Poetry

AFP photo

By

Emily Madapusi Pera

The Memo

To release or

not to #ReleaseTheMemo?

Never has a piece of writing

stirred up such frenzy among those

who don’t read.

No redactions, no rules: we know this

about the current White House.

But where is the “there,”

there?

So they released all that was classified

with a simple stamp:

Unclassified.

So they dressed up the action

as transparency.

So they released the top-secret dud.

The reasonable news says, so what?

But polls say that less than half of Republicans trust

the bureau that got their guy elected.

The “there”:

Russians can now relax – we’ve done their job for them –

they need no longer surveil the surveillance.

Political cost will be considered through news cycles,

as Hillary’s guilt is declared (again)

though she can’t be fired.

Trump will have to settle

for firing his own.

Soon there will be no one left to fire

as House Republicans plan their exits,

candidates for jobs in the Administration back away slowly,

and the State Department, DOJ, FBI empty out.

What have we learned

in this epic round of navel-gazing?

The White House will adopt, abuse, retract, or embellish

whatever intel they like.

That’s no new lesson here.

Meanwhile, our allies are bewildered.

And Putin sits wrapped in his bearskin and smiles, knowing any outcome

that results in spite, disgust, and hatred between Americans

works for him.

He’ll still be in power

long after the Republicans have gone.

Emily Madapusi Pera

Emily Madapusi Pera is a writer based in Providence, Rhode Island.