Histrionics
(on Al Sharpton's interpretation of his
arrest at Vieques island, May 23, 2001)
"From prisoner to president"
Al Sharpton bids for fame
Since the U.S. Navy slapped his wrists
For spoiling their military game.
He likens himself to Mandela
Who trod the heroic path
'Gainst torture and repression
And Apartheid's cruel bloodbath.
A fair comparison? Let us reflect
On the respective merits of each:
Of one imprisoned for 27 years
And the other kicked off a beach;
Of one who gave his life and blood
To show captive souls the way,
And one who lost but one day's wages
In tokenistic display;
Of one who praises the children of God
Regardless of black or white,
And one marked by a legacy
Of racism and spite;
Of one who became a judge of the realm
That sought once his life to enslave,
The other a strutting peacock
And clearly an arrant knave.
"Our deepest fear," Mandela said
"Is not inadequacy
But that we're powerful beyond all measure:
Your light must set you free."
Compare that with the rhetoric
That Sharpton likes to spout
To know the latter's contrast
With the man of cause devout.
But politics is unpredictable,
A theme our pollsters harp.
If we can install a prickly shrub,
Why not this porcupine Sharp?
May 2001
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