David X Novak
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He Considers That His Life’s Work Has Come to Nought

7/21/2017

 
“Even if I succeed, I lose.”
The single most important thing
    I planned to do in life,
Was to obstruct healthcare, and bring
    No scalpel, but a knife.

The patient (healthcare) had complaints,
    Though far from mortal ones— 
My party had imposed restraints
    Which hamstrung it at once— 

But I desired my blade to plunge
    Into its very heart,
The legislation to expunge:
    Exterminate, not thwart.

Alas, the black man’s legacy
    (The president I hated)
Became immensely hard for me
    To challenge, but I waited.

We voted for repeal at least
    A half a hundred times;
My fervor every day increased,
    As I was sucking limes.

The signature accomplishment
    I wanted for my name
Was killing healthcare—so I went
    To work each day the same.

Obstruct! Obstruct! Obstruct! I cried,
    My efforts Machiavellian
All pointed to one aim: I tried,
    Determined like a hellion.

A long black shadow seems to fall
    Upon my purposed life,
As reputation seems to stall,
    A man loved by one wife,

But scarcely by a decent man
    Or woman well-esteemed:
I did my best, a partisan,
    But it’s not how I dreamed.

A silly boy from Alabama,
    I wanted power, yes,
But self-respect—that damned Obama
    Has made me look a mess.

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