The President Visits the Storm by Shane McCrae

The President Visits the Storm

    “What a crowd! What a turnout!”

     —DONALD TRUMP, TO VICTIMS OF HURRICANE HARVEY

America you’re what a turnout great

Crowd a great crowd big      smiles America

The hurricane is everywhere      but here an

Important man is talking here      Ameri-

ca the important president is talking

And if the heavens open up the heavens

Open above the president      the heavens

Open to assume him bodily into heaven

As they have opened to assume great men

Who will come back      and bring the end with them

America he      trumpets the end      of your

Suffering both swan      and horseman trumpeting

From the back of the beast the fire and rose are one

On the president’s bright head      the flames implanted

To make a gilded crown America

The hurricane is everywhere      but here

America a great man is a poison

That kills the sky the weather in the sky

For who America      can look above him

You’re what a great a crowd big smiles the ratings

The body      of a storm is a man’s body

It has an eye and everything in the eye

Is dead      a calm      man is a man who has

Let weakness overcome his urge for death

America the president is talking

You’re what a great a turnout      you could be

Anywhere but your anywhere is here

And every inch      of the stadium except those

Feet occupied by the stage      after his speech will

Be used to shelter those displaced by the storm

Except those feet      occupied by the they’re

Armed folks      police assigned to guard the stage

Which must remain in place for the duration

Of the hurricane except those feet      of dead

Unmarked space      called The Safety Zone between

Those officers and you      you must not vi-

olate The Safety Zone you must not leave

The Safety Zone the      president suggests

You find the edge      it’s at a common      sense

Distance it is      farther than you can throw

A rock      no farther than a bullet flies