№ 864: An Imperial Intrigue

SLEEPLESS IN DC (May 25) —

It’s essential I find someone to blame

before this disease is attached to my name.

The “Spanish Flu” wasn't Spanish.

The Black Plague, not Black. (Rats and fleas!)

The current pandemic, Goddamnit,

though I say it is, it isn’t Chinese.

It would be a total pain in the rump

were Covid-19 deemed la maladie Trump.

(By Hydroxychloroquine, my elixir of Life!

La maladie Trump? Is that my wife?)

I need a crown. Perhaps a throne? OR

Imperial laurels. I do not want a corona!

№ 388: I, Donald

Guardian: Trump threatens government shutdown over immigration

President tweets demand for Democratic co-operation

“I would be willing to ‘shut down’ government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security,” the president tweeted, “which includes the Wall!”

The Cæsars and the Napoleons

and, of course, all of the tsars —

not to mention Hohenzollerns,

Hapsburgs. . .Ming the Merciless 
with Flash Gordon on Mars! —

would never permit the slightest whit

of opposition to darken their sky,

I herewith submit, if they took no shit,

then neither will I.

Tim O'Brien The Village Voice

Notable birthday for yesterday, July 29:

BORN ON THIS DAY

1883

Benito Mussolini

Born this day in 1883, Benito Mussolini was the first of 20th-century Europe's fascist dictators, assuming absolute power of Italy in 1922, and his harsh rule and involvement in World War II  led to his death in 1945. —  Encyclopædia Britannica

BORN ON THIS DAY

1883

Benito Mussolini

Born this day in 1883, Benito Mussolini was the first of 20th-century Europe's fascist dictators, assuming absolute power of Italy in 1922, and his harsh rule and involvement in World War II  led to his death in 1945.
—  Encyclopædia Britannica 

No. 292: A Miscellany: Donald, Bernie, Mitch & Paul

L'état, c'est moi 

I, Donald

As emperor, I, of course, refute

any and all attempts to dispute

my view of the world.

Where's my new suit?

Bernie's Backstory

To join in the fight for civil rights,

Bernie moved to Vermont, a state almost all white.

And not just in winter, it must be noted —

all year round when the ground is not snow-coated.

Was it fresh mountain air that lured him there,

the soothing cool breezes through his Einsteiny hair?

Was he unable to resist

being Vermont's pioneer Socialist?

The American public remains unsold.

Bernie must like being out in the cold.

Paul & Mitch

If Paul and Mitch ever come to their senses

drop their defenses, join the consensus,

remember to ask this ding-dong duo,

“What took you so long to see through the cuckoo?”

No. CXXV: Imperator

This New Roman Emperor

displaying distemper...

must we be in fear o'

this fiddlestick Nero,

this geezer Caesar,

this pussy squeezer?
How should we figure

this down-market Caligula?

Distasteful, disgraceful,

all ways in-your-face full,

though he's shot his wad,
he believes he's a god!

So sad to see the Republic reversed.

(Peace be upon him, Donald the Cursed.)