I was recently cataloging my poetry and came across one that was inspired by Dr. Suess’ Horton Hears a Who. The book’s central message is humanism; its famous line is “A person’s a person no matter how small.” We teach equality to our children with this whimsical book that has stood the test of time since it was published in 1954. We’d be wise to remember the moral of the story when we head to the polls in the coming months, showing up for primaries and the general election.
My playful poem was written for an event at the library in the spring of 2020 when Dr. Trump was president. It seems appropriate to revisit the verse as the former president is again making noise with a ridiculous amount of support. His mistreatment of so many segments of our population is astonishing.
This fall, we need to put this man’s bid for power at rest by voting for Kamala Harris.
Stew in a Pot
On the first day of fall,
six weeks before the call …
… my granddaughter said to me
“I’d like to share a recipe.”
With innocence, she professed,
“Our president
doesn’t represent
people who look like us.”
I wondered, was she referring to
being a girl or having dark skin.
Sadly, it also could be, her blood sugar
controlled with overpriced insulin.
She began,
“You see, we are all in this pot,
but do not have the same lot.
Some are left out to rot.”
“Rather than a harmonious soup or a stew,
our chef has favored dividing the crew.”
“No room for the turnips,
ripened in dirt.
Turnips in stew,
no that won’t do!”
“The carrots are welcome —
only marginally.
All with odd shape or blemish
are left out entirely.”
“The rich beef is salted after lazily grazing.
Its friends —
the potatoes and onions —
welcomed, with favor.”
“The tomato, poor fruit, is cast out.”
“You see, this is not Stone Soup
where we graciously add
more to join the party of stew.
So, what is a poor cabbage to do?”
I stood silent,
and waited for her to conclude.
She took a deep breath
before going on.
“When the sun hides for more hours than not,
and the time is set
to voice a ballot.
I hope you will see
the stew is not seasoned
for you or for me.”
“Cast out the man
with division as the plan!
Add a tally to the rally!
Hope for a dish
— where red and blue
and rainbow too —
can reasonably wish
for inclusion in stew.”
I smiled at her, and knew
just what I had to do.
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8 Responses
Such a good poem! I am so happy to read it again.
Thank you! It was a fun one to write.
Great Poem and what a wonderful metaphor!
Thanks! Great to hear your feedback.
Love it!
Thank you! It was fun to write!
Dr. Suess’ ‘Horton Hears a Who’ was my favorite book as young child. I read it over and over and over. Horton was my hero, a savior for all who, for whatever reason, feel small or overlooked. I recognized it as a special message instantly despite being a very young kid. It has been indelibly etched in my mind from the moment I saw those words on the page.
This particular writing gave me a smile. Thanks.
Thanks for reading and sharing! The inspiration was part of a pairing event at our local library.