The General’s Wine
Effete (if orotund) he is,
Petraeus at the table,
Who shows his guests the best of his
Wine cellar—see the label.
“I am,” he says, “a realist”--
Such quaint naiveté
Throws doubt upon the utter gist
Of what he has to say.
(So he commands the forces from
A compound so refined;
Tennis perhaps? He’s never glum,
With questions in his mind.)
“Here’s a fine bottle: this was once
Pride of Ulysses Grant,
(Go gentle with the cork, you dunce!)
The best that you could want.”
Despite high praises at that bar
Some guests did scowl and frown:
Not either piss nor vinegar,
It tastes so watered down!
Petraeus at the table,
Who shows his guests the best of his
Wine cellar—see the label.
“I am,” he says, “a realist”--
Such quaint naiveté
Throws doubt upon the utter gist
Of what he has to say.
(So he commands the forces from
A compound so refined;
Tennis perhaps? He’s never glum,
With questions in his mind.)
“Here’s a fine bottle: this was once
Pride of Ulysses Grant,
(Go gentle with the cork, you dunce!)
The best that you could want.”
Despite high praises at that bar
Some guests did scowl and frown:
Not either piss nor vinegar,
It tastes so watered down!