sonora2sonoma

While contemplating

the array of garbage cans

lined up along my street this morning,

My thoughts were naturally drawn to the person

posing as president these past many months:

The one person, as he is quick to remind us,

who is truly qualified–

in his exclusive world where facts are fungible

and honor has less currency than mist–

to preside over the circus he has made

of our common discourse.

 

A chaos clown in search of a parade,

A self-imagined prince devoid of principles

whose principal aim is perpetual reassurance

that the empty little shell of nothingness

he senses at his core

in those unsettling times when distraction fails to distract

does not represent his true nature.

 

The world views the chaos

and the cascading distractions

produced by this man, who conceals his baldness

with the subtlety of a speeding red fire truck,

with alarm and rising apprehension;

the pundits (or at least some of them)

view his ad hoc governing style

and seemingly irrational decision-making

and preposterous pronouncements

as imbued with purpose, forethought and planning

not realizing

that the distractions–

far from being carefully crafted

to draw attention away from this or that issue–

are primarily meant to keep his demons at bay,

to protect the man-child from becoming fully aware

of the consequences of his actions

or the true extent of his depravity.

 

For such a man as this–

a reality show celebrity starring in his own imagined production

surrounded by adoring admirers,

many of whom exist solely in his mind–

it is not difficult to see how preferred facts

would easily become a more attractive alternative

to facing up to his shortcomings. or, for that matter,

to even allowing the possibility that any such shortcomings even exist.

 

When consensus reality becomes inconvenient or problematic

what better response than to call it “fake news” and consider the matter closed?

 

For in the end, when all is said and done,

the fate of our country

and its standing in the world

is of little importance to someone

who is utterly lacking in the ability

to see beyond the limits

of his own personal interests.

 

In a world where winning is everything

losing is not an option.

When reality is optional,

a lackluster inaugural crowd

can become a throng of record-breaking proportions

a global environmental crisis

is only a Chinese hoax

and Russian election tampering

simply becomes fake news.

 

Regardless of whether you see the president as a welcome force for change

or a pig in lipstick,

one thing’s for certain:

The current occupant of the White House

will, in his mind, come out the winner in the end,

come hell, high water or both

and regardless of whether or not hell freezes over;

whether anyone else will agree with that assessment

is another question entirely.

Where that will leave the rest of us–

at least those of us for whom alternative facts are not an option–

has yet to be determined.

Tim Konrad

Petaluma, CA

March 12, 2018