January 2024 Paper Poetry

Duality’s Trial: Democracy and Autocracy

You will decide, America

Democracy Autocracy They rhyme quite nicely. Equality Supremacy We must examine precisely. Harmony Cacophony Their sounds diverge dramatically. Transparency Secrecy We must heed and vote wisely. Democracy Autocracy The choice is coming inevitably.

The inspiration for this poem comes from the daily news.

The terms “democracy” and “autocracy” are scattered throughout every report and political commentary concerning the 2024 presidential election in the United States. President Joe Biden has made his campaign’s central focus a bid to save democracy. Former President Donald Trump, while not blatantly espousing his desire for an autocratic form of government with himself in charge, continues his sycophantic praise of leaders like North Korea’s totalitarian dictator Kim Jong Un; Russia’s autocratic president, Vladimir Putin; Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is moving Turkey toward autocracy by consolidating all forms of government under his authority; and, finally president of China, Xi Jinping.

The terms “democracy” and “autocracy” are scattered throughout every report and political commentary concerning the 2024 presidential election in the United States.

When Sean Hannity asked if he would be a dictator, Trump replied with a mischievous, cheeky grin, “No, no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.” (“Trump says he will be a dictator only on ‘day one’ if elected president” Chris Michael and agencies, The Guardian)

Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” Donald Trump continues to show us who he is. “Other than day one”? Really? That mischievous grin was not one of a little child delighting in teasing his peers. His expression hinted at something more ominous!

Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Not only is democracy in the United States teetering on the edge, but democracy is in danger globally. We have the privilege and the freedom to vote as American citizens.

If we don’t exercise the vote to prevent our country from slipping off the edge into an autocracy, our lives may change forever!!

The following is a collection of news articles that speak of the international threat to democracy, with the United States in the spotlight as the world watches to see if the most powerful democracy will survive. Following each link is a quote from the article.

Voting will take place in more than 60 countries this year — an unprecedented number — containing roughly half of the global population. But even with all this voting, democracy is under severe threat, endangered by predatory politicians who rig elections and disgruntled voters willing to hand over power to autocratic leaders. The most pivotal election will take place in November, when the world’s most powerful democracy decides whether to turn itself over to an avowedly authoritarian demagogue.

Seven countries in the region (North America/South America) experienced significant declines in social equality, including the U.S. and Canada, although both continue to rank among the top 30 in the world in terms of equal rights. The drop in the U.S. is explained “by the impact of structural racism and discrimination on political equality,” among other issues.

This year, over 80 national elections are scheduled to take place, directly affecting an estimated 4.2 billion people — 52 percent of the globe’s population — in the largest election cycle the world will see until 2048. In addition to the U.S. presidential election, voters will go to the polls in the European Union, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and dozens of other countries. Collectively, the stakes are high. The candidates that win will have a chance to shape not only domestic policy but also global issues including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and Internet governance.

Half of the world’s countries are suffering democratic decline, ranging from flawed elections to curtailed rights including freedoms of expression and assembly, an intergovernmental watchdog group said on Thursday… “In short, democracy is still in trouble, stagnant at best, and declining in many places,” IDEA Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora said in the report.

1. The United States vs itself While America’s military and economy remain exceptionally strong, the U.S. political system is more dysfunctional than any other advanced industrial democracy. In 2024, the problem will get much worse. The presidential election will deepen the country’s political division, testing American democracy to a degree the nation hasn’t experienced in 150 years and undermining U.S. credibility internationally. With the outcome of the vote close to a coin toss (at least for now), the only certainty is damage to America’s social fabric, political institutions, and international standing. In a world beset by crises, the prospect of a Trump victory will weaken America’s position on the global stage as Republican lawmakers take up his foreign policy positions and U.S. allies and adversaries hedge against his likely policies.

I wrote this poem in response to the Paper Poetry prompt from Indubala Kachhawa. The prompt for January is INIZIO, an Italian word meaning “beginnings.” For Track B of the prompt, Indubala writes, “A beginning could be happy for some and not so happy for some. For some of us, it could be the ending of something we hold dear to our hearts.” As a citizen of the United States, we could be facing a “new beginning” in our form of government which would be the “ending of something we held dear.”

I would like to express my gratitude to Suntonu Bhadra for creating this beautiful publication, Paper Poetry, and to Indubala Kachhawa, editor, for providing us with inspiring prompts. I would also like to extend a personal thank you to Carolyn Hastings, my editor, mentor, and friend. Through her guidance, I have learned about the art of writing, crafting poetry, and most importantly, allowing myself to create without the fear of judgment or rejection.

If you are interested in responding to the latest prompt from Indubala Kachhawa for Paper Poetry, here are the submission guidelines:

Because my country, the United States of America, is on the threshold of a precarious choice, I will be writing about this choice often. The following is my first in what I plan to be a series of poems to challenge people to examine their choices carefully before voting.