The Leader

It was not the best of times,
but the worse of times in the nation.
The economy had collapsed
and unemployment was rampant,
but then HE appeared.
He had charisma and spoke
with such elegance. His words
seduced the crowds and
blurred their vision.
He promised the world.
He gave them hope,
so in submissive
innocence and ignorance,
they fell in line behind him
like sheep going to the slaughter.
The people were not visionaries
and could not see
the ruin lying ahead.
It has been said that those
who do not learn the lessons
of history will be doomed
to repeat them.