Smoke and Mirrors

America is a democracy

Or so I’ve long been told

The Founding Fathers’ principles

Oh so just and  bold

They said if you’re a white man

In this country you are free

If you’re not indentured

And you own some property

Everyone is equal

From the moment of their birth

There will be no royal titles

To decide a person’s worth

Of course women will vote

They’ll have rights a plenty

Although they’ll have  to wait around

Until it’s 1920

Even folks of color

Will exercise their rights

But they better keep an eye out

For hooded riders in the night

We all can vote for president

With certain caveats

With that electoral college

Our votes may not mean a lot

The genius of our founding fathers

Set a very high  bar

Not for shining democracy

But for political PR