that he had popularised the phrase
fake news and said
countries had begun to ban it.
I pointed out these countries
were dictatorships
seeking to avoid scrutiny.
I told the president directly
his language was divisive;
it was dangerous to label journalists
‘the enemy of the people.’
It put lives at risk, it undermined
free speech and a free press.
Trump tweeted “Fake news
has morphed into phrase
‘Enemy of the People.’ Sad!”
Trump himself has warned us: “Just remember
what you’re seeing and what you’re reading
is not what’s happening.” And he's said
"I think that probably clarifies things pretty good.”
© Sue Norton
Sue Norton has had poems published in various magazines. She was a prizewinner in the 2017 Rialto/RSPB Nature Poetry competition.
