If Ralph had known
It would turn out like this
Would he still have taken the leap
With such a risk?
Risk of a pension
Requiring more time
Or, was there something else
On his mind?
If Ralph had known
Would he have given up
A safe seat for the unknown
Hoping for luck?
A miracle perhaps,
Going against the grain
Across this political landscape
Where Mia reigns.
Twice he had seen it
Two audacious wipeouts,
Pray, tell me my dear Watson,
Why did he doubt?
Did he really think
He’d make a difference
While courting, as it turned out,
A death-sentence?
For, given his age,
And the carnage endured,
Would he have the political will
To ask for more?
If Ralph had known
The D’s was a burial ground,
Would he have seriously thought
Of turning it around?
I really doubt it
Yet, the warnings were rife,
He was leaving a comfort zone
For unimagined strife.
Ralph did take a leap
Without looking first
And of course, life is lived forward
And cannot be reversed.
He left one party
And divided another
And now death throes are lingering-
What a huge bother!
Can the D’s build back
After such a hit?
It would take a very long time,
From where I sit.
Time is no luxury
Where Ralph is concerned
For in my mind, he has suffered
First degree burns.
‘Tis a very thin line
Betwixt bravery and folly,
Which one best describes Ralph?
You tell me.
No crossing again
If PM Mia has her way
Given too, that 28 supported her
Only yesterday.
One absented
After saying her bit
But Prime Minister Mia Mottley
Was having none of it.
She registered her vote
From over in away
As though she was telling someone
Not today.
If Ralph had known
That only he would cross
Would he still have crossed over
And suffer such loss?
Stewart Russell © February 26, 2026
