Elective - Edit, title change

[dukealien]

Electoral Pain


Can any words, my sister, ease your pain -
felt anger and betrayal at this vote
which makes a man whose sins you’ve learned by rote
our president? It’s useless to explain.

Your world-inflicted sorrow shall remain
inflamed by image, story, song, and quote;
each day some news or jest will get your goat
until all love for goodness bears its stain.

My sadness echoes yours, though its sole cause
is empathy:  to neither of our lives
was lasting damage done, we only grieve
at others’ self-confounding woe.  So pause
and think the world’s no worse.  Your smile revives:
just politics, not forecasts to believe.

Elective


Can any words, my sister, ease your pain
of anger and betrayal at this vote
which makes a man whose sins you rightly note
the chief of us? It’s useless to explain.

Your world-infected sadness will remain
inflamed by image, story, song, and quote;
each day a joke, a smile, will get your goat
until all love for goodness seems in vain.

My sadness echoes yours, though its sole cause
is sympathy.  To neither of our lives
was damage done, we only suffer grief
at others’ self-inflicted hurts.  So pause
and think the world no worse:  your joy revives
with laughter at its foibles, pure relief.

Have slightly less than half a mind to submit this to Serious - meant for other relatives, too, trying to restore their happiness after the US election which has saddened them.  Advice on how to better accomplish that, please, rather than its advisability.

One experienced poetry reader (who is also in the same emotional state, though) objects to the no-damage and self-inflicted thought.  How to explain (without "mansplaining") that hurt feelings, though sincerely felt, still aren't the same as loss of life, liberty, property, or skin?  And all without feeling superior about it?