Butterflies before an acceptance speech

 

Butterflies before an acceptance speech

If madness strikes me

Seizes my senses right on the dais

Shakes me out of my habitual lies;

If I spoke the truth just once

dropped this calculated elegance

Bared these teeth of a devil!

What then!

 

‘Ladies and gentlemen

My name is Mheshimiwa

Your new legislator, your future tormentor

the ultimate evil, second to the devil

My sincere gratitude:

Thank you for each vote, each that I bought!

 

‘I enjoyed your little cockfight

was beside myself with pleasure

said hurray and cheers, then  shed tears

at your mass burials and all memorials;

I blamed my rivals.

As for the troubles I caused

I regret not whatsoever

Proud of my affluence

I hide not this protuberance

I lied, now you know!

Thank you for each vote, each that I bought!

 

‘Why wouldn’t you study my eyes, see the lies

The ways in which I had strayed clearly displayed?

But lie or no lie, your votes came my way!

When you look into these eyes

Do you not see the emptiness of promise?

‘I guess you wouldn’t look, won’t look

Wouldn’t care, won’t care.

You wouldn’t vote Jesus,

if he drove a simple car;

You wouldn’t vote the Buddha

or any simple traveller-

but oh, the next thief

who drives a fuel guzzler!

 

‘Well, I promise verily verily

I will neglect my duty

All your laws I will defy!

I will spawn your stress,

you will never self-express

If you sue, I’ll deny, I will keep my lie

and my fat pay

will harass my pockets

all the days of my life,

And as I grow old, set me free

From financial cold!’

 

But it wouldn’t change a thing

Coming clean, truth-telling;

Some cars just have a liking

For rough driving!