MOYERS: REPORT FROM PHILADELPHIA

by Aya Katz

We, the weasels of these United States,
In order to perfect the way we get around each other
Establish and ordain, after a long and tedious debate,
A compromise that pleases none, but still is worth the bother.
For every power we grant is fully checked and balanced,
And yet a wily politician still can manage
By mutual scratching of the proper backs
To gain a tactical advantage.
Power corrupts, and power absolute
Corrupts ... Well, absolutely. And so we leave
Each at the mercy of the other,
For we hold the converse true, believing
Impotence is pure, pure as the driven snow,
And total impotence, we trust, is even more so!
And thus, no titan tyrant shall over us arise,
But small-time politicians will pester us like flies.

Copyright Aya Katz

Selected Literary Works