An Explanation

By Faith Breisblatt

As far as I’m concerned, there was only
one choice. If I turned down every

candidate who objectified women, I’d vote
for no one. You get through the bad and focus

on the good.
Did I feel dirty? Yes.

Look at how much he relies on his daughter—
kind of reminds me of my ex-husband.

The man knows how to build things.

If you don’t like something,
there is a label to shame you.

This is a Christian country
paying for some else’s abortion.

Now I’m deplorable?
Poor Bill Cosby.

It wasn’t all racist white people. When my great grandparents came,
they had to learn English.

My family moved from Canada because of the horrors
of socialism. Look,

I’m not saying there are people who shouldn’t
be helped. I’m no racist.

I’m looking for a brighter future.
I laughed him off just like everyone else.

A found poem, written from articles in the New York Times, “‘You Focus on the Good’: Women Who Voted for Trump, in Their Own Words” and The Concourse, “Trump Voters Explain Themselves.”

Faith Breisblatt is a social worker living in Boston. Her writing can be found in The New Social Worker, Oddball Magazine, Found Poetry Review, Scripting Change, Toe Good Poetry, Boston Poetry Magazine, and elsewhere.

Photo credit: Original, unaltered image originally published by the New York Times.