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13 Ways of Looking at the Presidential Election
| Critical Analysis #1 |
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13 Ways of Looking at the Presidential Election |
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Kirk T Walker Member
since 2000-01-13
Posts 357Liberty, MO |
A little humor. I wrote this back when all of the recount stuff was going on. I should have posted it then, but I didn't, so here it is now. See Steven's version at http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/stevens-13ways.html Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Presidential Election (A Parody of Wallace Stevens' "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird") by Kirk T Walker I Among a room full of ballots The only moving thing Was the dangling chad. II I was of a two minds, Like a ballot In which two holes, not one, are punched. III The butterfly whirled in the autumn winds. It was so beautiful, yet so confusing. IV A man and a woman Are one. A man and a woman and a candidate Are one. V I do not know which to prefer, The ass Or the elephant, To pose as an eagle For the next four years. VI Voters filled the halls And the voting booths. The shadow of democracy Crossed it, to and fro. The voters Traced in the shadow An indecipherable ballot. VII O fat cats of America, Why do you imagine golden oils of the east? Do you not see how the black oils Puddle around the feet Of the Eskimos near you? VIII I know Southern accents And lucid, inescapable scandals But I know, too, That the politicians are involved In what I know. IX If at first you do not succeed, Count, count again. X After the sight of the candidates Debating on the television screen, Even those who changed the channel Would later vote. XI He had phoned Texas and spoke to his opponent. Once, a fear pierced him, In that he had conceded But might still win the Recount. XII The voters are listening. The politicians must be lying. XIII It was Super Tuesday all week They were counting And they would be counting. The candidates sat At home and waited. |
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| © Copyright 2001 Kirk T Walker - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Marq Member
since 1999-10-18
Posts 222 |
You're right you should have posted this back closer to the time of the elections. But it's still a great read and an excellent parody. Well done! |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
Nice job Kirk. I think it must be hard to do a good parody without seeming trite or trivial. Well done, Pete |
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jenni Member
since 1999-09-11
Posts 478Washington D.C. |
kirk-- nice job on this, lol, it still holds up very well. pete, i seem to recall that you wrote an election piece, too, a take-off on poe's "the raven", pretty hilarious and very well done. seems you two were kind of on the same page. thanks for a good read, kirk! jenni |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
Jenni, thanks for remembering. I never did post the entire thing but it does all exist in several installments in this thread. /pip/Forum12/HTML/002254.html Pete |
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anonymous albert ?
since 2001-03-23
Posts 2979 |
hehe...nice job.. i enjoyed it.. keep writing   ...?death is not the greatest loss in life. the greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. -norman cousins |
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Kirk T Walker Member
since 2000-01-13
Posts 357Liberty, MO |
Thanks everyone for your comments. Pete: I read your parody of The Raven and it was pretty funny. Did you have a full-length version? I would like to see it sometime if so. |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
Kirk, if by full length you mean all 108 lines, then no. I think I stopped at about 12 stanzas. It developed over a period of days and I think all of it is in that thread, just not all in one piece. Glad you enjoyed. Pete |
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