unfaithful

James Mattis knows our interest's with the Kurds;
our dalliance with Erdogan's a bust.
But Trump's alliances are empty words
and no one should extend him any trust.
The general's moved on from the ColdWar
He'll take the write-off; Incirlik's a loss.
While Trump grasps nothing of what's gone before
but needs the world to hail him as the boss.
The world knows well how Powell's name got trashed
to sell a war on Cheney's bogus shit.
Yet who can tell if this will be the clash
that makes a Secretary up and quit?
Today, Trump's scolding his chum, Erdogan
and Mattis knows the reins are in his hand.

sad schemer

Flynn offered Gulen's head up on a plate,
to prove his fealty to Erdogan.
three stars can't hide that he's still second-rate

but thinks himself a mafiosa don.
No oath of office, no morality
sets bound upon the loony schemes he'll plot.
He's unconcerned with illegality
if there's a sleazy fortune to be got.
No vetting winnowed chaff out of this wheat;
team Trump repackaged swamp and called it "wine".
Corruption from the top-down's now complete. 
But Breitbart tells the rank and file it's fine.
Now if we were to extradite Flynn's boss
democracy would count in no big loss

schemer

Flynn offered Gulen's head up in a box,
a token for his patron, Erdogan.
A Keystone cop, whose head's all full of rocks
conceives himself a mafiosa don.
No oath of office, no morality
sets bound upon the loony schemes he'll plot.
He's unconcerned with illegality
if there's a sleazy fortune to be got.
No vetting winnowed chaff out of this wheat;
team Trump repackaged swamp and called it "wine".
Corruption from the top-down's now complete. 
And Breitbart tells the rank and file it's fine.
But if we were to extradite Flynn's boss
democracy would count in no big loss

unstatesmanlike

aspiring autocrats try to suppress
the mere idea they shouldn't grace the throne
and Freedom of Assembly, or the Press
seems dangerous for citizens to own
 a citizen asserting civil rights
expecting that his government pay heed
is apt to disappear one of these nights
with no investigation of the deed
the age of Putin, Trump, and Erdogan
twelve score years human progress gets rolled back
assaults on Universal Rights of Man
Enlightenment itself's under attack
who dares speak Trumpelthinskin's proper name
gets tweet reprisals thick with unearned blame

swan song

the Age of Trump, and Erdogan, and Xi
is perilous to members of the Press
and those of us who dream we should be free
pursuing not big bucks, but Happiness
a vast conspiracy tends towards the Right
although their slogans elevate der Volk
de facto maximize the rulers' might
and civil liberties are just a joke
it's thought that Putin chortles at the news
that Hillary won't be the head of State
the Democrats contrived a way to lose
against the xenophobic font of hate
a rising tide of bile could swamp all boats
when fear and avarice command the votes

between

the Schengen Group tempts Erdogan to merge
the fate of Turkey with the Northern States
but at the same time, they'd want him to purge
all Turkish statutes that discriminate
he dreamed he'd bridge from Islam to the West
as spokesman for the wisdom of the East
but mostly he's seen as a source of guest-
arbeiten who perform the work of beasts
as host to refugees, he plays a role
that earns the Europeans' gratitude
two million Syrians must take a toll
as they compete for Lebensraum and food
his grudge against the Kurds must be re-weighed
as dreams or Euro-integration fade            

petty tyrant

when Erdogan broke faith with Turkey's Kurds
he tipped his country into civil war
dismissing loyal citizens as turds
who looked for honest service from this whore
the Europeans snubbed his bid to join
the Economic Union of the rich
a metaphoric boot-toe to the groin
provoking him to whine and pout and bitch
he thought himself a new Salahuddin
bold champion of Islam to the West
but Europe's never gonna let him in
until he shows a clean Wasserman test
he loves the Turks (when he's up for a vote)

but still prefers to fuck his poxy goat