One at a Time

By Cliff Lake

 

One at a Time

 

This is our last shot:

The American Experiment is imperiled,

Not just by an aggrieved would-be tyrant,

Whose greed is exceeded only by his disdain,

His indifference to the struggles of the common,

His hatred of anything that does not exalt him.

Though he seeming looms large…

He is but the face of the menace.

For we are imperiled by more:

Sycophants of the martinet in high places and low,

Bullies and treachers-in-waiting,

Subservient to hatred and their twisted desires,

Willing to havoc all in service to cruelty and domination.

Betrayers of the trust they were born to,

Saboteurs and slanderers,

Snakes every one.

Yet others are taking their shots,

Outside influencers manic,

For they sense the experiment in peril,

And would lend their expertise in chaos,

In disorder and disarray,

Their own failures evident on the world stage,

And would not learn anything from their mistakes,

Unless it be how to educate our nation,

In the fallacies they are so practiced at.

Still there is a peril more insidious than these,

A low murmur and a furtive opposition to democracy:

Diffidence,

Resignation,

Hesitation and doubt.

The conclusion of too many,

That one vote will not make a difference –

And these number in the millions.

Were these to make a choice,

To stand again for a conception

They thought to be long lost,

Then they,

Individually,

And collectively both,

Can partake in the security of that ideal:

The American Experiment,

This noble standard,

That we,

All of us,

Can make a reality,

One vote at a time.

The moment is upon us,

And yes, we can make the difference,

We so fervently hope for:

One vote at a time.

You have one vote,

Make it count.

 

Cliff Lake 11/3/2024

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024

Location: Washington, DC, USA

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