Trump Trompe
By Dr. Judith Jeon-Chapman

It is clear in French,
The root of this creature:
Tromper, transitive verb,
To deceive someone,
Like a con man,
Also to cheat on one’s spouse;
Or se tromper,
To err,
Reflexive in French,
When one deceives oneself.
Obviously, all meanings apply
In this notorious case:
Trump trompe,
Trump se trompe
,
But when conjugated with Trump,
Even when in the present,
Always remains in
The imperfect,
Trump rendering impossible
Both
Future perfect and
Present progressive.

Dr. Judith Jeon-Chapman is a French professor at Worcester State University.