Trump Sonnets: Volume 2

Poetry. Like the first collection, Waldman opens with a preview poem, and then he starts in with a list, one titled "Trump, By the Book" with the opening lines:

"Challenges what a common thesaurus
can do: lamebrained, schizo, preposterous,
bugged out, imbecilic, dense, ludicrous,
one and only trumpus dinosaurus,"

Waldman follows that with a dream poem in the president's voice.

This format continues throughout the two main sections of the book: after each commentary there's an italicized dream poem in Donald Trump's voice. Toward the end, there's "Donald Trump, Dream #32" which begins:

"A big stage, me with Batman, Superman,
Popeye, and a trim Miss America.
That was Candy from South Carolina.
Batman called me a real American,
said I was more potent than Superman.
Candy called me Mr. America,
said I should move to South Carolina."

TRUMP SONNETS, VOLUME 2 is sad, disquieting, angry, smart, hopeful, and often very, very funny. It's an apt follow-up to TRUMP SONNETS, VOLUME 1.