Politics

Thank you, red, blue, and purple map on TV,

for showing us as we truly are, smaller than the people in the Lexus ad,

smaller when separated from the whole;

you suck us into the u-u-u-unum, and either we saturate into a color

or jump off a bridge, gif-like reascending from our splashes to the railing

à la plastic baby Jesus yanked up out of plastic crib—

from this view, what was benediction by the infant king is startle reflex

(sad but true). Thank you, bright-faced, intelligent wonks:

You show me that the falling citizen is also the infant king

rising           though frightened as fuck.

Copyright 2016 Ellen McGrath Smith