ELECTIONS

    by Walter Nash

Things were otherwise
in distant times when leaders chose themselves
with muscle and magic and an evil eye.
Choice didnīt take too long,
no longer than it might to drop a rock
or push a rival into a lionīs mouth
and there you were,
undoubtedly the one man for the job

Even when kingdoms came
brute force was not completely out, but then
being the Lordīs anointed helped a lot
You could feel pretty safe
with oil on your head and Latin in your mouth,
and psalmodies of bishops to acclaim
divine inheritance; 
when they acclaimed you, you just stayed acclaimed –    

unless you were deposed – 
but in the Enlightenment a new day dawned
governance then was more of a gentlemenīs club
with classical quotes;
the name of the game was liberty (within reason),
the elected being those who reasoned well
and were at liberty
to hustle for patronage, or buy a vote. 

Quite different now, of course,
no bribery for us;  our candidates
face trial by vilification, then emerge
all squeaky clean
in staybrite suits, to explain themselves to the Press
week after week in the name of all thatīs truly;
itīs a  protracted test,
but in the end somebody has to lose.