I felt so humbled as I watched returns,
accepting that I hadn’t any clue
to how the half who voted for him work.
I’ve failed to feel and write someone who spurns
the facts for magic thinking, and the true
for Puritan simplistic blue-law murk.

I felt uneasy as I watched results –
anxiety and flashbacks roiled me:
my neck compressed, my innards seemed to twist.
Enduring hours of unsteady pulse,
I told myself with aging certainty:
“I won’t be sick,” relaxing gut and fist.

I’ll need more time if I’m to understand.
I’ll guard my health till then with self-command.