E Pluribus Unum

I was able to watch part of President Obama's ASU commencement speech last night. It was a splendid speech, full of truth, beauty, humor and power. He is a virtuoso performer and a master politician.

But as I was attending to my knitting this morning, these words came out

King of the Damned

Oh King of the Damned
What are you any way?
One of Shakespeare’s
tragic fools?

You think you’re different?
The archaeological record
is full of examples
of dead heroes
behavioral fossils
ones who little heeded
and were horribly punished

foolish wretch
power after all
is weakness and death
this is a tough neighborhood
wise up.

But that's not what I wanted to say at all and so I turned it the other way and found a better truth.

E Pluribus Unum

Foolish wretches!!!
Why do we act this way?
We think we’re so clever
Why did we make this man
King of the Damned?

I know he volunteered
But no one volunteers to be
one of Shakespeare’s
tragic fools

The archaeological record
is full of examples
of dead heroes
behavioral fossils
ones who little heeded the fact
that wielding power
can lead to humiliation and death
Who deserves to be so horribly punished?

power after all
comes from us
E Pluribus Unum
Out of many one
united we can sew the sutures
That will bind and heal
Our self-inflicted wounds

Will we sit in our easy chairs
Watching the 24/7 news
While THE BIGOT BRIGADE
Like some demented Greek Chorus
Eggs us on to the cliff-edge
And then over

Or, and this a BIG OR,
we finally realize
We are all in this together
together,WE make great change

Democracy is NOT a spectator sport
We all have a duty to our fellows
this is a tough neighborhood
wise up.

Capitano Tedeschi

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King of the damned, E Pluribus Unum copyright May 14, 2009 by Jamie Jacks