Poetry

Reuters photo

By

Emily Madapusi Pera

All It Takes

Is this all it takes

To make me grateful?

Waking in the morning to clear skies

and cable news,

No mushroom clouds on the horizon.

Is this all it takes

To incorporate a country into the world?

Then I’ll gladly do my citizenly duty

And buy my North Korean beach timeshare

From Trump International Hotels and Resorts.

Show me where to sign

On the dotted line:

But only if he guarantees

Mutually assured construction.

Is this all it takes

To win a Nobel Prize?

Then give it to them both,

Name them to the Eternal Order of Super Everything,

And let’s have a gentleman’s agreement:

From now on,

He can be a professional lifetime prize winner

and pardon-granter,

And she can take over the presidency.

Emily Madapusi Pera

Emily Madapusi Pera is a writer based in Providence, RI. Previous credits include Scout & Birdie, Back to Print, and Tuck Magazine. She believes in the twin cleansing forces of sunlight and investigative journalism.