A hemorrhoid,
That’s what he is.
A fungating mass lurking at the anus of our democracy.
Easily irritated,
Readily inflamed,
Leaching the lifeblood from our veins.
Embarrassing. Slimy. Disgusting.
We knew it could be big trouble,
This redundant tissue hovering in our nether regions.
Maybe if we ignore it
(we thought)
It’ll go away.
It didn’t.
It grew and stretched and expanded
And bled.
At some point –
Perhaps the immigration ban, Paris Climate Accord, or conflicts of interest? Maybe indiscriminate sharing of classified information, false wire tap accusations, birth certificate idiocy, or crying “Fake News!”
No?
What about NAFTA dalliances, the Meals on Wheels fiasco, and mucking with the judicial branch?
The “gentleman” dictator.
The “very fine people.”
The “on both sides”?
At some point –
The misogyny and racism and anti-Semitism and the “little shit” and the “son of a bitch” –
All of it will congeal,
Clot,
Thrombose.
The excruciating pain of a thrombosed hemorrhoid.
Are we there yet?
What will it take?
When the conservative management,
The stool softeners
The fiber
The fluids
The sitzbaths
When the conservative management can’t manage the pain in the ass.
We reach for the knife.
We reach for the knife and,
without benefit of anesthetic
(we don’t deserve it for what we’ve done)
we reach for the knife and
Cut
It
Out.