Transfer of Political Power in the USA

Composed on 29 January 1989 following the Inauguration of George Bush Sr as President of the United States

Power unchecked in one hand

Leads to corruption in any land.

When authority absolute is one’s plan,

It has caused the fall of many a man.

Caesars and Napoleons are not for the modern man,

Nor benevolent dictators, who are often vain.

Unrestricted power could turn a man into a ruthless Hun,

Even if he be an Abraham Lincoln.

Power intoxicates the best of men,

And it’s the dream of the worst of them

The days of the autocrat are numbered on this Earth,

Since the ways of the democrat have been bitter since their birth.

One man is never the property of another,

Nor a nation belongs to a particular family or its member.

The power that governs a land comes from its people,

And the notion of its changing hands is basic and simple.

Political power the springs from the barrel of a gun

Benefits no one in the long run.

One leader need not replace another by means of a blood bath,

But by the rule of law, and with a pure heart.

America that regularly transfers leadership by peaceful means

Proves its greatness without blowing others into smithereens.

Author's annotation: Abdul Rasheed told me that this poem has a double meaning and has little to do with the United States or President Bush Sr