“We need a new party.” the Mad Hatter said,
“A party for getting things done!”
“If Alice were here, she’d show us the way
With her innocence and penchant for fun.

She’d say,
We need a party of imaginative folk,
Enough of the rogues and the carnival thieves!
No more C.E.O. clones or corporate fund takers,
Enough backroom deals and skullduggery!

We need a party of people, of friends and of neighbors;
A pitch-in at church, county fair, or high school gym.
No need for pundit thugs, infomercials, talk show screamers
Or endless rhetoric about entitlements or Armageddon.

We need a sensible party where representatives dance
With their partners, a close cheek to cheek,
Where ideas are expressed for the common good,
While making concessions for the few and the weak.

We need a communion, a gathering of spirits,
Creating opportunities and infrastructures that benefit all.
We need a party where compromise begins on common ground
And none too high to fall.

We need the party to last for two years or four,
Giving many more the time to take part in the fun.
We need homemakers, farmers, and factory workers
To come to the table and share what they’ve done.

For now, it seems, the tea cups are chipped or broken,
There is so much anger, ultimatums ring clear.
Our hopes and our dreams are leaving the table,
The festivities crass, our hosts insincere.

How, you might say, can this stalemate be ended?
You can’t drink from a bottle to make yourself tall.
You can’t make the Red Queen silence her bitching.
With business as usual, it’s getting late for us all!

So, what did we do to get the party started?
We dumped all the tea and the king’s men, alike.
We agreed on a credo, a penned Constitution,
We made it easy to trade, and established our rights.

Sometimes complex things can be made very simple
By those who would debate until unity is found.
We need women and men for our Like-Minded Party
With a door-mouse to tell them when it’s getting too loud!



Michael S. True
10-25-13