Let my people go; Obama leaves Egypt

 

 

 

Let my people go: Obama leaves Egypt

 

In Egypt

Moses turned his rod into a snake

And in Iowa

Obama turned into a fairytale

In New Hampshire he walked backwards

And Pharaoh’s magicians also turned their rods into snakes

But Moses serpent swallowed the other serpents

And Obama swept all before him in South Carolina

Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let Israel go

Thus read his commandment; let them make more bricks; only this time we will give them no straw

So they raised expectations; set the bar higher

It was considered in Pharaohs’ palace that Iowa was an anomaly

Let us close ranks; let us see what will happen next; shall Moses confound us again

Then those burdened by increased labor demanded of Moses

Ye have gone up to Pharaoh and made our plight worse; the Egyptians break our backs

Obama passed by Graven Images and saluted no man by the way

He paid not homage to those gone before him; workmen who toiled to pave the road for Rosa’s bus; those whose livelihoods are by his upsurge discomfited

How is it he cometh by the way not used most and yet striketh terror into the hearts of men

He is by some derided; an upstart with water standing in the place of blood

No straw shall be given him; then we will watch and see fro whence his help cometh

We shall hide behind the hills and see if he is able to pursue the multitudes; those that be wanting to his cause with words alone

And Moses turned the waters of Egypt into blood

A great odor came up over the land for all the fish in the waters died

And Pharaoh’s magicians also turned the rivers into blood

And they say to the Linguist; we can match the wonder ye wrought in the Carolinas’

They gift has taken thee before kings

But thine tongue shall cleave to the roof of his chamber; ye shall become as the hyena that laughs himself to scorn

We shall replicate in Florida that which you perfected in Iowa and Carolina

Then Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let Israel go

Then cometh frogs which covered the face of Egypt

We will tell you of the crowds which came in from the East and the West

From the North and the South they massed to hear the Wordsmith; none shall come unto me except they be drawn to me by my Father

Pharaoh said to Moses entreat for me; let these frogs depart the land

Then said Moses to Pharaoh, when shall they depart

And Pharaoh answered ‘tomorrow’

Pharaoh was like unto one who regarded not the day of God

Know ye not Pharaoh abideth not alone; for they who say ‘tomorrow’ are by seeds of recalcitrance known

When tomorrow appears they shall say this of him; ‘who cometh out of Israel save a child of Jesse’

Like the king of Egypt, they postpone the day of reckoning

And when Pharaoh saw that the frogs departed his land he hardened his heart

He regardeth not the hand of God which worketh the miracles

His victories we will count for nought; do ye not see our accomplishments

Like the morning dew his army will make his exit when the sun makes his appearance

And Moses turned the dust of Egypt into lice which covered man and beast

Then were the magicians unable to turn the dust into lice; and from South Carolina the rout commenced

Moses bringeth forth flies and Pharaoh begged for rest for the land

Death visited the cattle of Egypt and the stubbornness of Pharaoh tarried in one place

With ashes of the land Moses conjured painful boils; even the magicians were afflicted

Then are the pundits by confusion up righted; they scramble to recalibrate their punditry

Can he be stopped they say

Egypt is by hail and thunder buffeted and God communes with Moses thus; tell your sons and your sons’ sons, that ye may know how that I am the Lord

Hark! Cup your hands over thine ears for the pundit writes in unknown tongues

His words shall be interpreted by Obama from generation to generation

Behold I am doing a new thing; can ye not perceive it

And they say among themselves

From whence did he come

Who is he; this pioneer who assembleth people to his cause like snowflakes summoned by seductive winter; Albino flurries in carefree descent that covereth the face of the earth with whiteness; in the same manner he invents crowds besotted to his purpose

What is his name

He cannot go far; endurance hath departed his loins and his limbs betray him

He shall by the footmen be wearied

Then will he be unable to contend with the Chariot of Steel

And Pharaoh hardened his heart after the thunder and lightning ceased

‘How long will thou refuse to humble yourself be fore me’ said the Lord

Do ye not see the multitudes I have summoned to hear him

They gather and press close

They shall give him liberally of their loaves

They shall sup upon his words

They shall make his cross their own

They shall announce a thunderous shout to the heavens and deafen the roar of neighbors

They shall break the bones of his foes in pieces

And I will cause State to heed State

And place Caucus above Primary

I will emancipate Change and liberate Opportunity

Then said Pharaoh unto Moses; go serve your God, but who are they that shall go

Then did those long by battle tested become wearied by the long battle

For the tide of the skirmish turneth

A mighty hand stirreth the mind of the battalions

And then they say

We will turn back from those that go with thee; those chosen to go up and offer sacrifice to the Lord

For none can sow discord among they that put up a show of hands for him

And thick darkness covered the land for three days; Pharaoh hardeneth his heart still

Then death most dread stole away the firstborn of Egypt; of man and beast alike

Pharaoh was greatly distressed; and Obama gained the ascendancy; the path to the Red sea now beckoned

The Promised Land to Moses denied had become the birthplace of fairytales

‘Gird your loins’ saith the Lord: eat the Passover with shoes on your feet and your staffs in your hand’

Then did the multitude begin to prepare themselves for that which He had fashioned

The morning sheweth himself to the sun; the night revealeth his departure

And by night Pharaoh arose and called for Aaron and also for Moses

Rise up and get you forth from among my people; both ye and the children of Israel; go and serve the Lord as ye have said

And Israel departed from Egypt

And the Egyptians lent to the Israelites such things as they required; in peace departed they from Egypt; and in Denver shall the House of Hands be built

Moses and Aaron led they them from the land of oppression; now the Linguist stands at the vanguard of the hosts by God established

Now tell me O ye that dwell in the land of the bald eagle; tell me the proverb that was said in your towns and in your cities; shall a prophet come of Galilee

Yea one did come from beyond Galilee

A prophet cometh of old out of Chicago, and we shall whisper to him the words of Mordecai; “Who knoweth whether thou are come to the kingdom for such a time as this”

Behold I am doing a new thing; can ye not perceive it

 

6/30/2008 

 

Reviews

[Susan S.]

oh this was good! I do believe I detected a bit of Dorothy Parker in your wonderfully snide little remarks about Pharaoh! The ending was a hoot! Couple things, the length was a bit epic for this particular venue. I have gotten so many complaints about putting books and long poems out that I'm beginning to think of this place as just a poetry site. Second, you really need to start proofing your work. There are a bunch of misspellings, omissions, and typos in this. The way to proof that works best for me is to put the piece aside for at least a day and it's best if more than a week; then read it. The tendency for your eyes to glide over the places you made your mistakes in will have dissipated by then and you'll find a lot more errors.

[alternative_be]

Thanks for sharing your critical thoughts with us!
Apart from the remarks already given in the featured review, I like the way you combine biblical language with modern languages.
A truely mystical piece!

[Natasha Ashway]

Powerful words! Great read! Thank you for sharing this! Enjoyed it completely!