The Last Days of the Democracy

12/26/24

Tonight, gathering winds dancing tops of the firs,
	And the rain briefly stopped, but still
A squall of clouds scuttle across the valley
		From the mountains, from the coast,

So I grab a mug of red to the balcony,
	Look west to the lights out on the highway,
Same as always, and in the neighborhoods down the hill, lights
		Of the season grimly twinkling,

We’re well into the declining days of our broken democracy,
	A few more weeks of sanity, I’d hoped.
But already the stench of the change of regime
		Becomes apparent, the threat of our enemies

Circling, emboldened by the scent of our weakness and ignorance,
The collapse of our allies begun; and that
		Inherent racism and misogyny that runs through so much of our nation, 
The shock that we’d rather throw away our democracy
		Than elevate a qualified, competent Black Woman to lead it.

The days dwindle away, I refuse to dwell on the news,
	But the whiff of change hangs heavy in the air,
I hold my nose, avert my eyes,
		Remembering the tsunami of chaos and lies

That was the demagogue’s first term,
	And we, we chose this return, and I tell myself,
That this is what they voted for,
		This is what they want, 

And this is the worst of us come forth,
	Determining a bleak and damning future,  
Gaming away what little time we have
		To create a future, habitable earth, just a few weeks left.

Steady rain pelts down, as it has
	For some weeks now, swelling
The creeks and rivers in the valley, water
		Cascading from mountain washes,
				Fears of floods, warnings of landslides.
			And then hard, hard rain 
Begins to fall.