【Busty Cops on Patrol (2009)】
Four Poems by Richard Milhous Nixon
Out of Print
Abraham Lincoln, John Quincy Adams, and Jimmy Carter all published collections of poetry—and I don’t mean to diminish their stately, often tender contributions to arts and letters by what follows. But the simple fact of the matter is, their poetical efforts pale in comparison to Richard Nixon, who was, and remains, the most essential poet-president the United States of America has ever produced.
The Poetry of Richard Milhous Nixon, a slim volume compiled by Jack S. Margolis and published in 1974, stands as a seminal work in verse. Comprising direct excerpts from the Watergate tapes—arguably the most fecund stage of Nixon’s career—it fuses the rugged rhetoric of statesmanship to the lithe contours of song, all rendered in assured, supple, poignant free verse. Below, to celebrate Presidents’ Day, are four selections from this historic chapbook, which has, lamentably, slipped out of print.
THE POSITION
The position is
To withhold
Information
And to cover up
This is
Totally true.
You could say
This is
Totally untrue.TOGETHER
We are all
In it
Together.
We take
A few shots
And
It will be over.
Don’t worry.
I wouldn’t
Want to be
On the other side
Right now.IN THE END
In the end
We are going
To be bled
To death.
And in the end,
It is all going
To come out anyway.
Then you get the worst
Of both worlds.
The power of Nixon’s poems was duly recognized by his peers—other writers, most notably Thomas Pynchon, have used them as epigraphs. From Gravity’s Rainbow:
Dan Piepenbring is the web editor of The Paris Review.
Search
Categories
Latest Posts
Fear and Loathing in Cascadia
2025-06-25 23:00Emilia Clarke isn't here for your 'Game of Thrones' nudity shaming
2025-06-25 22:44Skype disappears from app stores in China, including Apple's
2025-06-25 22:37Al Gore’s Pivot to Idiocy
2025-06-25 21:22Popular Posts
Socialism or Barbarism?
2025-06-25 22:58Thanksgiving sides, ranked
2025-06-25 22:55OnePlus 5T review: A great $500 premium phone ruined by bad cameras
2025-06-25 21:50This may be the most spectacular car parking fail of all time
2025-06-25 21:36No Wokeness, No Worries
2025-06-25 21:14Featured Posts
Media for the Apocalypse
2025-06-25 22:18David Cassidy dies at 67 after organ failure
2025-06-25 21:52Malls and movies and drones, oh my.
2025-06-25 21:42Popular Articles
It’s a THAAD, THAAD, THAAD World
2025-06-25 22:57OnePlus 5T review: A great $500 premium phone ruined by bad cameras
2025-06-25 22:55Facebook still hasn't fixed its discriminatory ad problem
2025-06-25 22:38Thanksgiving sides, ranked
2025-06-25 21:22Fire and Fury
2025-06-25 21:13Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.
Comments (988)
Reality Information Network
Bankers’ Robberies
2025-06-25 22:40New Knowledge Information Network
Apple admits some iPhones were made by high schoolers working overtime
2025-06-25 22:36Exploration Information Network
Will Luke and Leia reunite in The Last Jedi? We've got a good feeling
2025-06-25 21:57Prosperous Times Information Network
Australia is exploiting working backpackers, according to new study
2025-06-25 21:21Fashion Information Network
Mark Lilla’s Comfort Zone
2025-06-25 20:45