InaugurHowl

With apologies to A. Ginsberg (and America)

* * *

I saw the worst candidate of any generation elected
by a minority, lying shouting tweeting,

dragging our poor nation into the swampiest of backlashes
with a hostile takeover of democracy,

frustrated voters besieged by simplistic slogans inflated fears
and false assertions somehow becoming convinced that a
con man could Make America Something it never was, even
though he is a serial bankrupting deplorable;

who began his political career with an undeniably crazed racist
accusation that our first black president was a Kenyan and
kept that up for years until denying he ever did so,

who said Obamacare is a "catastrophe" even though he clearly
knows not what it is or who it helps nor what to replace it with,

who has tax and healthcare and other proposals that will make
the rich much richer while throwing crumbs to middle class and
poorer citizens while cutting their services,

who called climate change a "Chinese hoax" thereby baffling not
only scientists but even the Chinese themselves,

who vowed to get rid of the EPA even though it protects not
only the environment but the health and future of all,

who said those who get or give or favor abortion should be
punished and defunded even though Planned Parenthood
prevents more unwanted pregnancies than any so-called
"pro-life" activism ever has or will,

who mocked a disabled journalist who questioned him and
then said he didn't though no objective viewer would buy
that if they see the actual video,

who denigrated POWs and war heroes saying they should
not have been captured or killed while being a draft-dodger
and calling his avoidance of sexually-transmitted diseases
his own personal wartime service and sacrifice,

who towed the line of the venal profiteering NRA and even
suggested that "second amendment people" might be useful
for getting rid of his opponents,

who gleefully boasted on tape of grabbing and groping women's
genitals and getting away with it because he was famous,

who was accused and/or sued by dozens of women who he
assaulted insulted denigrated, having said "Women - you
have to treat them like s__t",

who started a fake university named after himself to defraud
hopeful students, eventually paying out $25 million to avoid
having to testify about it,

who seems to have such shadowy connections to the Russians
that old Joe McCarthy must be fulminating in his hellish
grave but now toadying Republicans just say Oh so what,
fake news,

who baited and insulted everybody but white males and
fomented a rash of violent bigoted hateful events nationwide
but ignored that until pressed and even then would only
offhandedly say "stop it", period,

who called himself a Christian when pressed on that but knew
nothing of the Bible and would seem to have regularly
violated virtually every teaching of Jesus,

who would not release his tax returns like all other candidates do
as there are likely many things he would not want decent
people to see therein, including conflicts of interest that could
disqualify him, evidence of paying no taxes, etc, but said he'd
so so after the election and then, once elected, said Nope, sorry,
joke's on you, suckers,

who publicly mocked the weight gain of one of his beauty pageant
winners saying she was no longer pretty enough for him,

who said his own daughter had a "very nice figure" and
if she were not his daughter he might be "dating" her,

who stiffed many of the contractors and workers who worked on
his many projects using pure financial power to beat them down,

who promised to "build a wall" to keep out Mexicans he called
rapists terrorists criminals who in fact had already been
leaving in numbers greater than they were coming and commit
crimes less than legal residents and pay more taxes than he does,

who said he'd make Mexico pay for said futile wall but Mexico
said "nope" so he decided to make Americans pay for it,

who said he'd ban all Muslims from becoming Americans even though
a tiny minority of them are any threat,

who created a fake charity under his name but spent the money only
on things like a $20,000 portrait of himself and his own legal fees,

who insisted the African-American youth who were falsely accused
of murdering a woman in Central Park were guilty even after proven
innocent,

who said a Latino judge was not qualified because he was Latino,
which even Republicans called a textbook example of racism,

who hinted that nuclear weapons might be a usable option
if he said so making even our allies overseas shudder,

who didn't even write his own most-sold book but the
writer who did so came to see him as a true sociopath,

who inherited millions yet still declared bankruptcy over
and over while under-performing the market throughout
his career and living on debt,

who began purges and gags on expert governmental scientists
who might not toe the line of himself and his profiteering,
evidence-free cronies,

who was so professionally unqualified and personally
reprehensible that virtually every newspaper and
journal and professional group in the nation opposed
him, other than the KKK and National Enquirer,

who provoked even thinking experienced educated
conservatives to say things like "he is a creature of
the swamp… Impeachment must be on the table…
I am more frightened now for our country than I've
ever been.." etc,

who vowed to "drain the swamp" of political corruption
but once elected by less than a quarter of those
who could vote and by 3 million less than who did
vote began assembling a cast of the richest most
ethically-challenged figures ever to crawl out of
swamps towards Washington, who just happened
to have donated to him,

who said he knew more than any number of generals and
intelligence veterans despite having no relevant
experience at all,

who said the free press should be shut down, thereby
igniting a run on copies of George Orwell's 1984,

who lied so often and so blatantly that his minions were
forced to come up with a new euphemism for bullshit,
"alternative facts,"

who has many supporters who will sooner or later realize
he is still a professional con man and fooled them but
who should not be shamed but rise against him,

who is judged by so many to be so ethically, temperamentally,
and professionally unqualified that the biggest protests in
American history ignited the day after his tacky inauguration,

who - Oh, this could go on and on and on but soon
it becomes pointless and despairing unless enough true
patriots see it in themselves,

to recreate the resistance needed from the streets to the
courthouses and halls of government and minds and
hearts of those who believe in true human progress
and values of compassion equity peace civil rights
feminism environmentalism and just plain human progress
towards the arc of justice,

with the American Dream still intact yet not limited by
riches color creed;

America you have always had some big bad "issues"
but I want to believe in you anyway.

America there are more of us than there are of them.

America it turns out there is indeed a "moral majority"
and now it resides most everywhere but in the
White House.

America Washington Lincoln Roosevelt Kennedy are
aghast and depending upon us from beyond.

America let us put true democracy back on top
where it belongs.

America you are better than this,

America please prove that is true.

* * *

FOOTNOTE TO INAUGURHOWL

LOCKER ROOM TALK
by Donald Trump, (59, newlywed)

I did try and f__k her.
She was married.
I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there.

And she was married.

Then all of a sudden I see her,
she’s now got the big phony tits and everything.
She’s totally changed her look.

I’ve gotta use some Tic Tacs,
just in case I start kissing her.
You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful
— I just start kissing them.

It’s like a magnet.
Just kiss.
I don’t even wait.

And when you’re a star
they let you do it.
You can do anything…
Grab them by the pussy.
You can do anything.
Women, you have to treat them like shit.

* * *

Steve Heilig is a professional healthcare ethicist and
policy wonk, environmentalist, and amateur poet in San
Francisco and Marin.