Pinocchio cheered Donald Trump one day,
Resolved to earn some aid for puppeteers.
“Esteemed Lord King,” he lied, “I hope you may
Serve six more terms and live a thousand years!”
Immediately the puppet’s nose grew out,
Developing in length at least two yards,
Ensuring that the far end of his snout
Now reached to where Trump spouted old canards …
The puppet could not stop an urge to sneeze.
The droplets covered Trump in clouds of spray,
Recirculating up his nose with ease,
Until he held the puppet’s DNA …
Months later Trump was hiding well off-screen,
Propped up in one mile-long stretch limousine!

Mike Mesterton-Gibbons is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Florida State University.  He still works with colleagues on game-theoretic models of animal behavior, but the time he once devoted to teaching is now instead available for writing, especially acrostic sonnets, one of which placed first in the Adult Category of the Southern Shakespeare Company’s 2020 Sonnet Contest.  Other acrostic sonnets have appeared in Light and Lighten Up Online.  He also regularly writes limericks, several of which have appeared in Britain’s Daily Mail.