Painting the Debt Ceiling

31 Jul Painting the Debt Ceiling

by David Feela

A compressor would be the quickest,
though the scaffolding required
to touch the ceiling
might make the Tower of Babel
look like a stairwell.

Give me one politician
with the vision of Michelangelo
and I will lie on my back
through the next election depicting
a brilliant fresco of the future.

Or left on my own, pass me
a roller and I’ll paint
the politician a face,
not just a position, one finger
in the face of heaven.

If nothing else, let me get started
with my brush, which takes forever
but surely not any longer
than finding this fabled
and convoluted compromise.

David is a Colorado poet who resides in Arriola, Colorado, a small rural community north of Cortez. Recently retired from a 27-year teaching gig, David was a former “Colorado Voice” for the Denver Post. He worked for over a decade as a contributing editor and columnist at Inside/Outside Southwest magazine and now contributes occasional pieces to High Country News and writes a monthly piece for the Four Corners Free Press. David's words have appeared in hundreds of regional and national publications. His first full-length book of poetry, The Home Atlas, is now available.

"Painting the Ceiling" previously appeared in New Verse News.