by Phyllis Frakt
 |
| Cartoon by Nick Anderson |
The West Wing cast
upholds the Age of Reason
as credits start to roll
to end the third episode
of the second season.
Josh asks, What do you say
about a government
that goes out of its way
to protect even citizens
who try to destroy it?
Sam, C.J., Donna, Toby
solemnly intone in turn,
God Bless America,
defender of liberty,
tolerance, rule of law.
But now in dim twilight
we slide into an inverted age,
the age of no reasons,
only whim and might,
divine blessings upended.
What would the cast say
about a government
that protects itself
while its own leaders
try to destroy it?
God Help Us, they’d sigh,
then invoke the words
of a slain commander:
Here on earth God’s work
must truly be our own.
Phyllis Frakt was inspired to write poetry after hearing Amanda Gorman at the inauguration of Joe Biden. Since then, she has written nearly 250 poems, about a dozen published in The New Verse News and elsewhere. She lives in New Jersey.
