Conversation

The Constitution? Fine in parts—
Except the bit where losing starts.
You floated termination. Neat!
The warranty expired at defeat.

Your January clemency decree
Came with a lesson, plain to see:
The cops who fought them got to view
How flexible your love of blue.

Birthright? You’d revise the deal;
The courts supplied a different seal.
Then government got budget shears—
Less staff to check the missing gears.
Efficiency! A splendid boast:
A lighthouse runs much cheaper closed.

To NATO came your helpful view:
Pay enough—or Russia’s free with you.
A mutual defense arrangement
Became a premium subscription payment.

Then Canada, our northern pal,
Became your next potential mall.
Europe learned to hedge its bets;
Beijing could use what distrust gets.
While allies plan for your next turn,
Their rivals watch—and wait—and learn.

You quit Iran’s old nuclear deal;
Then bombs became the next appeal.
In twenty-five, the bombers flew;
In twenty-six, the warfare grew.
Your peace pitch needs a slight repair:
It keeps exploding in midair.

At Hormuz, shipping faced attack;
The fuel-price shock came traveling back.
At pumps and freight depots, the bill
Arrived without a campaign thrill.
The family budget joined the fight—
Its casualties get less limelight.

Then tariffs! Foreigners would pay!
A lovely pitch. Except, say,
The import bill came due right here,
And parts for OUR goods grew more dear.
The foreign tribute, by and by,
Was paid by folks at Best Buy.

O master of the golden sign,
Who treats the public trust as MINE,
Who markets every crack as strength
And measures truth by banner length:
The country isn’t real estate.
Its laws aren’t yours to renovate.