Second Coming No. 81 — April 10, 2025
A poem-a-day protest against the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House
Ruth Nicholson
Sonnet for the Absent Poet
Diminished by the threat of winter’s harm,
the ceremony still involves a throng
of luminaries, special guests who charm
with tributes, reminiscences, or song.
But notice, there’s no poet here today—
no chance to greet a new prophetic voice.
No hand placed on the Bible to affirm
a covenant with all who made a choice.
The dais groans with men of property.
A musky scent hangs heavy in the air.
The leader who has promised unity
instead spews insults, proves he does not care.
Burned featherless by hatred, choked by lies,
democracy’s canary slumps and dies.
Ruth Nicholson‘s poems have appeared in Emrys Journal, Kakalak, Fall Lines, and American Journal of Nursing. A Pennsylvania native now retired after years of public library work in South Carolina, she thrives on the camaraderie of the River Poets group in Bloomsburg, Pa.
Indolent Books and editor Michael Broder are back with another poem-a-day series as a creative response to the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House. The plan is to continue for all 1460 days of the 47th American presidency.
Find out how to submit poems or flash prose pieces to Second Coming.
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