History Often Rhymes, III: "first Muslim mayor of New York City"
for Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of New York City
and "ALL" New Yorkers
with his hand
firmly on the Quran
Mamdani vows ...
echo and echo through hearts
while the city breathes as one
FYI: "Zohran Mamdani is considered the second Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, following his inauguration as the 112th Mayor of New York City on January 1, 2026. While New York City is not a national capital, it is often grouped with cities like London as a "global capital" or "major Western capital" in political discourse. By this definition, Mamdani follows Sadiq Khan, who became the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital when he was elected Mayor of London in 2016."
And some relevant passages from his inaugural address:
I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations, that I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.
Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed. But never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try...
I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical. As the great senator from Vermont once said, “What’s radical is a system which gives so much to so few and denies so many people the basic necessities of life.”
Added:
thunderclaps echo ...
Kharkiv’s skies smoky red
on New Year
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLXII: "haunting thoughts"
haunting thoughts
of a Gazan baby
swirl within ...
yet rainbow flowers bloom
above New York’s neon haze
Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXVII:
written in response to
CBS News, Jan. 3 2026: U.S. strikes Venezuela and captures Maduro;
Trump says "we're going to run the country" for now
Maduro
bound, blindfolded and kidnapped ...
Trump's meaty smile
and his middle finger raised
to clicking of cameras
Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack as a clear violation of article two of the charter of the United Nations.
Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement arguing, “President Trump’s unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro—however terrible he is—is a return to a day when the United States asserted a right to dominate the internal affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere. The history is replete with failures, and doubling down on it makes it difficult to the claim with a straight face to other countries should respect the United States’ sovereignty when we do not do the same.”
And
"We're not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to have. We had boots on the ground last night at a very high level, actually."
"Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again."
This tanka could be read as a sequel to my tanka below:
History Often Rhymes, I: "the Donroe Doctrine"
the Don posed
behind the Resolute Desk
with fingers cocked
for the cameras' rapid fire ...
a map crossed with red X’s
Added:
At the Edge
the year
dying in the night
I alone
lean out the window
into the dark
this pull
of the moonlit darkness
as if distant
as if near ...
still, I wait
