50 years To A Sinking Ship

I. 1976

When Jimmy was elected president,
American democracy looked sacred.
We marveled that enemies’ lists
And Watergate could be wiped clean.
An Attorney General, convicted,
Spent 19 months in jail, silent, unseen.

In Spain, King Juan Carlos, a sage
Monarch, steered democracy hurriedly
To port after Dictator Franco (so hated!)
Died, rinsing 37 years of skullduggery.

In Africa, students swallowed
How a bill becomes a law
Among three equal branches
Of American governance.
In Soweto they marched against
The evil of apartheid, its racism
Undermining the self-worth
Of every person of color.

II. 2026

Lady Justice’s blindfold is stripped,
Tipping scales weighted against
Any Trump critic, a kangaroo court
Of suits mounted in petty offense.
New enemies’ lists make CBS devolve
To a hollow mouthpiece of sycophancy.
Attorneys General don’t follow the law,
But flatter the wannabe king’s chicanery.

In Spain, democracy is championed
As a means of securing fairness
For the marginalized, for the immigrant.
Human rights matter in Madrid,
Even if they don’t count in Washington.

In Soweto, earning a living wage
Too high a hurdle but, recalling Mandela,
They no longer have to slave
Under Afrikaans random rules.
Blacks chant in freedom even as
Americans self-censor to avoid
Capture by masked ICE henchmen.

Fifty years on, Spain and South Africa
Bequest healthy democracies for next
Generations, while in USA we slide
Toward unfree tyranny; we are hexed.
How many golden statues will MAGA
Sycophants worship like a spineless sect?
Woe to America! Woe to my home!

One day, just like Adolph, the name
Donald will be exorcised for its shame.