the republic,
an elegant design,
of reasoned debate and dotted line.
a fragile fence against the tide
of human hunger,
and human pride.
the edifice of equal law,
with one flaw,
it could not foresee the flaw
of its own success,
the vacuum made,
for a stronger,
simpler,
brighter blade.

then,
a quiet buzz,
a digital sheath,
a curated world,
just beneath.
the market’s rise,
the platform’s hold,
a story of progress,
bought and sold.
insulated from the common fray,
the body learned to look away,
and trust the pulse of the rising dow,
as the only truth it needed now.

the truth was not a thing to hold,
but a story on a screen,
grown old.
it lived in polls and analyst takes,
in the volatility that markets make.
externalized,
a specter cast,
a rating to be filed and passed.
the meaning of a leader’s reign,
reduced to points of loss and gain.

and now the new caesars take the stage,
a turn directly from history’s page.
their legions are of data streams,
their power built on viral dreams.
the unyielding contrast,
sharp and vast,
between a future that is cast
in the old image of sword and throne,
and the silent,
algorithmic stone.