.

Think (Ideo)logically

Say—friend or foe? What else could people be?
… Stop thinking, since it’s useless, and it’s hard.
We’ll do your thinking for you—play our card!
These glasses will now show you what to see:

This world’s in black and white. We’ve gauged its worth.
Here’s all our speeches—your beliefs, our merch.
Laugh off what experts tell you. Don’t research.
Come chant our slogans—these shall guide you forth.

Our merits? All beyond the present lie;
Our great results are always soon to come!
But why not now? Because some rotten scum
Would thwart our efforts and subvert us (sigh).

Our economic plan’s been snatched… But get
Some napkins ready—we’ll devise one more.
They’ve also dragged us in a media war:
We’re blamed for things we haven’t done! (Just yet.)

They’ve silenced us with slander. We’re abused
Because of our great goals. It’s only fair
The people’s righteous wrath that they should bear—
“Fight fairly, in good hate!” Misdeeds? Excused.

Not sure what’s true? In search of solid ground?
Times shape the truth like sea waves shape the sand.
Support our foes, and man shall swindle man;
But if we win, we’ll turn that all around!

Alive or dead, you’ll join our lofty fight
And vote, so all we say becomes the truth!
We’re great, yet modest. Though it sounds uncouth,
It just so happens that we’re always right.

.

.

Daniel Magdalen is a doctoral student in the Faculty of Letters at the University of Bucharest, in Romania.

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11 Responses

  3. Yael

    Wow, nice observational poem of the political landscape as it slides from fall into winter. Good job!

    Reply
  4. jd

    Excellent! Describes the times so well and in a fresh way. I like the rhyme scheme too.

    Reply
  8. Richard Craven

    This is a very, very good poem, achieving the perfect unity of technique and intellectual content.

    Reply
  9. Daniel Magdalen

    Thank you very much for all your thoughtful, kind and motivating comments! I actually enjoyed writing this, even though the main point I started from was no laughing matter: the importance of getting to know reality for yourself, beyond any distorting lens of (political) ideology.

    Reply
  10. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Daniel, from the title to the closing line, this finely wrought poem full of well-chosen, well-placed words of wit and wisdom had me gripped throughout. Very clever and very well done, indeed.

    Reply

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