I’ve watched for years
beautiful roads
beautiful highways
its amazing its
amazing
can you believe it?
take a look
walls do work
walls do work.
So nice and quiet
no spirit.
It’s very simple
I’ve said it a hundred times
we have to get
smart folks
I’ll tell you we have the smartest
people we have the most
loyal people those people
are great.
I’ve said it a hundred times
we need to get
smart folks
some people
tremendous people
egomaniac suits
will cause the destruction
of this country
from within
can you believe that?
America first
they say
they take your jobs
that’s all legal
and turn this country
into a military state
I’ll tell you
it is so sad
I’ve said it a hundred times
we need to get
smart folks
divide segregation barrier
it only makes common sense
stinky sticky antsy femme
don’t know where they’ve come from
I’ve said it a hundred times
we’ve got to get
smart folks
I’ve said it a hundred times
we’ve got to get
smart folks
a dangerous person is
an an mow
a Courtney
don’t know
where they came from
a garden?
a tomb?
with edges?
with whiskers?
their control controlled
by people
how are these people
gonna
lead us?
I’ve said it a hundred times
I’m not a leader I’m
a liar
I’ll tell
you
why it’s all a game
and those who voted
for me have
signed
a suicidal pact
for our country
it’s very simple
| the stronger | sex |
must
not
be allowed
to have
control
or choice
too dangerous
we’ve got to get
smart folks
I’ve said it a hundred times
we have to get
smart folks
| its not | great |
again
we have a big
lie
a dangerous person
stronger and stronger
I’ve said it a hundred times
we have to get
smart folks
not a leader
a liar
no tax
no nothing
it’s very simple
a dangerous person
I’ve said it a hundred times
we have to get
smart folks
it was a lie
| we have to | make |
change
I’ve said it a hundred times
real change looks
like this
a touch in the dark
writing dreams in the dust
a scarf left out overnight
in the garden
or the Trojan horse waiting
knock them out
big league
each dangerous person one
by one and the legacy
will always be
that the good people
will say
don’t forget
I’ll tell you
don’t forget
we have to get
smart folks
You’re going to see
some big changes
| but they’re | not named |
cursive numerals
counted up to 44
counted down to
45
and run
the date
| alongside | the threat |
chasing each other across
the bottom of
the news
orange-
orange-
orange-
| like the | terror threat | level | that used to still |
be here
we have to get
smart folks
they’re laughing
at
us
I have
to tell you
a couple of stories
I’ve said it a hundred times
they’re not
our friends
respect
and cherish?
cant’ let that happen
| we | have |
nothing
the sun
will rise
the moon
will set
I started off
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our dystopian Book Week Scotland workshop. The aim of Mind Your Language! was to simulate censored conditions by asking participants to write a poem without using certain banned words.
We added an extra cathartic level by imagining that our language had been limited by Donald Trump himself. Led by Marjorie Lotfi Gill, the workshop’s participants came up with alternative ways of expressing words used by Donald Trump – Donald, Muslim, woman, to name a few. Through creative word association, we began to form a secret code.
Marjorie very kindly compiled a list of phrases used by Trump in his campaign. Together, we chose from these phrases and our new coded language and compiled a poem, which you can read above.
The post I’ve said it a hundred times appeared first on Scottish PEN.