TheNewVerse.News : GOOD NIGHT AMERICA, JANUARY 2026

Thursday, January 22, 2026

GOOD NIGHT AMERICA, JANUARY 2026

by Bonnie Jo Campbell

AI-generated graphic by NightCafé for The New Verse News.

Good night almighty oaks, good night acorns
snug in shells. Goodnight hens, asleep on perches.
Good night good people of Minneapolis St. Paul
hanging sheets of plastic over doors broken down
by ICE agents. Lullaby your little ones to sleep.
Good night neighbors with cameras and whistles.
Good night Mr. President, tweeting your fury,
slide easy into haunting dreams of disloyalty,

dreams of failed plastic surgery, bad poll numbers,
dreams of not enough admirers or paying guests—
Remember the kerfuffle when caviar was served
at Mar-a-Lago in tiny plastic spoons? Never enough!
It’s natural to want more caviar, money and power.
It’s natural to want kids not to be afraid or hungry
or molested or separated or zip-tied or teargassed.

Bonnie Jo Campbell’s latest novel is The Waters, W.W. Norton, 2024.

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Although the editors and audience of The New Verse News have a politically progressive bias, we welcome well-written verses of various visions and viewpoints.

In any event, opinions expressed in The New Verse News are those of the poems' writers (or, perhaps, only of the poems' speakers) and not necessarily those of the editors, the audience, or other contributors to the site.

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The Managing Editor of The New Verse News is James Penha. Interviews with him regarding the editorial policies of the journal are available at:
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Thursday, January 22, 2026

GOOD NIGHT AMERICA, JANUARY 2026