“History Teacher's Song” by Frank Brunner

No law can make a law do what you want.

Ban alcohol, and still, good men will drink.

The wisest words drown in the strongest font.

Even Eve felt an edict was a taunt.

That NO was only glitter on the slink.

No law can make a law do what you want.

LeBron wore $20k Yves St Laurent,

and Dan selected Comic Sans to ink

his jilted rant. No words beat that sad font.

What's bountied is what's farmed, so cobras haunt

the Ghats, and Belgium washes in its sink

too many hands. The laws do what they want.

We love the way monks drew their As, “Avaunt,

adulteress!” Yet now we watch and wink.

Our priests, also, are weaker than their font.

Ketubahs, invitations, halls, all flaunt

wealth and will, while champagne glasses clink.

But laws cannot make laws do what you want.

So many words are weaker than their font.

Frank Brunner lives in the Adirondack Mountains with his wife, children, and a giant Newfoundland dog. He teaches physics. Occasionally, the Newfie accompanies Frank into class and does a spectacular job of demonstrating inertia. Frank's poetry has appeared in Mobius, Pulsebeat Poetry, Fiery Scribe, and elsewhere.