Nazi Salute?
It wasn’t a Nazi salute.
He was solely waving to somebody he knew,
a buddy within the crowd, calling out loud to him.
No, it wasn’t a Nazi salute.
He was stretching, as a result of his arm was sore
from shaking the arms of adoring followers.
The place’s the hurt in stretching your arm?
It wasn’t a Nazi salute.
He’d been out celebrating regardless of the rain.
His garments had been crumpled and barely stained
—he was solely adjusting the sleeve of his go well with.
It wasn’t a Nazi salute.
He was thanking the gang for his or her wild applause.
How may he not, once they clearly adored him
—acclaim, that it will have been impolite to disregard.
It wasn’t a Nazi salute.
He started the motion by clutching his chest
as if in in peril of cardiac arrest.
The poor man will get a lot abuse from the left.
It wasn’t a Nazi salute.
My coronary heart goes out to you all, he stated
whereas clenching his jaw and elevating his head
to observe his arm, by accident askew.
It wasn’t a Nazi salute,
however a gesture of affection for humankind
—at the very least for many who had been blind sufficient
to observe the Donald like King Canute.
It wasn’t a Nazi salute.
It seemed like a benediction,
a pastor gently blessing his flock,
and no predilection for harsh fascist diction
in any respect. Not a Nazi salute.
He’s a genius, a prophet, a father of twelve.
He believes every youngster will probably be similar to himself,
a cloned grasp race, each cute and acute.
No, it wasn’t a Nazi salute.
The way forward for civilisation’s assured!
The group roared approval, calling for extra.
The longer term’s assured, he stated, due to you.
No it wasn’t a Nazi salute.
If you wish to survive on this planet he’s designing,
you’ll must cease trusting your eyes,
replace your naïve view of what makes issues true.
You understand it wasn’t a Nazi salute.
Philip Rösel Baker is an Anglo-German poet dwelling on the East Anglia coast, U.Ok. His poetry has been extensively revealed in magazines and anthologies in Europe and the U.S.—most just lately within the Fish Prize Anthology 2024, the place his poem “Small White Sphere” was chosen as considered one of ten finalists by American poet Billy Collins. He has received the George Crabbe Poetry Prize within the U.Ok. and final 12 months was considered one of Suffolk Poetry Society’s showcase poets on the Aldeburgh Poetry Competition.
Header picture by MOZCO Mateusz Szymanski courtesy Shutterstock.
