Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Malarkey

Malarkey n. insincere or misleading talk

if one were to
politely
rephrase the original
definition
to indicate
its more common
acceptance
as lying,
then let's just assume
that today it has been
raised to an artform:

The level of malarkey
in public discord today
is quite impressive,
wouldn't you say?

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Leper

Leper n. one afflicted with leprosy

Indulge me
for a moment
(well, a tad more
than usual)
as I explore
a further classic
definition
of leper,
as a kind of
pariah,
and it's in that spirit
that we conjure
something new...

leper is
the new black:

The best way
to advance
in social currency
today
is to
announce yourself
a leper

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Kook

Kook n. one regarded as eccentric, foolish

Too descriptive
a term
in politics,
so of course
no one uses it,
and so
it doesn't exist:

There's no such thing
as kooks
in politics
(apparently)

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky n. gibberish

official designation
for the worth
of political discourse:

Twas jabberwocky,
the campaigns and debates,
the electoral trails,
the voters reacting,
the media thrashing,
all gone rocky
right out of the gates,
full of fails,
something
monkeys will fling

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Instructive

Instructive adj. conveying instruction

conveying
ineffective
criticism:

Their instructive comments
left a lot
to be desired

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Heinous

Heinous adj. odiously evil

Politically expedient:

It was particularly
heinous
to exaggerate
everything.

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Gauche

Gauche adj.  not having skill in dealing with people

the ability
to not have your cake
but still eat it:

The art of politics
is gauche

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Fluke

Fluke n. a stroke of good luck

doesn't really count
if we don't agree
with it:

The fluke results
of the election
condemned them
to illegitimacy

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Evanescent

Evanescent adj. disappearing gradually from sight

refusing to go away:

They kept
their attempts
to control the message
evanescent,
so that their analysis
could better become
consensus

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Doomsday

Doomsday n. any day of accounting

the beginning
of a never-ending
campaign:

They declared
doomsday
the moment they lost
the election

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Centrist

Centrist n. one who belongs to a political party of the center

one who believes
their political views,
no matter how extreme,
are the only viable
conclusions:

The centrist
was outraged
at the thought
of being
contradicted

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Blunder

Blunder v.i. to make a gross mistake; err stupidly

to succeed so spectacularly
in fooling people
that it's like
blinding thunder:

Their blunder
was immediately hailed
as the political breakthrough
of the new millennium

Just Another Word in the Dictionary - Apse

Apse n. a polygonal or semicircular recess terminating the choir or other portion of a church

not to be confused
with "lapse,"
an apse
is an absence
of scruples,
so that just anyone
can conclude anything,
the great irony
of the age of science:

Her apse allowed her
to declare victory
in lieu of the defeat
she actually faced,
because it played better
to her supporters

The New Fade 15

the New Fade
is morality turned on its head,
metaphysics of value
become gibberish,
discovering that the sandman
never sleeps,

and so the only sense
in a senseless world
is to create new definitions
that flatly contradict
the old ones...

The New Fade 14

the New Fade
is a lie told
so convincingly
that anyone who doubts it
is considered
an enemy
of the people

The New Fade 13

the New Fade
is corruption
that is successfully ignored
in the face
of manufactured scandals

The New Fade 12

the New Fade
is repeating the same mistake
but giving it a new name
and hoping no one notices

The New Fade 11

in the New Fade
the new censorship
is well-intentioned
but deceptive
conformity

The New Fade 10

in the New Fade
the ability to
contradict oneself,
whether knowingly
or otherwise,
becomes amplified:
Rowling misidentifies
her parallels,
Charyn forgets
his archetype,
and Richard Parker
is a tiger
who never considers
eating you...

The New Fade 9

the New Fade is
fighting yesterday's battles
while ignoring today's,
taking the moral high ground
without first securing it,
crying havoc
with laryngitis,
a mute shouting into a void
and believing himself heard

The New Fade 8

the New Fade is like
the Air Force Academy
in Colorado Springs:

chances are if you know it
at all you're familiar
with its ornate cadet chapel,
but visitors are treated
to something funnier first:

the main entrance
has a median
meticulously landscaped
every year,
but to either side
are grounds that are just as
meticulously overlooked
every year

The New Fade 7

in the New Fade,
El Dorado breeds eternal,
unicorns were never rhinos,
and Dr. Livingston?
we would never presume!
we would accuse!
J'accuse!