Red Caesarism and the GOP Schism Sonnets

The following sonnet begins a yearlong series of poems about former President Trump, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. As some readers know, Dante began the book in Hell (Inferno), followed by Purgatory (Purgatorio) until he reached his ultimate goal of Heaven (Paradiso). My sonnets will follow Potus 45 through his 2024 campaign but not in Dante’s order. Some will contain all three locations in a tragicomedy using sonnet form.

Tragic Scenes from Paradise Reversed

A Don grew old who could not triumph over himself

From Queens, NY he wished to form a Trump kingdom

With a push and shove from his gilded toilets above

From his NY City Trump Tower for hour after hour

From Wash DC he detonated precepts of democracy

With vindictiveness, anger and vitriol he would shower

From his golf course in Mar a Lago he would glower

At his predecessor a former US Senator from Chicago

From his private National Golf Club in New Jersey

He administered Bedminster retribution with no mercy

From what he calls “the final battle” 2024 campaign trail

MAGA supporters cheer his every insult without fail

From different courts some with some without a jury

Judges give him gag orders raising his ire and fury.

“The Destroyer of American Democracy”

(Trump said this of President Joe Biden on Dec. 1, 2023)

A line from the Bhagavad Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the

Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him he takes on

his multi-armed form and says, “Now, I am become Death, the

destroyer of worlds.” Readers who have seen the recent film

Oppenheimer may recall his epiphany on these lines relative to

the use of the atomic bomb which he helped develop. I include

it here for the ludicrous aspect of 45’s projection calling President

Biden the “destroyer of American democracy” when the media:

radio, TV, newspapers, blogs, books, and the US Judicial system

of government since the insurrection that he cooked up have all

pointed to him as contributing to the destruction of democracy.

Many of Trump’s 91 or 92 indictments relate to his attempts to

distort and destroy constitutional democracy.

Donald Trump caricature