Edmund Siejka Poet Narrative

Traditions For the Next President

Traditions for the next President

           by Edmund Siejka                                                                                                                                          

Why is it that a President
Is always a Boss
Never a worker?
Always a schoolyard bully
Never a hero?
Always a pretender
Never a king?

I want an average
Everyday kind of person
For President.

I want a President who owned a small business
Worked 14 hour days 
To keep his store afloat. 
Or a wait staff
In a busy diner
Working back to back shifts
For tips and loose change.

I want a truck driver and his wife
Who scrimped and saved
So their kids could go to college.
Couldn’t one of them be President?
How about someone born of recent immigrants for President?
Whose parents didn’t speak English
But who made something of herself
She could teach us about determination and overcoming hardships.

Or a veteran?
Yeah, don’t forget about them
Didn’t they serve when a lot of people were busy going to college?
For President I want that retired schoolteacher
Who taught bored teenagers
And still managed to keep her sanity.

I want to know why this isn’t possible.

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Teddy Kimathi February 3, 2017 at 1:17 PM Congrats Edmund, for having your poem featured in the Poetrysoup homepage!!! ;-)

Marilyn Williams January 30, 2017 at 6:10 PM Maybe the ordinary man needs to be around to check the extraordinary. Great Poem! Seven stars granted to you.

Ilene Bauer January 11, 2017 at 3:55 PM wise words, edmund! any one of them would be preferable to the one coming into office...

Reason A. Poteet January 11, 2017 at 9:56 AM Marvelous, thought-provoking piece. I guess those kinds of people really aren't interested in being top dog - they work very hard at what they do and gain satisfaction from the effort. I would tend to agree with you except when I ask myself the question, "Would I want to be President?" Thanks for the kudos for school teachers, I was one for forty years. Great piece, Edmund.