I’ve heard it affirmed that Don “harnessed our rage,”

Though half of the country ain’t on the same page,

Unable to get into his “great again” pitch,

Meaning we’re no longer so tough or so rich,

And that in the past we were all better off,

And now are but suckers quite worthy of scoff.

Old Ronald Reagan claimed much the same thing,

His “Morn’ in America” had just such a ring.

Yet parse that “greatness”: you come up a bit short,

For it covers much sin and manifold wart:

Gays hiding feelings and housewives their aces,

Communist traitors, blacks knowing their places.

A black-and-white world had only two colors,

And not much need for societal mullers.

Now things have changed, fat old whities are mad:

Gone are good salaries for the mere high school grad,

But college costs moons, the job market’s zany,

Lawyers are jobless like anyone brainy.

Yet on the left there’s discontent too,

As folks who read newspapers see much to rue,

Like banksters and insurers rigging the games,

The media selling us terrorist names,

A government run by those CIA clans,

Who fish in our phones and then blame Assange.

In the post-elec’ protests it’s all very clear,

The rage Don harnessed is not even near

To all the rage thrashing America’s land,

And leading to crisis that’s surely at hand,

Among a sick people who’s sick of themselves,

And no longer listening to political elves.

For sure we all love E Pluribus Unum,

And on certain days our flagpoles festoon ’em,

But love of the country’s like love of the Cross,

And depends for much on what you think’s boss:

The good of society or Joe Sixpack’s rights?

Our roadmap comes copied from Sunnis and Shi’ites.

For on left and on right they’re rolling up sleeve,

To have at each other and declaring the eve

Of the new bright unreason that’s now taking hold,

Of which The Donald is the scion most bold.

With Obama’s good-bye goes the last of civility,

The Union of fifty, of front-yard tranquility.