“If I spoke in the eloquence of a tongue
But did not mind to mean what I spoke
If I lived by oratory and fluency
But lived for nothing
I am nothing”
She traversed in poetry
But trampled on prose
She rustled feathers with speech
But bottled fears for free speech
She rattled speech to speak multi tongues
But muffled throats to eat their only tongue
We have taken to calling that one
…the Disappointing Appointee
Her acquired accent distinguished her from all orators
Her assumed enunciation separated her from all pretenders
When she spoke
They applauded how she spoke
Speaker after speaker
Raced to reach her peak
Speaker after speaker
Sought to peep into how she peaked
Still we do call that one
…the Disappointing Appointee
Neighbours heard she was so bilingual
Neighbours invited her to talk on red carpets
Many more neighbours
Drew near to hear the lingua franca
Neighbours never got disappointed at her eloquence
Her multi-accented tongue
Endeared her to all in her presence
Still we continue to call that one
…a Disappointing Appointee
When she spoke
They applauded what she spoke
What she uttered
Offered hope they needed
What she lectured
Was just what they expected
Utterance after utterance
Pandered to their unfulfilled desires
Lecture after lecture
Brought home more points to ponder
Still we want to call that one
…a highly Disappointing Appointee
Her speech invoked some passion
…for more action
Her speech addressed their silence
Her reactions were equal to their reactions
They followed her speeches wherever
For more action
…even for more satisfaction
Her speeches were an assault on the status quo
But when she acted
She acted not in their interest
So we call that one
…the most Disappointing Appointee
II
She ascended to a height so noble
Yet she assented to things so ignoble
That makes that one
…a highly Disappointing Appointee
“If I spoke with the tongue of the thoughtful one
But did not love the cause of the common man
If I rattled in tongues
But did nothing
I am nothing”