Will Rogers' Statue, Washington D.C

Statue equals stele; a marker for bones

Trickster pols troll
Capitol corridor,
Beguile press corps
Camped near my statue
My bronze toes
Are rubbed bright
By folks needin' luck,
I grab my lariat,
Rotate wide the loop,
It gyrates like a twister
Through a field
I speak:

"A king can stand people fighting
but he can't last long if people
start thinking."

I rewrap my lasso,
Spin its rawhide spine
Around me
Like a planet's track
I speak:

"There are men running the 
government who shouldn't
be allowed to play with matches."

I twirl rope like a top,
Hold its tail in coils,
Make wormholes in air
A group of Republicans
High-five in front of me
After their tax scheme passes
I speak:

"Ten men in our country
could buy the whole world
and ten million can't buy
enough to eat."

Statue equals stele; a marker for bones


Laura Stickney 2017

Notes:
A stele originally was an ancient Greek statue
used as a grave stone.

Will Rogers 1879-1935, was a cowboy, expert
trick roper and political sage. All quotes in poem
are from Will Rogers.

Photos: Will Rogers c. 1920's and photo of
Will Rogers' statue in Washington D.C. Capitol,
Architect of the Capitol website