For several decades I have labored in and around the State Department
I commute from northern Virginia to the capital of the United States
Applying my knowledge and experience to problems of international affairs
And working to protect our country from foreign threats
There are many, but my coworkers and I do a good job
As I've aged, I've become more introspective
My inner life deepens and broadens unexpectedly
I am in renewed contact with the true good and beautiful
I revisit Thucydides in the evenings with pleasure
When not watching television with my wife
There are truths of statesmanship that many dislike
Because many are unrealistic about our political horizons
I approach persuasion Socratically, as an opportunity to educate
If my son were gay, I would accept and love him
Though the difference would take getting used to
I work to secure a future for my family
I think about death, though mostly abstractly
My son calls from college once or twice a week
If I am not in a meeting or deeply focused I speak with him
I revisit mentally and with fondness my own university education
Without war, society becomes decadent
The men effeminate, the women immoral
I publish realistic white papers
In reputable journals of international relations
I believe casually yet wholeheartedly in a loving, personal divinity