Protest Vote
Son of America,
daughter of night…
You were
the only friend of mine
who knew more about
the Senate than I did
and it pissed me off.
A cigarette grows lonely
in its ashtray.
Even if it’s still burning,
even if you once touched it,
even though it hears you laughing.
The next cigarette is too easy,
done on the rocks or neat,
up or down,
on account of voices present,
a few senators short of a quorum.
Who are you to scratch
the paint from this chamber’s windows?
To see 100% better?
So blanket the place
with energy-efficient lightbulbs.
Become a baron
in the local real-estate market for closet space.
Go retro, rock the curls, &
wax your res manchu.
But if your collar’s up
and there’s nowhere to pay
that six-dollar cover—
Who gives a flying fuck what’s new?