
I was appalled, yet somehow inspired–“shocked, but not surprised” as I so often hear people say, without any sense of self-contradiction– by a news item this morning. The news said, that Rudy Giuliani, the former President’s attorney, came up with the idea of losing the election, but then saying, that they won.
This idea proved quite popular. And a perfectly good election has been given the third degree, as a result.
During this month of empty-standed Tokyo Olympics games, it occurred to me, that this lack of sportsmanship would never fly, in any other sport. Only in politics.
This poem ensued. For any not familiar with baseball, I’m so sorry. I don’t think I could explain it, if I tried.
Hope you enjoy it, anyway.
The pitcher winds up,
Plants his feet,
And rises,
Like a cartwheel.
The ball, it whizzes
To the plate.
The batter waits,
A spring,
All coiled and ready.
Strikes the ball,
And hits it
With a venom,
Releasing it,
To catapult
Into the
Cheering crowd.
The pitcher, shameless,
Raises mitt,
To stoke his own
Side’s anger.
With air-borne beer
And plastic cups,
His crowd rains down
Its ire.
The umpire, meek,
Submits to them,
Allows a flag
To flutter,
Though not a one
Has seen an error.
Yet, he judges:
“Foul!”
The pitcher gloats.
And spits. And jigs.
With roaring
Adulation,
The crowd exacts
A strange revenge
Upon the
Winning team.
The winners watch,
In disbelief.
His strategy
Is working:
“Although the facts
betray our acts,
Let’s lose–
And say we won.”
Copyright 2021 Andrea LeDew
For a short short story describing a different kind of sleight-of-hand, read Widow’s Walk.
Why does it not surprise me that Guiliani cooked up the scheme that did unfathomable damage to this country. For shame.
Did they not think all this would come out eventually?
I read a prescient quote by Simone Bolivar– the liberator and dictator and would be uniter of all South America in the early to mid-1800s. It could have been said about this side of the equator as well:
“If it were possible for any part of the world to revert to primitive chaos, it would be America in her final hour.”
We certainly saw that in January, didn’t we? All I can hope is that he who shall not be named and his evil minions are convicted of felonies so they can never hold public office.
Perhaps Unsportsmanlike Behavior should get politicians thrown out of the game.:)
If only . . .