Republican Elephant
He sits on the end of a shelf.
His companions, mostly, are bears - teddy-bears -
(Named for Teddy Roosevelt, twenty-sixth American President.
A Great President - a Republican).
Like the Elephant,
Mascot for the GOP - the Grand Old Party -
(Younger than the Democrats).
The party that in the nineteenth century gave us Abe Lincoln,
In the twentieth Eisenhower.
And now? The Twitter King.
Our Elephant was a gift for our first-born,
From her maternal grandfather
Following a trip across the Pond.
’So she learns how to be
A proper little Conservative’
He explained.
A good toy for a toddler.
No moving parts, no hidden pins, no sharp corners.
Soft, pliable, comfortable -
Non-threatening in every way.
If only I could feel the same about the Donald!
Childhood days are past.
And so, until the next generation comes,
Our Republican Elephant
Sits quietly on the shelf, with his friends.
But he failed, you know -
(If he really WAS meant to teach our daughter
The merits of Conservatism).
Red-stated Republicanism
Holds no attraction for her. She IS a Red -
But strictly according to British political hues -
With a splash of Green.
A feisty young Feminist, Eco-warrior, Socialist,
Furious to be denied a voice
In last year’s BREXIT Referendum.
Disappointed in those who - In her judgement -
Cast a vote for her future, based on their past.
Like an Elephant, she will NOT forget.
Our Elephant says nothing.
He sends out no tweets.
He makes no promise
To make America great again.
To build a wall.
To give US our country back.
To take back control of our borders.
Will she pass on this Presidential Pachyderm,
Resplendent in his bright hues of red, white and blue,
Stars and stripes - or Union flag -
To her child one day?
Don’t hold your breath.
But if not - we’ll always save a place for him -
Amongst the teddy-bears.
Commentary: Ah... politics. Tricky. Whatever you say, you know you're going to offend someone. I have American friends who are Trump supporters, Australian friends who think all politicians are as bad as each other, and British family members who are indifferent to politics altogether. But - for me - politics does matter. I wrote this in November 2017, around about the time of the first anniversary of Donald Trump's election victory. Now, three years, I'm still struggling to come to terms with the ramifications of the twin electoral upsets of 2016 - the election of Trump, and the British BREXIT referendum. I know I'm not alone. As I post this - in August 2019 - the Amazon forest burns, Iceland loses a glacier, civil unrest in Hong Kong continues, the American President seemingly exhibits Messianic delusions, and thanks to our own 'mini-Trump' Prime Minister, the threat of a 'No Deal' BREXIT on Halloween (You couldn't make it up!) draws nearer. Politics matters. We don't need elephants to remind us of that.