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MANIFEST DESTINY

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america
getting to first base
hitting a homer
rockets sent above
to distract from all below

america
like an outdated TV game show host
loud jacket and even louder mouth
one part aging sage
and one part magician
and one part used car salesman
offering prizes to those who complete the maze

america
like a Las Vegas casino operator
manipulating bells and whistles and flashing lights
for the paying masses
again
like a Las Vegas casino operator
sharing nods and winks and clammy handshakes

america
the dealmaker mired in spats and fights and wars
the bold explorer that cannot find home
the court jester without the awareness or irony
the extinguished flame of liberty
that turns visual metaphor into public statue

america
the boss who hasn’t had time to notice you
but wants you to put in more hours
the work colleague who steals your credit
the old friend who now sees you as one too many
the best mate who turns out to be a jealous rival
the lover whose initial passion for intimacy
has receded once the first meeting has concluded

america
its beating heart undergoing rapid palpitations
its psyche subject to ongoing conniption
its chest contorted in spasmodic fury
its gasping breath periodically interspersed
with the odd loud snort of coke-addled derision
its body politic flabby, soft, sore, bloated
and on the verge of diabetic coma

america
a land where appearance is worshipped
and substance is subject to abuse
where borders are fluid and hypothetical
where trousers are not necessary for success
where snobbery and indifference are celebrated as virtues
and education is belittled

america
the photogenic creaking elvis android
all pompadour and oversized belt buckle
run on artificial intelligence
where the former has triumphed over the latter
the snake oil salesman in the gulf cart
the horse trader that sells bull
the nickel and dime stuff that never went away

america
where the manufacturing industry
has been reduced to a single dream factory
famous for its nightmare noir
a rain-soaked white face amongst the shadows
chiaroscuro storylines dripping with ambiguity
spade digging into the doublecross of archer
as the fatman seeks the falcon

america
birth of a nation
i got this gun here see
war is a racket, johnny got his gun
play it again sam, it’s a wonderful life
made it ma top of the world
the wry catcher, stay away from the edge
rearview window, who would believe me?
our man in havana, shhh
queen of diamonds, menticide
russian missiles in cuba
cuban exiles in america
bonnie and clyde
the listening post, what conversation?
parallax corporation, seeking employment?
you can’t handle the truth
the berlin wall collapses
the ussr disintegrates
no soup for you

america
the exceptional nation, our wars are noble
the creative nation, let’s make a new country in europe
the victim nation, the three twin towers collapse
the thinking nation, let’s pursue more war
the building nation, let’s demolish west asia
the indispensable nation, let’s finance and arm ukraine
just to stick it to the ruskies

america
the declining power
fading away like a setting sun
the warm embrace now gone
the unipolar moment now relic
corn dogs and baseball caps
fat people too sick to think straight
enormous queues at sporting events
and soup kitchens
homeless shanty towns
within fifteen minutes of the city centre
basic jobs scarce or non-existent
the new world only lasted
as long as there was land to steal

america
the attention-seeking cry-baby
the international bully
the purveyor of promise and hope
and piss and wind
the last chance motel that is a dilapidated mess
the final down where scoring points
cannot affect the result in a sporting rout

america
this is manifest destiny
my love
again
manifest destiny
my love

america
TOUCHDOWN!

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america

TOUCHDOWN!

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Poem & artwork | Keith Salter

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