Lawrence Hall
Mhall46184@aol.com  
https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/
poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

                                 The Ballot Lay Before Me Like a Snake

The ballot lay before me like a snake
Or like a Klansman predatory in white
Slithering across the official page
That same old roster of the same old

Democrats
Republicans
Greens
Libertarians

That same old Unwanted List of ideologues  
Of plotters, scroungers, graspers, creepers, oafs
Aliases, scofflaws, incompetents
Poltroons

(I’m not sure what a poltroon is, but they are poltroons anyway, so there)

Ignoramuses, bigots, and bubbas in bad wigs
Best fitted for those old post office walls
Incapable of self-government, not to be trusted
With firearms, sharp objects, pointy scissors, or glue

(But those topics were not on the ballot)

The ballot lay before me like a snake
Or like a Klansman predatory in white
Slithering across the official page –

I gave it back as blank as the candidates