ACING THE TEST: A SESTINA
by Jose A. Alcantara
No one has ever done it before, no man
has ever got all the questions right; no woman
either. It’s hard to believe, but I saw it on TV.
Amazing! That’s what the doctors say. A genius!
I’m not making this up. They caught it on camera.
In all of recorded history, he’s the first person
to correctly identify an elephant. The first person!
Goddamn! He’s smarter than that guy who led the Man
…
(see the whole poem: rattle.com)
Mr. Alcantara goes on for 31 more lines, but after that opening, not even the poet’s best friend will read to the end. Everybody knows the story. Nearly 4 years later, how could anybody perceive a need to announce that a profoundly stupid electorate has elected a profoundly stupid and evil man?
Why? Well, brother Jose pockets $50 for this prize-winner!