Henry K., Man of Peace: A Poem by J. Patrick Lewis

Just a few days after I launched Political Verses, the talented and prolific children’s poet J. Patrick Lewis emailed me about my new solo blog. A most generous man, J. Patrick even sent along some of his own political verses. He offered them to me for posting here. I was thrilled.

J. Patrick Lewis

Today, I have a poem he wrote about Henry Kissinger several years ago.

Henry K., Man of Peace

by J. Patrick Lewis
“Since Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace
Prize, nothing seems funny anymore.”
Tom Lehrer, on why he stopped writing
and performing comic songs.

I’m Henry K. of the White House corps.
When they whispered PEACE, I shouted WAR!
Hell, that’s what Nixon paid me for.
The body count? Who’s keeping score?
I’m an Intullek-chew-wool.

I’m the World Gone MAD Custodian.
My goals were Don Quixotean,
My windmills were Cambodian.
I bombed ‘em! No more toadyin’.
I’m an Intullek-chew-wool.

I’m the biggest, slowest talking head
To monopolize the old Op-Ed.
I’m well-off, well-endowed, well-read,
And first in line at the paper-shred.
I’m an Intullek-chew-wool.

[A Note from J. Patrick Lewis: This poem first appeared in LIGHT QUARTERLY,
Winter 2002-2003. All rights are mine. JPL]

What some of you may not know: J. Patrick Lewis is a writer of light verse for adults. Many of his humorous poems have appeared in Light Quarterly. Here are links to some of those poems :

• Click here to read some of J. Patrick Lewis’s Animal Epitaphs included in the Autumn 2006 issue.


• You can read several more of Pat’s clever light verses in the Summer 2000 issue.

Thanks, Pat, for granting me permission to post your poem here!

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Here are links to two of my original poems that I posted at Political Verses this week: Winnie the Pooh-Bah and the Hundred Acre Wood: A Poem about Rush Limbaugh and Bernie Made Off with My Money.

I’m doing the Poetry Friday Roundup at Wild Rose Reader today. Please leave the URL of your poetry post and a short description of it in the comments at my special Roundup Post.