Reflections on Electoral Politics

[Achirri Ishmael]

[A Found Poem]

 

Every book I've read
about a campaign is that 
the one that won,

'It was a perfect
and beautifully managed campaign

with geniuses running it

and incredible messaging,
et cetera.'

And for the one that lost,


'Oh, completely screwed up,

too much infighting,
bad people,
et cetera.'

So if I win,
historians will say,


'Way to go!
He fine-tuned that campaign,
got the right people
in the right places,
and as the campaign grew,

he gave them more responsibility.'

And if I lose,

'That campaign,
always in disarray.' " 


 

                     Achirri Ishmael

 

Creatively adapted from a speech by John McCain. Original source: Elizabeth Bumiller, “Internal Battles Divided McCain and Palin Camps,” New York Times, November 5 2008.