What A Farce Poem by Alem Hailu Gabre Kristos

To polling stations
Going out in droves,
With their unanimous voice,
Electors made clear their choice-
"A new breath of fresh air
Would be fair! "
But as a democracy patrons
Also democracy vendors,
You thought-
"Better an old Satan
Than an angel new born,
The heart of a new angel,
We may not crack open! "

As peace brokers,
To dissuade voters
You dinned into their ears,
"Democracy is a process!
Thus it entails
The gradual unfolding of rights!
Specially in developing nations,
It is tardy in striking roots! "
You also went to say
"The ill-favored government,
Though by ballot card made out of play
And adamant to let power away,
A midwife to self-determination
Had paved the way
For the fairness you enjoy today.
Imagine the price it had to pay! "
Tirelessly you pleaded voters
To see reasons
And give the government
A time-out and stalemate,
Also to let it take part
In a joint government!
The hardest way
What people learnt today
Is democracy is indeed a process
That could suffer setbacks,
Or experience a lapse
And down clutters
A tyranny abyss!

Double dealers
Now as a democracy undertaker
You venture to offer
A hearse,
What a farce!

As history
Recorded it in its annals
Go ahead fish in troubled water,
By your very nature
You are capable
To do nothing better!