Another Barrier, Another Fence

by Myles Weber (August 2024)

Another barrier, another fence
placed between the public and the politician
might have spared a life. The mood was tense,
the security detail understood their mission,
but a number of team members resented
their description as fleshy, mortal armor
on the target. This take of theirs was unprecedented.
One pear-shaped gal, afraid the rounds might harm her,
ducked behind the president with no
clear purpose since the man would tower above them all,
regardless. We heard other women also throw
out clues: This bombastic figure didn’t love them all!
A question each failed public servant must face:
Is their deniability plausible
to their boss, themselves, the entire human race?
Keep the answer out of print and inaudible.

Table of Contents

Myles Weber is the author of Consuming Silences: How We Read Authors Who Don’t Publish (University of Georgia Press).  His work has appeared in the Georgia Review, the Southern Review, the Sewanee Review, and the Kenyon Review.

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