You'd never make it in the world today, JFK.
Your eloquence would not the rumors allay,
Nor silence the noisy din of media bray.
Hints of indiscretion would far outweigh
Courage and talents aligned in vast array.

You inspired a nation for a thousand days,
And set young minds and hearts ablaze.
But you'd not survive modern media's gaze,
Nor evade the thrust of the public's craze.
Deed and words earned laurels and leis,
But such no longer merit much appraise.

In your beloved country you'd be maligned,
And treated in ways which are most unkind.
In a nation's memory you're enshrined,
In history and hearts a place assigned.
Your life was a gift to all mankind,
But as a leader now you'd be declined.

These truths leave sadness and dismay,
That affairs of state have turned this way.
It causes hurt and pain just now to say,
Your greatness was long ago and far away;
You'd never make it in the world today, JFK.