Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

 

 

Between

The devil and the deep blue sea-

Swimming either way spells fatality,

Yet World politics promotes this lunacy

For its citizens to accept as their reality.

 

We sing the praises of world leaders

Setting store by what they say

And argue fiercely with one another

Which pontificates the better way.

 

This one is smarter than the other

And talks a better argument

And it does not matter the eventual outcome

It is really about the intent.

 

As long as the intentions seem good

To that world leader we can relate,

It matters not what he sequentially does

At least, he clearly won the debate.

 

 

With world politics

Precariously hanging from this plain

This brings me to the wonderment

Of one Mark Twain.

 

He pondered on two types of leaders

At the time when he did write

And when I contemplate his considerations

Neither appeared his approval type.

 

I have reserved the following verse

To give you his word-for-word quote,

Follow with me very closely

As I give you exactly as he wrote.

 

“Sometimes I wonder

whether the world is being run

by smart people who are putting us on,

or by imbeciles who really mean it.”

 

For surely you now see the reason

For the chosen title of this poem:

“Between the devil and the deep blue sea”

For indeed we have a problem.

 

 

“Smart people” speaks of those politicians

That are as cunning as the devil

And “imbeciles” connotes the other type

That in constant evil revel.

 

Whether run by smart people or imbeciles

There is no hope either way,

For if we choose the former we are damned

And if the latter,

We won’t see the light of day.

 

Stewart Russell © April 6, 2021