PARTISAN POLITICS
By Mark Schmidt
Take a cloth, preferably coarse
Tie it around your eyes
Hear a dissenting opinion, and you will cry
——Let it soak through
——Until it’s bright blue
Hang it up outside
Tear it off the clothesline and stomp on it
——Leave it there
——Forget about it for one week
Find it and stuff it with raw meat
Set one corner ablaze and throw this at a wall
——Forget it for one more week
Find your beloved cloth
——(The one you hunger for)
Shove what remains in your barren mouth
——Taste your party’s sweet ash in each fold
——Smile as your cheeks swarm with maggots
You did this
——Without thinking, you did this
——You didn’t notice the stench
————Rancid and diametric
You, who
——Speak through the rags
——Bark through them
——You–
–
–Mark Schmidt is an undergraduate student currently pursuing a double major in English and Computer Science at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. When asked why this combination, Mark usually rolls his eyes. He has work published in Concordia’s annual poetry journal, “Potpourri.” When not writing poetry, he enjoys teaching himself songs on the guitar or the drums.
Photo by Gessy Alvarez.
