Tell Me: Where's a Leader When You Need One?

Tell me: where's a leader when you need one--

When we have a crisis in full swing?

What we have is hardly what we need now:

Instead, we have a man who would be king.

We know the president's administration

Attended crisis briefings; it was warned.

And yet when people point out some of its failures,

They in turn are pilloried and scorned.

A national emergency requires

That we have all the proper tools at hand.

It requires a coordinated effort

And someone with some know-how in command.

What does Trump do? He puts Kushner in charge;

He wants his son-in-law to run the show,

As if he's an expert on pandemics.

Tell me: what the hell does Jared know?

The willful ignorance of those in charge

Of fighting a deadly virus that knows no borders

Has led to chaos. And sadly some who have spoken

The truth have been given their marching orders.

The states shouldn't have to compete for supplies.

And no one out there should be making a killing

On badly needed medical equipment.

What we see occurring is truly chilling.

By downplaying the crisis at the start,

The president put many lives in danger.

The fact that some have praised his slow response

In fighting COVID-19 is even stranger.

Also, playing favorites isn't right

When doling out necessary supplies.

Patchwork policies aren't going to help.

And most of us are tired of all the lies.

It's hard when the leadership is feckless--

And when there's moral bankruptcy at the top--

For any country to deal with major crises.

When is the nonsense going to stop?

So tell me: where's a leader when we need one?

The one we have leaves much to be desired.

If only this November we will hear

The lovely words, "Mr. Trump, you're fired!"

-by Bob B (4-5-20)