I made a joke
I forget it
It was lame
I said, that joke is so lame it could only get a laugh of fear, of oppression —
in, for example, Putin’s Russia.
And when laughing, you think,
oh man is this oppressive, having to laugh at this unfunny joke
and smile along with lying, stealing, maiming, killing —
all in the name of
staying on the good side of the thief

And then I thought,
what is going on, USA?
How do you flirt with this?
How do you and Trump go slap Putin on the back, call him a man’s man, and brag along with him about how the wise know that everyone is corrupt and cruel?

That’s not wisdom.
It’s begging for a land of oppression.

What is going on, United States of America?
Can’t you tell evil from across the way?
Do you have to actually watch your neighbors get put in jail for being honest?
Or is that not enough either?
Do you have to lie and steal along with the evil and then maybe somehow get personally betrayed anyway by the evil even despite your conscientious continuous collaboration — maybe then you can tell the difference between a bully and a system of and by and for the people?
Ah but then it is too late.

Pull it together, USA!

You’re driving me crazy

You’re wrecking all my jokes