GEORGE HELD

 


two poems


 

RAW MATERIAL

Madonna is drawn to Kabbalah because of its promise of reincarnation, according to ContactMusic.
“The thought of eternal life appeals to me,” the once-Material Girl said,

 

As if she were endorsing perfume,

Say, Eau d’Éternité.

 

The wisdom of our stars

Shines on our prosperity,

 

Offers insight, becomes

Our era’s legacy.

 

The Age of Bush will be known

Not just for its advocacy

 

Of an imperial president

Who exports democracy

 

But for its celebrities’

Voices of prophecy.

 

Shine on, once-Material Girl,

Show us the way to eternity:

 

You make as much sense

As Cruise, Robertson, or Cheney,

 

Growing our national fund

Of fatuity.


 

The Decider

 

I hear the voices. And I read the front page. And I know the speculation.
But I'm the decider and I decide what is best.
  --George W. Bush, 18 April 2006

 

Let’s get one thing straight. I’m the decider.
You elected me to protect the homeland.
I won’t let you down if you just let me decide
What is best. I am the decider.
 
I decide when and where to send our troops,
Our fleet, our airmen, our tactical nukes.
I decided to shock and awe Iraq.
All options are on the table for Iran.
 
As Americans we don’t let little runty tyrants
Like that dude running Iran threaten us
Or our allies. We took out Saddam
Because he was a threat to our security.
 
I decide who or what is a threat to our security.
I decide who the Defense Secretary will be.
I decide who stays in detention and how long.
Just get this straight--I am the fucking decider.
 


 
George Held’s poems, stories, essays, and book reviews have appeared in Commonweal, Confrontation, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Notre Dame Review, among other places. A three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, he has published eight collections of poems. A three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, he has just published his ninth collection of poems, W Is for War (Červená Barva Press).
 

 

Copyright © 2006 by George Held.

Material may not be reprinted without prior written permission.

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