The Institute of Peace headquarters (public domain)‘The Institute of Peace: Constitution Avenue, N.E.’: A Poem by Michael Curtis The Society May 29, 2025 Culture, Poetry 6 Comments . The Institute of Peace: Constitution Avenue, N.E. The Institute of Peace looks down on LincolnFrom high atop her perch on Constitution.She has the hollow belly of a beast.She yearns to eat the people piece by piece.She spreads a sharp aluminum of wingsOver a nation that should fear the thing.The city lies in beauty and repose,In quiet slumber, naked and exposed.I see the beast and slowly I approach.The borders of her precinct I encroach.Then from a hidden window of the stoneA heavy armored woman comes. Alone?No. Three more armored come with guns. PoliceWhose badges read, “The Institute of Peace.” . Poet’s Note: A federal judge recently blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the congressionally funded U.S. Institute of Peace (a Deep-State front for nefarious activities), an organization scrutinized by the Department of Government Efficiency two months ago. In March, DOGE attempted entry. Meantime, to hide its criminality the Institute destroyed a terabyte of records. I composed the verse in 2012. . . Michael Curtis is an architect, sculptor, painter, historian, and poet, who is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Common Sense Society. He has taught and lectured at universities, colleges, and museums, including The Institute of Classical Architecture, The National Gallery of Art, et cetera; his pictures and statues are housed in over four hundred private and public collections, including The Library of Congress, The Supreme Court, et alibi; his verse has been published in over thirty journals; his work in the visual arts can be found at TheClassicalArtist.com, his essays at TheStudioBooks.com, and his architecture can be found at TheBeautifulHome.org. 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. ***Read Our Comments Policy Here*** 6 Responses Mark Stellinga May 29, 2025 The irony you unveil, Michael, is yet another example of the treachery and deceit being virtuously exposed by DOGE. An excellent piece – Reply Roy Eugene Peterson May 29, 2025 What has happened to Washington, DC? This monstrosity came after my last time there. The building appears to be transparent, but all the time housing a group usurping funds with no mission, but to waste funds and perpetrate cultural inane insanities. This has got to stop! Thank you for the poem exposing this to public awareness! You have performed a great service. Reply Joseph S. Salemi May 29, 2025 “The Institute of Peace” has long been a front for Deep-State activities that are utterly ungoverned by United States interests. The Heritage Foundation report on the organization and its left-wing political bias is devastating. Reply Adam Sedia May 31, 2025 You give us only a surface-level view of what this nefarious organization does — but it is enough. Reply Cheryl A Corey May 31, 2025 I like the imagery of “She spreads a sharp aluminum of wings.” It expresses the coldness of the place. If I remember correctly, the DOGE team was able to recover that terabyte of info. Reply Margaret Coats June 5, 2025 It’s hard to imagine a building of more hollow appearance. The poem depicts hard edges to the hunger of this “beast.” Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Mark Stellinga May 29, 2025 The irony you unveil, Michael, is yet another example of the treachery and deceit being virtuously exposed by DOGE. An excellent piece – Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson May 29, 2025 What has happened to Washington, DC? This monstrosity came after my last time there. The building appears to be transparent, but all the time housing a group usurping funds with no mission, but to waste funds and perpetrate cultural inane insanities. This has got to stop! Thank you for the poem exposing this to public awareness! You have performed a great service. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi May 29, 2025 “The Institute of Peace” has long been a front for Deep-State activities that are utterly ungoverned by United States interests. The Heritage Foundation report on the organization and its left-wing political bias is devastating. Reply
Adam Sedia May 31, 2025 You give us only a surface-level view of what this nefarious organization does — but it is enough. Reply
Cheryl A Corey May 31, 2025 I like the imagery of “She spreads a sharp aluminum of wings.” It expresses the coldness of the place. If I remember correctly, the DOGE team was able to recover that terabyte of info. Reply
Margaret Coats June 5, 2025 It’s hard to imagine a building of more hollow appearance. The poem depicts hard edges to the hunger of this “beast.” Reply