The Quiet Politician

I liked him because he didn’t talk, and uh--

I realize

I realize that’s no reason

To elect someone, but--

But he would just stand up there
On that podium

Not talking

Not saying a thing

And I just found it so--refreshing

All these other politicians

Talk and talk and talk

And, you know, after awhile

It just becomes so monotonous

And it’s--it’s--

It’s talking points

And, ugh, who the hell

Wants to listen to just--

Endless talking points?

I liked the silence

The silence was nice

He seemed so nice

Just standing there

Smiling

Not moving

People would yell things at him

He would just sort of nod?

Maybe?


Or maybe I imagined him nodding?

I don’t know

It was so easy to, you know

Project things onto him

Some people didn’t like it

They wanted to hear him talk

About policies

And plans

And what he was going to do

About this or that

But anything he said

Was going to be a lie

Or an empty promise, right?

So why not just be happy

That he’s not saying anything at all?

There seemed to be

Some kind of, you know

Honor in that

He’d stand there

And we’d stand--

You know, at the rallies

We’d go to the rallies

And stand there

And it would just be quiet

And the quiet was so...nice

Just all these people

Standing

Not doing anything

You know how much noise there is

In politics?

Is it any wonder

That the guy who won in a landslide

Gave us some peace and quiet?

Maybe not a better economy

Maybe not a better educational system

Maybe not unity and prosperity, but--

Quiet

At these rallies

Eventually

Someone would come and get him

And just, uh, help him offstage

But the rest of us would stand there

Some people would stand there for hours

After he’d left

One time

I was standing there

And the person next to me

Started to cry

For no reason

--At least none that I knew of

And I took his hand

And I started to cry too

And then a bunch of us

We all took

Each other’s hands...

And we stood there

And nobody said anything

And that--

That seemed okay

That seemed like

Enough

So when they ask me

How he could get elected

When he didn’t even say anything

I want to say--

Because what he gave us

Was enough

We had all just had

Enough