Leadership
by Marco Katz Montiel / October 25th, 2026
Famously, José Mujica waited
His turn for treatment in emergency;
Most other presidents might have hated
Waiting, which he learned from insurgency.
Jesus Christ’s representative on Earth
Does not have to wait like a commoner;
Pope Leo knows what he really is worth,
As does the man with his thermometer.
He knows that Rome’s Gemelli Hospital
“Has a special apartment for the pope;”
If this strikes you as somewhat prodigal,
He’ll say that his God gives him the real dope.
“I entrust myself to your prayers,” says
Leo while gobbling up expensive meds.
Poet’s Note: A credulous reader might be forgiven for thinking that a socialist president acts more Christlike than the leader of the world’s Catholics. “Pope Leo XIV to undergo surgery after nodular lesion found in lung, Vatican says” CBS News, 11 October 2026
Marco Katz Montiel composes poetry and prose in Spanish, English, and musical notes. He went to college late, and then alienated one university by publishing about bigotry on campus and got kicked to the curb by two others for his union activities. Still, Marco managed to graduate and even publish a book on music and literature with Palgrave. His essays, poems, and stories appear in
Ploughshares,
Jerry Jazz Music,
English Studies in Latin America,
Copihue Poetry,
Camino Real,
WestWard Quarterly,
Lowestoft Chronicle,
Dissident Voice, and in the anthologies
Cartas de desamor y otras adicciones,
There’s No Place, and the
Capital City Press Anthology.
Read other articles by Marco Katz, or
visit Marco Katz's website.
This article was posted on Sunday, October 25th, 2026 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.
