Years down the political road
an ex-con will be carried to the rotunda
by military men at taxpayers’ expense
though he never served a day in uniform.
Mourners will respectfully file past his remains
though never in his life did he lawfully
file his taxes, wash his hands at humanity’s
fountain, or recognize a truth before
wringing out a lie. A closed casket affair,
nobody certain if he’s actually in there,
his supporters aghast, as a democrat is
accused of raising the flag to full staff.
David Feela writes a monthly column for The Four Corners Free Press and for The Durango Telegraph. A poetry chapbook Thought Experiments won the Southwest Poet Series. The Home Atlas appeared in 2009. A collection of his essays How Delicate These Arches was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. Unsolicited Press released his newest chapbook Little Acres in April 2019.
