The Ship of State is rolling on,
rolling on to its fate.
The Captain is elsewhere.
A cardboard mirage stands upon
the Bridge.
Officers bustle round,
looking important, achieving little.
The Crew come and go,
seemingly as they please,
do enough, just enough, to keep
the enterprise afloat.
But so much is automatic —
and for the rest, the mantra is:
avoid obvious danger,
presume the conventional course.
The Ship of State is rolling on,
rolling on to its fate.
