The Man Who Would Be Strong

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is wandering off, weak and alone.

Before our recent election,
our government had negotiated
with trading partners around the Pacific Ocean
to trading terms that did not abandon
the area to Chinese advantage.
Of course it was not something perfect.
Trade agreements have trade-offs.

Donald Trump said to forget it:
The Trans Pacific Partnership died.

Once upon the carnage after World War II,
Europeans and the US forged
the North Atlantic Treat Organization
to provide stability and security not only
for Western Europe but for us, too.

Donald Trump has not just questioned,
but undercut, the notion that NATO
and the Common Market is critical.
He and Vladimir Putin propose to cozy up
to each other and take care of all of that.
Leave Western Europe to Germany and France:
England can come along with us.

The Paris Climate Agreement was almost unanimously
agreed to, except for two small nations that thought
that it did not go far enough to protect the planet.
When the time came to meet again,
Donald Trump, alone, refused to sign on to the agreement.

The Man Who Would Be Strong
is standing strong, all alone,
while China is shaping global commerce,
while Putin is nibbling at Eastern European territory,
while the rest of the world agrees we have to limit emissions.
No one is following him.

It is not just sad that the US role in global affairs
is being shelved: it is disastrous for us.
Trade will be arranged, not to accommodate us,
but to work around us; to our disadvantage.
The ocean is rising, and a rising ocean
raises the water table in all seaside basements.
Hotter air, and a warmer ocean, cause the atmosphere
to do savage and unexpected things.

One of these days, I suspect
that we will hear it reported
that Donald Trump will--something like Xerxes--
be found at our borders, at the shoreline,
lashing the sea into submission.

He is strong, you know.

Comments

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