Yesterday's Kerfuffle

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4/14/18 edited on 10/25/22

The illustration done by G.Gaul is of two pols scuffling on the Pennsylvania Capitol rotunda floor.

This poem is mainly about the discord over gun violence prevention and the many issues that are part of it. The poem focuses on second amendment issues (gun rights) but there are many, many more issues that it could have been about. The overarching issue of gun violence has been very politicized needlessly.

The poem is dedicated to Gun Sense Chester County (GSCC in PA), a non partisan gun violence prevention group that is located outside Philadelphia PA with membership mainly in Chester County but extending to other areas as well. The group proposes that finding common ground is the platform for thoughtful, respectful discussion of key issues between gun owners and non gun owners alike. The slogan of the group is "Common Ground is the Solution".

At the capitol rotunda
Two senators faced off on
Gun rights versus oversight
Each side bunkered in
Intractable, their way to win
Sharp tongued irate debate
Open thinking went kerplunk

Head to head, noses pressing
Like two rams rutting
One grabbed a neck
The other ruffled hair
Both leaned into a scrum
Onlookers aghast

Heavy breathing, jackets flung
Ties askew, faces flushed
Veins a popping
Fists were clenched, my heart pounding
Spit and foam tossed about
Two old mad dogs yelping

Spin left once, then spin right
Round and round these two locked
Like a chopper blade taking off
Leather shoes and legs flyin'
Scuffing on slippery rotunda floor
Lots have slithered across before

Muffled echoes off the walls
Don't think a punch was thrown
Guards ran in to break the spin
Pull the swirl apart
Just like a gooey sticky bun
'Cept it weren't no fun

Hands grasping foe to foe
Darts of insults still flashing
Reddened eyes, teeth gnashing
Heads adjoined they'd go

Caught their breath, stood up straight
Falling back into friendly hands
Mumbled shards yet flying
They walked away slumping
Like two Humpty Dumptys
Disheveled putting themselves together

Each insisting they were "kerrect"
With hastened breath
I saw it all unfold
Watchers shuffling in doubt
As they usually do

It was a war, weren't no spat
They'll never forget, count on that
See it all on the evening news
Did it change each other's views?
Can we ever talk civilly?
Common Ground is the Solution
 
So that was yesterday's kerfuffle
Adjudicated by muscle

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