Poem: The Earshot

On July 13th, 2024, former President Trump was shot by a 20-year-old. Without taking sides, it reflects the lengths of the political violence and depths of hatred for people across the aisle. A satirical poem ensues.

Poem: The Earshot

History changing picture. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Just out of earshot —
Perched on a rooftop
But under the noses
Of the counter sniper’s rifles
A twenty-year-old waits …

Within the earshot —
Somebody shouts
‘Shooter on the roof’

Then —
Like the snaps of a finger
Bullets fly past
One grazing the ear —
Call it the ‘earshot’
Like a pinch, it feels
Ducking instinctively
An involuntary act

Bleeding in the ‘shot ear’
Shaken, but not stirred
A defiant eyeshot towards
The camera’s eye —
Pumping fist, thrice
‘Fight, fight, fight’, we hear …

Now, the ‘bullseye’ comment
Shooting off the mouth
It comes back to bite
As if shot in the foot
Now the election looks like a far-shot
All that remains —
A shot twenty-year-old
And a shot ear, bleeding.

~Ashok Subramanian © 2024