Palinode V

Palinode V


Yes, the Prime Minister
is here too,

in this day-night.
He sits

on a rocky outcrop,
silent, unwilling

to retract
his expressed regret

for sending
women to college

or other
stubborn opinions.

When I asked
him about

his children’s
fight over

his house, whether
it should be

torn down or turned
into a museum,

he could not speak.
He had tears

in his eyes but no tongue
in his mouth.

He has made his will
and will swear by it.


Image credit: Chicago Tribute (Phillippe Lopez/AFP/Getty)

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