Between Heaven and Hell, IX
my body, my choice
penetrating the distant chants
of U-S-A!
I gaze at Lady Liberty’s
forward-facing charge
to the clicking
of cameras in a row
the Convicted Felon
proclaims, I will protect
the women ... like it or not
ka-kis-to-cracy ...
my English teacher's voice
quivering
as U-S-A! chants get louder
from the crowd outside the school
in morning chill
a youth gazes at the billboard
dripping red:
your body, My choice painted
over my body, my choice
FYI: The first part of kakistocracy comes from the Greek kákisto(s), meaning “worst.” Therefore, kakistocracy means “government by the WORST.”
The New Yorker, Nov.14: A New Rallying Cry for the Irony-Poisoned Right: It took less than twenty-four hours after Trump’s reëlection for young men to take up a slogan that could define the coming era of gendered regression: “Your body, my choice.”
And PBS, Oct.31: Trump: I will 'protect the women' ... 'like it or not'
Added: This Brave New World, CXVII
6M-dollar worth
of one banana duct-taped
to the gallery wall
the rift between the Gilded-rich
and the Working-poor un/seen ...
FYI: BBC News, Nov. 21: Duct-taped banana artwork sells for $6.2m in NYC.
And L4 refers to the Gilded Age, from 1870s to 1900 in American history. The term was coined by Mark Twain and was used to describe an age characterized by corruption, but covered over with gold.
The slogan of the Gilded Age: Get rich, dishonestly if we can, honestly if we must.
