‘Chairman Xho’ (Pronounced ‘Joe’) by Joe Tessitore The Society February 6, 2021 Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry 13 Comments . They’ll be coming for you soon, Chairman Xho. It’s an old, familiar tune that we all know. You’ve been howlin’ at the moon And they’ll say that you’re a loon And you’ll bring us all to ruin, Chairman Xho. They’ll say that you’re their bro, Chairman Xho. But you know that it ain’t so, Chairman Xho. You’re just like all the rest, A useful idiot, at best, One more pest they do detest, Chairman Xho. . . Joe Tessitore is a retired New York City resident and poet. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. 13 Responses Cynthia Erlandson February 6, 2021 Tersely, accurately, and humorously stated, all at once. I sense that it may match a folk tune, but it hasn’t yet occurred to me which one (?) Reply David Paul Behrens February 6, 2021 There is an old bluegrass song called “Diamond Joe” that sounds very similar. Reply DPB February 7, 2021 Chorus: Diamond Joe, come and get me My wife died and quit me Diamond Joe, come and get me, Diamond Joe Joseph S. Salemi February 6, 2021 It’s hard to know whether this illegitimate president Biden is a conscious traitor, or just incurably stupid. Reply Joe Tessitore February 6, 2021 I strongly suspect that the Chairman will turn out to be irrelevant in all of this and sooner rather than later. Reply Cynthia Erlandson February 6, 2021 Must those two choices be mutually exclusive? I think it’s possible that there’s a sense in which they are chronological. Reply Jeff Eardley February 6, 2021 Joe, Cynthia had commented on this being an old folk tune and it certainly has musicality. There is an old English folk song called “Sam Hall” which probably crossed the pond to become something else, and has a similar lilt. Enjoyed this very much. Thank you. Reply Joe Tessitore February 6, 2021 Very cool that you picked up on the music as you read it. It was certainly there as I wrote it – something like a banjo accompaniment for “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain”. Reply Cynthia Erlandson February 6, 2021 Fun — thanks for letting me know! Yes, that was the only specific tune that I thought of a bit later. Reply BDW February 6, 2021 Mr. Tessitore likewise seems “focused like a laser beam on the imminent collapse of freedom…in blitzkrieg mode.” Reply C.B. Anderson February 7, 2021 Be careful, Joe, or before you know it they’ll be coming for you. Bear in mind that, nowadays, the most most egregious crime is speaking the truth. Socrates found this out, and so have many others through the ages. Reply Joe Tessitore February 7, 2021 It may well be in the offing. Lately, everyone I meet tells me to be safe. ‘Dem Bones The story of these bones is clear – More than one deer was butchered here. Hung from this limb, then skinned and bled By him the hunter, long since dead. Not more than a stone’s throw away, Just down the hill, the man does lay In yonder grave – I think it queer His bones should lie so very near. From that same limb now hangs a swing And on that swing grandchildren sing The lilting rhymes that I once knew – My bones tell me he knew them too. What a pleasure to write about something else! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 7, 2021 Joe, I love it, especially when it’s sung out loud with all the might the lusty lungs can afford… it really helps with my BDS. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Cynthia Erlandson February 6, 2021 Tersely, accurately, and humorously stated, all at once. I sense that it may match a folk tune, but it hasn’t yet occurred to me which one (?) Reply
David Paul Behrens February 6, 2021 There is an old bluegrass song called “Diamond Joe” that sounds very similar. Reply
DPB February 7, 2021 Chorus: Diamond Joe, come and get me My wife died and quit me Diamond Joe, come and get me, Diamond Joe
Joseph S. Salemi February 6, 2021 It’s hard to know whether this illegitimate president Biden is a conscious traitor, or just incurably stupid. Reply
Joe Tessitore February 6, 2021 I strongly suspect that the Chairman will turn out to be irrelevant in all of this and sooner rather than later. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson February 6, 2021 Must those two choices be mutually exclusive? I think it’s possible that there’s a sense in which they are chronological. Reply
Jeff Eardley February 6, 2021 Joe, Cynthia had commented on this being an old folk tune and it certainly has musicality. There is an old English folk song called “Sam Hall” which probably crossed the pond to become something else, and has a similar lilt. Enjoyed this very much. Thank you. Reply
Joe Tessitore February 6, 2021 Very cool that you picked up on the music as you read it. It was certainly there as I wrote it – something like a banjo accompaniment for “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain”. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson February 6, 2021 Fun — thanks for letting me know! Yes, that was the only specific tune that I thought of a bit later. Reply
BDW February 6, 2021 Mr. Tessitore likewise seems “focused like a laser beam on the imminent collapse of freedom…in blitzkrieg mode.” Reply
C.B. Anderson February 7, 2021 Be careful, Joe, or before you know it they’ll be coming for you. Bear in mind that, nowadays, the most most egregious crime is speaking the truth. Socrates found this out, and so have many others through the ages. Reply
Joe Tessitore February 7, 2021 It may well be in the offing. Lately, everyone I meet tells me to be safe. ‘Dem Bones The story of these bones is clear – More than one deer was butchered here. Hung from this limb, then skinned and bled By him the hunter, long since dead. Not more than a stone’s throw away, Just down the hill, the man does lay In yonder grave – I think it queer His bones should lie so very near. From that same limb now hangs a swing And on that swing grandchildren sing The lilting rhymes that I once knew – My bones tell me he knew them too. What a pleasure to write about something else! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 7, 2021 Joe, I love it, especially when it’s sung out loud with all the might the lusty lungs can afford… it really helps with my BDS. Reply
