Impressions of Impeachment

1
When shall we all meet again
in thunder, lightening or in rain? (1)
When will we join and tell the tale?
Will they believe or think insane
the secrets of the White Knight's reign?

2
Yellow, yellow, flushed-face fellow,
tongue and finger wagging, flagging,
denying, denying, lying? lying?
yet standing tall and proud.
"I never... I never... that woman... that woman."
That woman? Yes, that young woman,
disbelieving such deceiving, crying, crying,
slowly dying down by Watergate.

3
Endless twisting, endless spinning,
spewing from the great White Knight.
A sinister, right conspiracy accused
to keep the innocent confused,
and some perverted souls amused.

4
Then out of darkness comes a light,
a bright and shining Starr!
The evil secrets long concealed
in brightness of the Starr revealed.
More than one would need to know,
much more than one would want...

5
Ah yes, ah yes! The dress, the dress!
The telling dress, the telling dress
that made the great White Knight confess.
Were it not for that damned spot
they might have never proved his plot.
That woman kept the telling dress
per chance to make the White Knight tripp.
Ah yes, that woman kept the dress
which made the White Knight helpless
to give anyone... the slip.

6
Such complexities of speech!
Such secrets locked inside a word!
No longer trust the ear to hear.
No longer trust a word thus heard.
To learn the murky myst'ry lurking deep inside a thought,
one must define just what is is, and just what is is not.
Convention has it is is is, and is not is is not.
But, to some, is is not is, and so is not is not is not.
And if it be is is not is then there remains the mystery.
Then there remains the question... Is is to be or not to be?

7
And oh, the polls, yes, oh, the polls,
the polls, the ever present polls.
The common people sell their souls.
Economy, a faithless friend, while Rule of Law stands true.

8
There sit the colleagues, so esteemed,
lined up in even rows.
Banter, banter, back and forth,
each saying what the other knows.
Few minds are changed... perhaps just one,
but after all is said and done,
friends retain their friends, and foes remain their foes.

9
Will the gentle lady yield?
"I will not yield, I will not yield
till all the charges be appealed.
'Tis clear to me it was not he
who had the gifts to be concealed."
(They say 'twas underneath a bed.
'Twas at the foot or at the head,
it is not known. It was not said.)

10
Are there not any witnesses to stand up for his name?
Will not one witness come forth to clear him of his shame?

11
And where is he whom I presume?
And where the tongue and eye of Newt?
They are no longer in out midst.
Their dance is to another flute.

12
The vote is in. He is impeached.
His place in history is marred.
The vote is in. He is impeached.
His legacy, forever scarred.

13
Some think thirteen unlucky.
'Tis only twelve plus one.
Consider tribes, and colonies, and stripes,
and arrows in the eagle's claw.
Consider thirteen valiant men
who formed their plan to take their stand
defending Rule of Law,
who formed their plan to take their stand
to battle on the Senate floor...

14
Riveting eloquence and elegant arguments
from both sides of the aisle.
But beware of twisting of the truth,
of cunning and of guile,
of virulent agendas cloaked by skillful words.
Beware of the deception that lies beneath the smile.

15
And nightly edicts from the king
with all his merry men.
Some shooting straight and some not so,
but all have an opinion. Yes, all have an opinion.

16
Except for him out on the street.
Why should he care? His life is sweet.
He mutters, "Let's move on."
He does not comprehend the awe
we must have for the Rule of Law.

17
Hear ye the words of Henry Hyde --
healing, swelling, so compelling.
Words that reach to depths inside,
stirring in one's spirit all feeling of forgotten pride.
Such freeing words, so rare of late,
words which made this nation great,
expressing precious thoughts
for which tens of thousands bravely fought,
expressing precious thoughts
for which tens of thousands proudly died.

18
One hundred men and women
make the dictates of their conscience known.
'Tis true the deeds were dastardly,
despicable, debasing, indelibly demoralizing,
detestably dehumanizing, disgracing and dismaying,
defrauding and displaying lack of judgment on his part.
Yet, in the noble Senate's eyes, to the level of high crimes
these deeds just simply do not rise.
To overturn the people's will, there must be deeds more treacherous still...

19
Is the whole head sick? Is the whole heart faint?
Is there no soundness found,
but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores,
not closed nor mollified nor bound? (2)
There is no truth nor judgment there
where fair is foul and foul play fair.

20
Now the hurly-burly's done.
Now the battle's lost and won.
But reality has slipped all a slighting twist of fate...
for they are really vanquished who think the battle won.
The losers are triumphant, the winners are undone.

21
Some say the Knight ruled well,
'twas integrity he lacked (he could
have been the victor with integrity intact).
But History, a ruthless judge,
will bring all things to light.
Then all will know the secrets
of the dark reign of the great White Knight.


c 1999 B Philp

(1) Quoted from MacBeth, Wm Shakespeare
(2) Quoted from Isaiah