A Past President's Poem for Presidents' Day

Barack Obama

POP
—Barack Obama

Sitting in his seat, a seat broad and broken


In, sprinkled with ashes,


Pop switches channels, takes another


Shot of Seagrams, neat, and asks


What to do with me, a green young man


Who fails to consider the


Flim and flam of the world, since


Things have been easy for me;


I stare hard at his face, a stare


That deflects off his brow;


I’m sure he’s unaware of his


Dark, watery eyes, that


Glance in different directions,


And his slow, unwelcome twitches,


Fail to pass.


I listen, nod,


Listen, open, till I cling to his pale,

Beige T-shirt, yelling,


Yelling in his ears, that hang


With heavy lobes, but he’s still telling


His joke, so I ask why


He’s so unhappy, to which he replies...


But I don’t care anymore, cause


He took too damn long, and from


Under my seat, I pull out the


Mirror I’ve been saving; I’m laughing,


Laughing loud, the blood rushing from his face


To mine, as he grows small,


A spot in my brain, something


That may be squeezed out, like a


Watermelon seed between


Two fingers.


Pop takes another shot, neat,


Points out the same amber


Stain on his shorts that I’ve got on mine, and


Makes me smell his smell, coming


From me; he switches channels, recites an old poem


He wrote before his mother died,


Stands, shouts, and asks


For a hug, as I shink, my


Arms barely reaching around


His thick, oily neck, and his broad back; ‘cause


I see my face, framed within


Pop’s black-framed glasses


And know he’s laughing too.

________________________

For commentary on Obama’s poem (and the typo), as well as another of his poems, “Underground”, go to hubpages.com/literature/Barack-Obamas-Pop/.

Today from 1-3pm in Diamond Springs (just southeast of Placerville), Poetry of the Sierra Foothils will present Kelly Grace Thomas and Linda Scheller, plus open mic, at Caffe Santoro, 493 Pleasant Valley Rd., Diamond Springs. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about this and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.

—Medusa

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