[Aaron Poochigian]

Yeah, whatever. I nailed it (though this poem was merely published in the USA):

Too much is broken, and there will be more
headlines for hopelessness to wallow in:
angrier hurricanes, American
disintegration into civil war.

Sure, we might want to flit away and sing
in private heavens sealed against the news,
but such escape is cheap—as cheap as booze.
What’s tough is to affirm the following:

Despite the bad times now and worse to come,
despite disaster and a crass regime
of lies and thugs, despite the national scam,
I will be conscious. I will not play dumb.
Eyes tracking everything I can redeem,
I will be right here; I will give a damn.

https://www.rattle.com/mmxvii-by-aaron-poochigian/

[Quincy Lehr]

But that’s kayfabe.

And more to the point, at a different order of specificity and potential controversy.

[R. S. Gwynn]

Mark, a bracket makes as much sense to you as a Brexit makes to me.

[Quincy Lehr]

And yes, Mark, you got it--the main thrust, in which the Russiarussiarussia narrative has played a major part, has been the extent to which a certain kind of Clinton-voting middle-class-to-upper-class centrist has come to imagine him/herself to be a reincarnation of Jean Moulin, and how grimly hilarious that is. (The behavior of the Chuka Umunna/Luciana Berger/Angela Smith/etc. wing of the #FBPE crowd in Britain might be broadly analogous.)

[Allen Tice]

On the whole, I prefer the science of rhyming slang or Navaho code talk. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Uniform Romeo, Nadene.

[Quincy Lehr]

And I prefer red ales, Joy Division’s second album, those minty Oreos, and a whole bunch of other stuff not under discussion. Sierra Tango Foxtrot Uniform, Bravo!

Originally Posted by Allen Tice

On the whole, I prefer the science of rhyming slang or Navaho code talk. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Uniform Romeo, Nadene.

[Michael Cantor]

Quincy won! Nobody knows more obscure but terribly "in" stuff than Quincy.

[Roger Slater]

Originally Posted by Quincy Lehr

. . . and how grimly hilarious that is. . .

At least it's not "highlarious," let alone fuckin'ly highlarious.

[Jim Moonan]

x
I hear snorting

x
x

[Julie Steiner]

Mark, brackets were defined in this thread. (Eventually.)