Guilt of experiment
Samuel Abonyo's poem narrates disappointments from supporters of President Donald Trump who trusted and hoped that he would bring changes to their lives.
I wished Trump a win
For I wished to see an experiment
For I had never seen an experiment
It is true; I had never seen an experiment
I did not see Stalin’s experiment
I did not see Hitler’s experiment
I did not see Mussolini’s experiment
I did not see Mao’s experiment
I did not see Pol Pot’s experiment
I did not see Caligula’s experiment
I did not see Nero’s experiment
I am telling you; believe me
I did not see any of those experiments
And many more, I am telling you, believe me
In the tales tellers told
Were to me those experiments.
Imaginative embellishments
By historians who wrote those histories
About imaginary experiments they invented
In the tales tellers told
Were to me those experiments ingenious inventions
By historians who made up the experiments
To beguile me
To interest me
To misinform me
To mislead me
To lobotomise me
And to indoctrinate me.
None of those experiments was true
Believe me, there was not an iota of truth
In any of them, tellers just made them up.
But now before me
Was a promise
Of an experiment
Of a true experiment
Was a promise
Of a live experiment.
Now before me were not historians’ fabulous experiments
Now before me were not those fabulists’ fables
Now before me stood a promising experiment
A true experiment
An enchanting experiment
And Trump was to me already riveting
To me, believe me, Trump seemed to have made himself up
As they had made everything up, believe me,
As they had made the election too up.
Was he fake, like all the others? I was itching
To see what would happen, what effect he would have.
Now before me was a promise
Of a true, of a live experiment
That had begun unfolding before my eyes
That was to unfold fully, before my eyes.
Enchanted
I would see how, like Erick Honecker
He would build his wall, believe me
I would see how he would build his beautiful wall
I would see how he would make Mexico pay; believe me.
Enchanted
I would watch his extreme vetting of Moslems live
I would watch his extreme vetting of Moslems; believe me.
Enchanted
I would see him put America first
I would see him make NATO members pay; believe me
Pay proportionate to the their consumption
You believe me, of American protection.
Enchanted
I would see him renegotiate and abrogate trade agreements
I would see his extreme renegotiation and abrogation
Of trade agreements, you believe me.
Enchanted
I would see him abolish that putative devourer of American jobs
Globalisation, believe me, I would see how he would replace globalisation
With his beautiful protectionism, believe me, with his beautiful Americanisation.
Enchanted
I wished to see Trump perform all those experiments of his
And many more tramp experiments of his.
And he won!
Trump won!
Believe me!
Tramp won!
Believe me!
The win I wished Trump came true!
The win I wished Trump came true!
And not all of it was made up!
No one dreamt all of it up!
Not all of it was untrue!
I saw not a figment of
Historians’ imagination in it
But Trump said not all of it was untrue!
Believe me!
Trump said he lost the popular vote but won!
Believe me!
And that he saw that some of it was true!
I tell you, believe me!
That some of it was not a fabulists’ confabulation!
I tell you, believe me!
That he lost the popular vote but won
Because they rigged the popular vote!
Because dead voters voted!
Because illegal immigrants voted!
Oh, yes, I wished Trump a win
I am telling you, believe me!
And my wish came true’
Causing me untold anguish
For Trump was true
For Trump was no fabulist’s confabulation
For Trump was not fabulous
For Trump did not make himself up.
For no sooner did we inaugurate Trump
Than the full horror of tramp experiment hit me
For no sooner had we inaugurated Trump
Than Trump executively ordered that his tramp wall be built
That his tramp wall be beautifully built; believe me
And that Mexicans pay for that tramp Trump wall
That Mexicans pay for that tramp Trump wall beautifully; believe me
For no sooner had we inaugurated Trump
Than he executively forbade Moslems to enter America
Than he executively started extreme vetting of Moslems
And of everyone he hated; believe me.
For no sooner had we inaugurated Trump
Than he abrogated trade treaties, by tramp executive orders
By tramp executive orders, believe me.
For no sooner had we inaugurated Trump
Than he executively commanded that American jobs move home
For no sooner had we inaugurated Trump
Than he signed a tramp presidential decree
Abolishing globalisation
And instituting Americanisation
Than he plunged us into madness
Than he plunged me into a guilt
Into a guilt of experiment
The guilt tormenting me
For I am sure it was my wishing him a win
That made him win
The presidency
That bedded the world firmly
In his insane experiments.
* Samuel Abonyo is a poet and the author of the novel The Cursed Poisoner and the Forbidden Love.