Silence for sides taken

 If you'll just step aside the rest
of us will vote, and soon the splay
of candidates take their places,
heated chairs, seats by far show 
we can take this race, this ballot
announced by letter, by force
or else we'll know you by name,
and we'll take it from here.

No electioneering, no staring down
possible opponents off a bus ride
or even car full of those casting
their nets across the vast plain or
daring them to be known -
know that the platform often extends
to where we've never been -
but naturally we don't know
what we'll do this that.

As though we didn't have an answer,
the crickets tell us to be still so they
can take over about ten or 15 seconds
of air time that was paid for by many
of the best in consulting fees,
ready to banish ads important to salt
and fat intake - dinners respendant with
effort, as though the speech were
written by the poet laureate himself.

 © 2016 Larry Ingram