Rolling Toward The Fall

Mitt Romney, after sweeping five primaries
claimed the mantle of Republican nominee
though he has not officially clinched the race.

Romney still facing major challenges within his party—

winning over reluctant conservatives,
winning over the evangelical movement.

Romney’s favorability ratings slumping dramatically

over the course of a bruising primary;
Romney eking out victories only after pouring

millions into ads attacking his opponents.

Polls show he gets less popular with voters
the more voters get to know him.

As President Barack Obama

heads into a face-off with Mitt Romney,
the president revisits parts of his life story.

No silver spoons, lots of student loans—

“Michelle and I, we’ve been in your shoes.
We didn’t come from wealthy families.”

Obama using his personal narrative

to carry his message, in a campaign
in which contrasts are implicit, not explicit.

Today I took two stories—one above the fold, and one below the fold—and

combined them to compose the poem.

Rolling towards the fall: Rolling towards November or rolling towards a fall?  Whose fall?

Full disclosure: I took a few liberties with this poem, adding the word “after” and moving a phrase ahead of the phrase that actually preceded it.  I did it for the sake of the poem.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano