Aftermath

After the general election here, a slight poem about outcomes, and why, in the end, whatever the complaints, democracy is still better than alternatives.

Aftermath
 
To the victor the spoils, to the loser, upset
And however hard the striving, there is pain
All that wasted energy, all the toil and sweat
And for what? Despondency is all the gain.
 
That's how elections work, so spare a thought
For those not elected, those losing their seat
An ending at the ballot box, the battle fought
Counting the numbers slowly to defeat
 
Knights in a tournament, the clash of arms
That was the way to do things! Lively times
But wounded, the defeated, lessens charms
Governance settled with butchery and crimes
 
Aftermath in democracy may seem more dull
But better than one cracking another's skull