Look, Squirrel!
The phrase is used to tease our dogs, but with minor alterations
one could adapt it for journalists by calling it a tweet;
or “I’m 29 again!” when unwanted birthday wishes appear from friends and relations;
or “I thought it was April 18th this year!” when taxes are due! Oh, wouldn’t that be sweet?
But throwing the newshounds off the scent only works on professionals,
children and others unrestricted by fact-checking can smell skunks
no matter how often they hold up acorns in their confessionals.
Better to open the restricted areas and let the bad air out than debunk
the emperor’s latest fascist statement by mislabeling it: “fashion statement.”
Is this the teapot calling the kettle whistleblower? But the sense
of the indictment (no matter how well-meaning) yields only abatement.
Once the squirrel takes off its costume or jumps the fence
called attention span and a video of a kitty cat captures the mice
of millions of computers. We await a better mousetrap, when the squirrel doesn’t suffice.
