A Better World

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By marandina

Mon, 27 Jul 2026
  • 531 reads
21 comments
 

Remembering the most recent US election in 2024

 

A Better World

I dreamt of a better world,

of Satchmo and red roses too,

no slings and arrows hurled,

perennial peace renewed anew.

The problem being I awoke,

woke to the result of an election,

arising to a political joke,

an orange-man’s resurrection.

 

Had only just got over the budget,

no tax rises and yet forty billion

campaign promises that fudge it,

politicians’ reputation reptilian.

On the Eastern Front things forlorn,

Putin steamrollering every nation,

Korean troops hooked on porn,

happiness abroad not a staycation.

 

Politics are best put aside

when thinking of the day ahead,

life’s far too short a ride,

we could all very soon be dead.

So I will smile, smile and move on,

move on with inconsequential patter,

I will enjoy, enjoy until it’s gone,

another meal of fish in batter.

 

To disappear into a world of writing,

of penning fantastic stories and tales,

reading poetry, interpreting and reciting,

following in the footsteps of males.

And famous female authors of course,

we revere and regale them with awe,

perhaps we too, a tour de force,

finished articles, no longer raw.

 

Image free to use @WikiCommons

Certificate U
Poem
Miscellaneous Poems
Humour
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Ewan on

  I expect many of us will sympathise with the sentiments expressed here. It's our pick of the day today. Please share on your social media fellow ABCTalers.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by marandina on

Oh thanks very much, Ewan.

This was written a couple of years ago as a humorous homage to the creative writing group I was in. When I looked at it again the other day, a lot of the issues were still the same.

Andy Burnham seems to have halted the inexorable slide to the right for now. He seems very astute for a politician and actually looks like he gets things done. Could be an interesting few months and years in politics coming up. 

 

Submitted by celticman on

ah, feels like a me-too moment that has passed. but hey, the orange man has had his day. what next? that's his fix. chaos. 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Cheers, CM. I see the orange one is sporting caps promoting his re-election in 2028. The rules don't allow a Trump third term. How much more damage can he do in the time that he has left? Answer: A lot. 

 

Submitted by Ewan on

  he doesn't care much for rules. He seems to have ridden roughshod over any that might have prevented him getting richer at his country's expense, and as for the proliferation of "executive orders" (or diktats - what else do dictators do?), how long before he drafts one that names him President for Life?

He wouldn't look out of place in Conrad's Africa or the worst of Banana Republics.

Remember, Hitler and Mussolini won elections.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

There is such a feeling of Doom, having ABCTales to escape into, where brilliant writing is free, and one can interact with the authors, is a hugely welcome Luxury. Thank You for posting!

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading, Di. It's a privilege having a resource like ABCTales available, isn't it? So much quality on show every day. We are the lucky ones. 

 

Submitted by hudsonmoon on

I hear you loud and clear, Paul. Beautifully put. I have to keep telling myself there's an end to all this and push on with a sense of better things to come. Keep fighting the good fight. 

Rich

 

Submitted by marandina on

Cheers, Rich. Of course, you are in the epicentre of all the madness. I hope it all ends one day for you and sanity is restored. It will happen. I know it. 

[Must catch up with your latest piece]

 

Submitted by Makis on

I know exactly how you feel marandina. I enjoyed this as it hits the nail on the head. I saw Satchmo live many years ago at the famous Batley Variety Club and he was even better than you imagined.

 

Submitted by marandina on

Cheers, Makis. Wow - that's quite a claim to fame to have seen the great LA live. That would make a great story. 

 

Submitted by insertponceyfre... on

A very well deserved pick and even though it doesn't say, it really fits the Inspiration Point too. We have to keep hoping!

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks, insert. I did think about that after I'd posted it. The hope is through writing and being a member at a site like ABCTales. I might add the IP as a category to this as I always forget about trying inspiration point. This week's is mine, after all :)

 

Submitted by Turlough on

You've described exactly what my approach to politics has become Paul. I try to adopt the characteristics of the ostrich, which seems to be successful until I turn on my PC where every news article fills me with rage or sorrow or both. Perhaps the hole I'm sticking my head in isn't deep enough. Perhaps soon I'll need a hole big enough to accommodate my whole body. However, I've still a lot of writing to do before that day arrives. I don't want people to forget who I was.

A grand poem! Good on you!

Turlough

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading it, T.

Following politics is like chasing a piece of string that keeps disappearing around the next corner. There's never any satisfaction found. Best to keep perspective and focus on other things. Like writing, I guess. A place to escape to. 

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

This is a real gift to read, Paul. It's so easy to be unremittingly cynical and doom-laden, and it's good to be reminded that there are still sparks of hope. I want to believe Burnham will be better, but I must admit I'm reserving judgement. He's made a better start than Starmer, so let's hope it continues. As for the Orange Twerp, the sight of him trying to undermine the mid-terms and therefore paving the way for declaring No Elections Anymore Ever, is stomach-curdling and at the same time bizarrely funny. I used to think Vance was more frightening because he was a bigot with brains. Now I think he's more frightening because he actually believes all the crap. Trump believes in nothing but his own existence.

Thanks for this one!

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading it, Jane.

Yes, Andy Burnham has made an intriguing start. He seems to be a man of conviction. I watched the Laura Kuenssberg interview last night. He handles himself really well.

Burnham has set himself some stiff targets very early on including cracking rough sleeping/homelessness and reforming social care. I think his acid test will be the budget in October. If that's fiscally neutral with no increase in overall taxation then a great many more people will start to get behind the Burnham Bounce.

Should be an interesting few months ahead. 

 

Submitted by insertponceyfre... on

This is our Poem of the Week - Congratulations!

 

Submitted by marandina on

Oh thank you! Surprised and honoured. 

 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

I do like the poem and its title, as it deals with very important issues, and expresses many of my own thoughts and feelings about the Orange man's (probably fixed!) election victory nearly two years ago. 'Awaking to an election result, arising to a political joke, an Orange man's resurrection', is a great way to describe the 'joke' of a result which happened, and destroyed normality. We had of course just started with our own new government, but could we trust their steady budgets and promises?

You describe so succinctly the misery, futility, wonder  and madness of Putin's war on the Eastern front. No wonder we wish to escape politics into the free creativity and immersion of abctales and other more pleasant distractions. I feel it as you do, although the unremitting sadness, and worry of political events, particularly since the resurrection of the Orange Fool and his greedy backers and other events have made it very difficult to concentrate on the various projects I was working on before, or to fully track everyone else's creations. We must not completely keep our heads in the sand, while the sandpit is slowly destroyed, but we must keep alive our creativity and our independence of thought and speech, at any cost, and not be disheartened. I really liked the poem as it does speak for me too!

 

Submitted by hudsonmoon on

Congrats on Poem of the Week. Paul. 

Rich