A list poem, presented without commentary.

The Collective States of America

an aurora of gaslighting
a klan of cops
an array of blue states
a caravan of kids in cages
a route of step forward, two leaps back
a flink of fevers, fires, & fright-mongering
a cloud of undetermined direction
a grist of history
a bed of same-sect theocrats
a peep of hope
a murder of senators
a parliament of funky relics and rituals
a lounge of spineless pachyderms
a fever of racists
a waddle of ranch-addicted snackers
a sneak of rule- and norm-breaking
a sneak of dishonor
a parcel of postal delays
a bank of capitalists
a durante of taco Tuesdays
a flutter of better angels
a bazaar of guns
a muddle of historical revision
a loveliness of protests
a prickle of power-mad octogenarians
a consortium of big and bigger businesses
a barrel of youthful exuberance
a smack of five-fingered, opened-palm reality
a gaggle of journalists
a puddle of fear of the enfranchised and informed
a cackle of pundits, screeching and screaming
a shiver of voting booths
a romp of national parks and the Capitol
a skulk of red states
a cling of white racist power structures
a leap of progressive values
a pitying of those cleaving to the what-was
 and what-never-was
 or things that can never be

©David Siller – 2021

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For the first 100 days of the Biden administration, this website will feature a new poem of What’s Next!? These pieces can be calls to action, calls to attention, or calls to anger. They will light the way and guide the fight. They will get us moving and keep our momentum. They will be filled with hope, with anger, with sorrow. They will get us into good trouble and point out the trouble we need to stop. They will be polished gems, or rough-cut drafts of rage, or in-process pieces searching for peace. They may be haiku or tanka, limericks or lyrics, verses free or fettered.

#100Days100Poems of What’s Next!? wants your poems, your prose, your visual art (photos, drawings, sculptures), your music, your short films and animations. Interpret the theme as broadly as you’d like.

If you would like to submit to this endeavor, please send an email, with your visual art (as .jpg or .pdf) or your poem saved as a word document (.docx) to waxyandpoetic AT gmail DOT com. Include a short bio (2-3 sentences) and social media/website information. All rights remain with the author. Please address any formatting preferences in your email. Waxyandpoetic.com will post submissions time permitting, with at least one per day beginning 20 January 2021. Read, follow, share, submit, live, love, spread light! Don’t forget to use #100Days100Poems !