The Wrong Vote

 It's not so much that you chose poorly

 and, content with your life, never noticed,

 or realized later, with regret, that it was a mistake.

 It was how you never paused to consider

 how improbable were the promises made

 how, believing as you did in monsters and atrocities,

 unlikely were the accusations leveled at the opposition.

 You imagined you, and all of us, could

  take the chance and bet on disruption.

  You kept tallying your grievances,

  dwelling on all the changes never made.

  You chose the wild ride

  and hoped for the best.

  Things were good. Things were bad.

  Everything began to change in foreseeable ways.

  You noticed the things gone, perhaps forever

  and felt regret now that they are gone.