Adriana Díaz
The President Is
Government is not business.
Government is not entertainment.
I knew that when I was twelve.
I barely remember President Eisenhower,
I thought he was the granddad of the country.
Then Kennedy made me think
The President is the Prince Charming of the country.
Over and over I learned something new about the President.
The President is the slickest politician of the country.
He is the biggest crook of the country.
He is the most famous actor of the country,
The most well-connected man of the country.
All of them were lucky white boys, except one.
He taught me that the President
Is the most optimistic man of the country.
I watch children leaving school in the afternoon.
What do they think?
The President is the angriest man of the country.
The President is the biggest liar of the country.
The President is the scariest man of the country.
Government is not business.
Government is not entertainment.
I knew that when I was twelve.
Adriana Díaz is the author of Freeing the Creative Spirit (HarperSan Francisco, 1992). Her poems and essays have appeared in several journals and anthologies. She hails from Oakland, California and is working on her first novel. You can see her visual art at adrianadiaz.com; read her blog at thiscreativelife.blogspot.com; and learn about her work ass a teacher and life coach at yourcreativelifecoach.com.
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