He sits. Drained. Alone.
Above his head, a framed drawing
of straight parallel lines
that never meet, meld, or blend.
Like no one cares.
To his left, folded jeans
stacked on a three-legged stool.
Three-legged for stability, balance.
A cairn he has created to say
I was here. I lived here. I worked here.
They turned their backs on me.
No one sees me.
Instead they listen to his lies.
I try to hold my head up.
But I’m tired. I’m so tired.
I see their belief in his lies,
the belief in their eyes.
The mistrust. The fear.
I sit numbed by hate.
I can no longer take deep breaths.
I felt hope in this country
I worked hard. I tried to ignore his lies.
But others believed.
Lies eroded trust until all around me,
hope turned to dust.
He sits. Drained. Alone.
Waiting.
For who? For what?
For you to make a difference.
It’s your choice.
It’s Poetics Tuesday at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today Mish is hosting with a fun prompt! We’re asked to go to one of two websites she provides that feature record album covers. We’re then to choose one cover to inspire our poetry writing for today. I’ve selected the album cover for RM, ‘Indigo’ 2022. The poem is inspired by the photo album cover, and sadly, by the lies about immigrants told by Donald Trump and JD Vance – most recently, the lies told about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
lillian the home poet 
It will be a scary election… I fear for the world… and knowing you can win on a message of hate is what chills me.
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Exactly, Bjorn. And sadly, as we know when Hillary Clinton lost the election to Mr. Trump in 2016, one can win the popular vote in the US by literally millions, and still lose the election because of the antiquated electoral college system we have. This is my fear. And for the life of me, I can not understand how people can vote for a pathological liar, a convicted felon, and one who has caused an insurrection and then sat idly by for three hours as his followers chanted Hang Mike Pence, built a gallows ready for the deed, and looked for congress folks with plastic wrist ties in their hands. It’s a frightening time – and I must force myself to think positively.
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Seemingly, Hitler was right – if you tell a big enough lie…
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Oh my, Lill! You have put yourself in your subject’s shoes and he has come alive. I just hope that the election goes well for Kamala Harris, and everyone is treated with respect again. We had enough of the lies the first time around – that awful man must not get in again.
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I agree!
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Lill, you were moved by so much more than the image and I am with you in the fears you speak of. It blows my mind the way one man is allowed the freedom to create so much chaos in your country and abroad. It would not be granted in any other scenario. Your interpretation of the album cover is so imaginative and unique in symbolizing your message.
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Thank you, Mish. I find myself ruminating these days…..over the election….the hurricanes and friends in harms way. And as a septuagenarian living in the state of Massachusetts (which always goes democrat in elections), there’s not much I can do to change the world. One vote. And I just keep “debating” and publishing facts on FB. The lies are brutal and so many just swallow them. It’s very sad.
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Such a sad, but beautiful set of words that give real meaning to the album cover…superb meaning to be honest…but real sadness well-expressed, dosed just right.
Yes, just so wrong,in every way, not the least that Kamala Harris seems so good. I utter dislike of the cad and coward magnified by his callous words about Ukraine. How could he boast of friendship with a murdere…well, we know the answer.
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Heaven help the US, Ukraine, and the world if this carrot top evil man is elected again. Kamala is such an excellent choice. I just don’t understand how people can either believe his lies or pretend that they don’t matter. He’s a convicted criminal!
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The painting on the wall is the most interesting part of the image to me, like painted bars in a window. I’m glad you started there.
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Interesting that the painting reminds you of painted bars in a window…jail-like? I can see this person, feeling like he’s been placed in a different kind of prison from the one he’s just left to find his freedom.
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Such a wonderful poem, thank you for writing it. I think we are all feeling the weight of this world and the election in the US. I fear so much that somehow that man might win. He and his ilk are everywhere and this seething hate rearing its ugly head is depressing. I hope Kamala wins, she is the right woman for the job.
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Amen to that!
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A sad situation, Lillian. Very well written.
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Thank you, Dwight.
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A wonderful Ekphrastic poem. 🙂
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Thank you!
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Lill, such a moving write! The whole world is watching the US and whatever the American citizens decide, the whole world will be affected. May everyone see through the lies.
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Amen to that! My biggest fear is the Harris will win the popular vote, and maybe overwhelmingly so….but lose the electoral college numbers and thus the election. We are saddled with the electoral college system….a system that was established in our early days as a country to give more weight to the slavery states. Many folks in other countries don’t understand how someone can win the popular vote and not be president.
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Yes, that happened to Hillary Clinton too! Keeping fingers crossed that all goes well.
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You have written a wonderful poem, Lillian. It is powerful and thought provoking.
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Thank you!
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My process here was to read your poem and see the cover art. Then I read the comments and re-read the poem.
It’s all excellent, Lillian. All of it. And the poem hammers home the point.
People needed to vote in 2016 but they didn’t. People needed to vote in 2020 and they did. It’s that simple.
I read the poem a third time. 🙂
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I so appreciate your comment here, Bill…and your multiple readings! My fear is Harris will win the popular vote, perhaps overwhelmingly, and still not be elected president because of our outmoded electoral college system.
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Lillian, I cannot imagine another Trump win. If I thought that, I would be really depressed.
In the past 30 years Republican Prez candidates won one popular vote (Bush in 2004) with 50.7%. Dems need to take Congress and Harris needs to win. I need them to do that.
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Yes, I could feel the meaning before your notes! Very nicely done.
I was here. I lived here. I worked here.
Very sad words.
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Sad indeed.
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I can’t add anything else that other commenters haven’t already mentioned other than to say I enjoyed your thought provoking poem.
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Thank you!
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I am so impressed the way you have effectively tied this incredibly reflective album cover to the deceit of populist politics. It is a brilliant take. I am not familiar with this artist. Is the music as good as the cover?
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Well….I am ashamed to admit….I simply scolled through the album covers offered in the links for the prompt until I found one that struck me and motivated me to feel something. So I have no idea what the music is like! Just thought the cover was incredible.
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I have all my fingers and toes crossed for you, all of us and for the subject of the album cover you chose and wrote about so eloquently, Lillian…
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Thank you! As I’ve said to others, my fear is Harris will overwhelmingly win the popular vote and still not be named president because of the outmoded and outdated Electoral College system the US is saddled with.
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This is so poignant, Lillian. Beautifully done.
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So powerful, Lillian. One of your best–although so sad and chilling.
It was great to hear you read this today. I was going to wear my Poets for Harris shirt today, but it was in the wash. Like you, I cannot believe how people can’t see what the felon is, or even worse still support him and what will come with Project 2025 under Vance.
I just keep thinking of the famous quote:
“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
—Martin Niemöller
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This was powerful in the telling Lillian, it’s like a curse is upon democracy. It was wonderful to hear it live.
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