RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD AFFAIRS
Goodbye
Angela Farewell
For
sixteen years she reigned
Over
Europe from Berlin
The
birthing of the union
The
collapse of the banks
Debt
and austerity
The
never-ending war on terror
The
rise of the Islamic State
Russian
aggression
The
climate crisis
The
great migration
The
reactionary right
The
rise of the autocrats
Brexit
and the British clown
The
American void
The
global pandemic
History
will record
Through
the trials and tribulations
Of
the most challenging times
In
the post-industrial age
Angela
Merkel held steady
While
others faltered
History
will record
The
European Union owes its existence
To
Merkel’s strength and diplomacy
For
sixteen of the most critical years
For
human civilization on earth
Merkel
filled the gaping hole
That
America and Britain left wanting
The
iron woman of Berlin
Stood
up to the Russian beast
When
the American president demurred
Stood
up to the white nationalist threat
When
the American president
Gave
it praise and encouragement
We
did not agree with austerity
We
did not agree on many policies
But
on the whole we admired you
And
in the end we thank you
Where
would we be without you?
Goodbye
Angela fare well
