Tuesday, March 14, 2017

War on Fake News

To-day we have war on fake news. Yesterday,
We had daily Obama soiling. And to-morrow morning,
We shall have what to do after tweeting. But to-day,
To-day we have naming of fake news. Fox News
Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens,
         And to-day we have war on fake news.


This is the lower class. And this
Is the upper class, whose use you will see,
When I am given my power. And this is the piling wall,
Which in your case you have not got. The bricks
Blocks out the bad hombres in their silent, eloquent gestures,
         Which in our case we have not got.


This is the tweet button, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have any strength in your thumb. The poor
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
         Any of them using their finger.


And this you can see is the alternative facts. The purpose of this
Is to distract, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Erasing the truth. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The journalists are assaulting and fumbling the facts:
         They call it erasing the truth.


They call it erasing the truth: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the alternative facts,
And the distract, and the hair-piece, and the point of insanity,
Which in our case we have not got; and the news
Loudly on all social media and the journalists going backwards and forwards,

         For to-day we have war on fake news.

6 comments:

  1. This is absolutely ingenious and I'm a bit (very!) jealous that I did not come up with it! Trump would say bad!, but I say amazing!

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  2. This is a really good and funny poem! I really like how you incorporated references to and critique of Trump without ever mentioning his name! Nice work!

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  3. Yes, lovingly done. All the right phrases are kept and given their new context they surprise and delight. The structure is also a replica of Reed's with two voices in stanzas 1-4 and a backwards recap of the poem - in one voice only - in stanza five. Parody, or pastiche?

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    1. I would say that this is a pastiche, since the poem imitates Browning's style, but does not use it to mock his work like a parody would.

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  4. I really like what you have done here! It is a really good poem with a lot of great aspects :)

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  5. Extremely well done! Wish I would've come up with that idea!

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