Political Parties, VII

And,

most of all,

quit thinking

of elected officials

as the elite

even if they

invariably

are drawn from them,

maybe just imagine

them as Jimmy Stewart's Mr. Smith,

headed to Washington,

naive enough

to think they can get something done

because most of them

really do start off that way

and it's only the relentless pressure

that changes them

into something else,

a soundbyte

that existed

long before social media

where everyone else

could parrot the same lines,

with different thoughts

behind them,

a vicious cycle

and circle

that eats itself

like an ouroboros,

a snake in the grass

that needs tending,

the blood of patriots

(now probably metaphorical).