Forgive my naivete. I mistook surfaces for substances. I grieved
For superficial change, for manners being cast aside, for coarseness
Overtaking measured words, and overt nastiness replacing subtler
Disdain, but, ultimately, what has changed? Has racial hatred grown
At all? It hasn't. Women never were respected. Jails were always
Full. Our thugs were spread throughout the globe. Our weapons
Went to foul regimes. No, nothing of significance is any different
Than it was. The ones in charge no longer clean their fingernails
And take the time to utter pleasant platitudes. They bellow what
They're really thinking, coiffed and dressed like circus clowns,
But, otherwise, this wretched nation has remained the same.