Saturday, January 16, 2021

IN-SUH-REK-SHUHN

by Rémy Dambron




they said this man was just like them we said he doesn’t feel the same

they said he said that’s just fake news we said this is a dangerous game

they said he’s making us great again while we witnessed his power abuses

they diminished and deflected delivering his excuses

we called this pattern treacherous nefarious hateful nasty

they called him biblical 
patriotic bold and crafty

we said he’s promoting violence 
they said he doesn’t mean it

we showed them clips of footage 
they said we just don’t see it

we said hands up don’t shoot 
black lives matter me too

they said shut up and dribble 
all lives matter back the blue

we plead for justice 
but just us took a knee

so they beat us up with shields batons and false decrees

we said we have our rights 
they said well not today

we said these were our streets 
so they gassed us all away

we protested peacefully 
get your knees off our neck

they called us anarchists
then wrote themselves some checks

we turned out in record 
to win the election

they claimed there was fraud 
pledged their objections

we agreed to a recount 
they cried stop the steal

maskless they rallied 
refusing to heal

they threatened more violence despite our constitution

we said he’s propagating 
they called it lib delusion

then hundreds and hundreds 
with his flags and motifs

assailed the steps
of our nation’s top chiefs

we cried this is madness 
the building’s not secured

they said our take-back has begun and we will not be deterred

we said look at the police 
they’re like ushers in disguise

allowing them to enter 
with insurgency supplies

we saw gates open wide 
with a skirmish or two

then a lonely black cop
with just a stick and film crew

never drawing his firearm 
just clutching his baton

yelling and retreating
his leverage too far gone

they paraded their faces 
took selfies and stole files

besieged and disgraced
our nations state house defiled

they were released without consequence 
set free without question

acquitted of their felonies 
at forty fives direction

we watched in horror for hours
what we had known would come true

his fascist america 
executing their coup


Rémy Dambron is an English teacher, proud husband, and activist whose poetry focuses primarily on advocating for social justice and denouncing political corruption. His work has been featured on What Rough Beast, Writer’s Resist, Poets Reading the News, and The New Verse News.