Vox Populi
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Ron Smith: Cassandra
after Louise Bogan
I called my friend, the journalist, right after
The vote was known. “You don’t understand.”
He told me, “This is reporter’s gold”—with laughter
To show contempt of the clown and his band
Of misfits and morons—my voice rising
Over the restaurant clatter, my warning
Stopping short of words like fascist, chastising,
Though, a good friend, ruining lunch, already mourning.
~~~~
Copyright 2026 Ron Smith
Ron Smith was Poet Laureate of Virginia from 2014 to 2016. His work has appeared in The Nation, Georgia Review, Kenyon Review, New England Review, and many other periodicals and anthologies. His most recent poems can be found in Plume, Blackbird, Cold Mountain Review, Style Weekly, and elsewhere. Ron Smith’s books are published by L.S.U. Press. He is currently Consultant in Poetry and Prose at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond.
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we not me!
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Powerful pair, and in light of events, you, “stopping short,” showed restraint at that lunch.
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I’ve never been a fan of Greek mythology except, perhaps, for Prometheus, but these two poems made me do a little more research into Cassandra. Thanks. I guess me all feel belittled at times for our self perception that we are truth-tellers and that our Truths are being dismissed, rejected by others.
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Exactly! Cassandra stands for every poet, every woman, every child who speaks the truth and is dismissed.
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Well done, Ron! And well done Mike Simms, to pair this poem with the Bogan! You must be a poet yourself or sumpn…. LOL
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Thanks, Syd. I’m proud of this pairing. One poet called me ‘the sommelier of poetry.’
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Perfect!
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Because you are 🙂
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Hahahaha!
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