by Madeline Linnell
‘Tis time to cheer for the man of the hour,
Who, defeating the capital’s ranks
In a game of volume and banks,
Swaggered forth, his face surly and sour,
Kneeling before Teddy and his swollen stick,
‘Twas dubbed Triumphant, all-American dick,
For who needs knowledge of policy and state,
When you can fund a wall without a gate
Or employ small children to dance to a ditty,
Praising your name—how clever and witty!
Democracy is but a slimy stage after all,
Yet who’s to blame: the costumed fool or the voter in the stall?
Madeline Linnell is an amateur photographer and mediocre footballer and an undergraduate student from Boston, Massachusetts. However, she has spent this past year at Oxford University studying English Literature and Classics. This is her first poetry publication, an ode inspired by the captivating happenings of U.S. politics.