Gallows at the Capitol

(This dark poem was written on the anniversary and in memory of the events of January 6, 2021.) Gallows at the Capitol By Mark D. Stucky “Hang Mike Pence” was the chilling chant the day democracy died on a gallows at the Capitol, when citizens began rejecting election outcomes they didn’t like, and, to get their way, turned to threats, harassment, and violence. Denials of elections, ethics, and common sense lead us ever further down a path toward ruin. Democracy’s rough corpse is already rotting as we now slouch toward another election. (See also my poems "The 2023rd Psalm," "Bathing with Bathsheba," and "The Art of the Devilish Deal.") (The image is a collage of two images by Andy Feliciotti and Johannes Blenke on Unsplash.com.)