Next Monday eve the first of three debates
Between the presidential candidates
Will be performed upon a global stage
With expectations soaring, they’ll engage
In verbalized gymnastics tate á tate
If past portends the future, what is next?
What of Clinton and of Trump do we expect?
Hillary will think before she speaks
And Donald will upstage glib verbal tweaks
When over, neither one may win the day
These duels are not about what’s being said
They’re not the “got-chas” that the speakers dread
They are about composure under stress
How self-assured each question is addressed
Impressions that will linger will hold sway
9/20/16
