DonaldMandias

The ridiculous statue of Donald Trump showcased this weekend at CPAC reminds me of Percy Bysshe Shelley's sonnet "Ozymandias," written in 1817.  Using the image of the decaying statue of Ramses II, Shelley reflects on the transience of political power and of those whose hubris governs their actions.  As the statue of Ozymandias fades under the Egyptian sun, the sand and wind take over, and nothing remains of the former tyrant.

Here's a revised version of Shelley's sonnet:

I met a traveller from the USA
Who said: "Two vast and Trumpless legs of chrome
Stand in the desert . . . Near them on the sand
Half sunk, a shattered orange face lies, whose vain
And vulgar mien, and sneer of cold command,
Tell of his heartless deeds and hateful ways
Which yet survive, stamped on this tasteless mold
Of glitz and gold.

Image by Miranda Straubel

And on his flip-flopped feet these words appear:
'My name is DonaldMandias, a very stable genius,
The best of all that's ever been!'
Now nothing else of Trump remains.
This gaudy wreck, this statue gone,
While lone and level sands stretch far away."

Honoring Snowflake

The photo of Ted Cruz's dog Snowflake, alone at the front door with the family on vacation in Cancún, created a familiar image: that of a dog, forlorn and abandoned, without his people friends nearby.  The picture isn't even a close-up, yet you get a sense of how Snowflake felt.  Or how you think Snowflake felt.  Dogs have long conveyed human emotions, particularly to those of us who've lived with them.  Even my porcelain and brass dogs have something to say:

Here's one that belonged to my dad.  Apparently a cocker spaniel, he displays on his side an image of the Statue of Liberty's crown and torch with the words "New York."  I assume that my father bought this as a souvenir when he visited the city as a kid.  There's a certain nobility about this dog, even with the distracting tourist image: his earnest face, his steady stance, and his gaze into an unknown future.

This scottie was my dad's, too, though she's more worn than the spaniel.  She reminds me of Snowflake, Ted Cruz's dog, though her house is more appealing than his posh, uninspired facade.  In contrast, her cheerful orange door stands out against a green wall and a bright blue roof.  Nonetheless, our scottie is chained unhappily outside.  Her misery is palpable.  Still, I'd rather be her than Snowflake.

I think this is a Boston terrier, which, though usually white and black, can also be white and brown.  My dad probably had this little guy because he reminded him of his dog Jiggs.  Though his house isn't as colorful as the scottie's above, Jiggs isn't chained.  His demeanor is completely different: bold and energetic, Jiggs is poised for adventure.

The last two are mine, bought when I was a child as I searched for dogs that looked like our Sparky, though neither of these resembles him.  He was primarily a lab, while these are spaniels, and he wasn't missing a leg.  Despite Sparky #1's disability, though, he doesn't complain; his loyal, obedient watchfulness is impossible to miss.

Sparky #2 seems sad, but not uncomfortable with his sadness.  He's curled up, meditative, pondering his life with humans.  No doubt we made him sad sometimes, but not as sad as Snowflake must have felt when the family left for Cancún.

Sing a Song of Mike Pence

Among Donald Trump's many betrayals on January 6--of the Constitution, of the Congress, of the Capitol staff, and of the American people--was his betrayal of his devoted vice president.  No one can deny that the insurrectionists came close to murdering Mike Pence, and no one can deny that Donald Trump did nothing to stop them.  Moreover, after hearing the facts presented in the impeachment trial, no one should deny that Donald Trump incited the mob in the first place.  

Maintaining the spirit of Mother Goose rhymes, which were often political parodies, here's a new version of "Sing A Song of Six Pence."

Sing a song of Mike Pence, a martyr to the cause,
Three and forty votes cast, trashing US laws;
When the votes were counted, the right began to sing,
This is what we do because we want to please our king.

The king was in the White House, watching all with glee,
He tried to call Tom T'ville, instead he got Mike Lee;
He hoped to get the count stopped, to force Joe B to lose;
While all along the rioters sought Mike to fit their noose.

Harrowing indeed.

Shame on those 43 senators.

A Marjorie By Any Other Name . . .

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the notorious QAnon legislator from Georgia, is giving all of us Marjories a bad name.  Test your knowledge of some other notable namesakes:

1.    Marjorie Jacqueline Simpson

        A. Winner at Wimbledon in 1955.
        B. Full name of the title character in the 1950s TV show My Little
        Margie.
        C. Famous TV mom with blue hair.
        D. Early 20th-century American impressionist painter.

2.    Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

        A. Author of The Yearling.
        B. Author of Harriet the Spy.
        C. Author of The Secret Garden.
        D. Author of A Tale of Two Cities.

3.    Marjorie Finlay

        A. Lead Disney animator for Bambi.
        B. Taylor Swift's grandmother.
        C. First woman aboard the International Space Station.
        D. Annie Oakley's mother.

4.    Marjorie Morningstar

        A. Owner of MorningStar Farms grocery line.
        B. First woman to serve in Congress.
        C. Mother in My Friend Flicka.
        D. Novel by Herman Wouk.

5.    Marjorie Eileen Dursley

        A. Fred Flintstone's aunt.
        B. Harry Potter's aunt.
        C. Leslie Knope's aunt.
        D. Princess Leia's aunt.

How'd you do?  Answers below.

1.  C
2.  A
3.  B
4.  D
5.  B

Step aside, Marjorie Taylor Greene.  You've disgraced our name, and we're taking it back!