Jon Stewart Poem by ed purchla

Our wisest simply
Don't run for public office,
For they are busy
Fighting the good fight, without
The need for a pat
On the back, or coins in the
Coffer—they need not
Care about voices trying
To placate them, or,
Worse, ruin their life or the
Lives of their loved ones—
Knowing that violence is
Always on offer,
Such stalwart truth-seekers act
Not on behalf of
Themself alone, but rather
The lot of us all—
Be them snakecharmed or lucid.
[
Ever-questioning,
Such individuals want
More for this species.
Such individuals want
Love to drown out war.
Such individuals do
Not dream of one day
Marinating in human
Perfection—they seek
To autopsy the moment—
Studying each bit,
Thoroughly analyzing
Each organ gone wrong,
In order to discover
The antidote—that
Speaking truth to power is
Crucially different
Than speaking truth at power—
Understanding that
Resuscitation
Is possible when we can
Still fight, sewing up
This Y-incision, having
Been cut by hate and
Division, rather than write
Ourselves off as a species.