A poem-a-day protest against the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House and his regime
Paula Rudnik
Last Straw
At what point does the camel topple,
its wide flat feet unsteady over horned split toes,
triple-lidded eyes tearful in their double row of lash?
When does the beast of burden
bite the hand that cinches up the saddle
and drop back broken to its knobby knees?
Those who shrug at hot spit warnings
under-estimate how long a camel
holds a grudge.
Handlers may think a bridle and a crop,
a load of freshly baled hay,
determine who the leader is.
Even creatures who appear
to withstand thirst for weeks or even months
can’t go forever without love or water.
The straw before the straw
that breaks the creature’s back
may go unnoticed
by a single-lidded oaf
without a camel’s sense
of when enough’s enough.
Paula Rudnick is the author of Now Is Not a Good Time (independently published, 2022). Her poems have appeared in Halfway Down the Stairs, LA Jewish Journal, Poetic Medicine, Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, Kosmos Quarterly, and other journals, as well as in several anthologies. A former TV producer whose credits range from late-night rock-and-roll shows to Emmy-nominated movies, Paula lives in Los Angeles.
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.
If you like Second Coming and you want to support it, consider making a donation to Indolent Arts, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal sponsor of Indolent Books.
You can use the form below to donate as little as $1.00 (not visible in the email version of this post) or use this link to visit our donation page where you can donate as little as $1.00 or choose titles from the Indolent Books catalogue as thank-you gifts for donations starting at $25.00—The more you give, the more thank-you gift books you get, up to six books for a donation of $100 or more.