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The Prose of Peter D. Gorman Peter D. Gorman is 35 years of age and resides in the Washington, D.C. area. Peter says, "I work in the private sector, and am generally content to do so. Strictly as a hobby (meaning I don't get paid for it), I work as a publisher and occasional contributor for an on-line music magazine, Dancing About Architecture. I also write fiction, which appears intermittently in various publications.
As for a personal philosophy; "There's nothing new under the sun, so I guess I will have to make something up."
About the story, "The Monument of President Gray", Peter Gorman says, "The story is based on Oscar Wilde's story, "The Picture of Dorian Gray", which concerns a young man who lives a hedonistic lifestyle and never ages while his portrait grows ugly and old. I noticed that the current president looks almost exactly as he did seven years when he took office, hardly a day older. Meanwhile the Washington Monument has seemingly gotten older and has been in repair for several years, covered up by scaffolding or whatever it is that surrounds it. President Gray isn't meant to be President Clinton, but that's the germ of the story."
The Monument of President Gray ....by Peter D. Gorman
A lilting breeze made its way through the Rose Garden, and the delicate smells of spring gently hung in the air. In the distance the Washington Monument stood tall and proud, the sun enlivening its perfectly cut, white stone skin. President Gray and his press secretary stood staring at the monument in the distance.
"It is somewhat sad to think that the Washington Monument will outlast us all" said the president, languidly. He had only been president for a few months, yet he was full of melancholy over what he saw as his inevitable decline. "The monument will remain majestic, stuck in time, never older than it is today, while my popularity will wither and degenerate. As will I, probably long before I leave the White House. Oh, how sad to think of it! If only it were the other way around. If I could do as I pleased and still receive strong approval ratings from the American people, and the monument would grow old and fall into disfavor instead of me. Why I would give my second term for such an arrangement."
"Perhaps you would make that deal now, but in four years you would regret it," said the press secretary.
The president sighed and turned to look at him. "It is as if the Washington Monument is every president who first takes office. He stands tall and powerful, representative of a great nation, and the people look at him with pride. But all that must fade, and my popularity, such as it is, shall fade too."
The press secretary laughed nervously. "Of course you could never make such an arrangement anyway," he said. "The president hasn't got that kind of authority. Separation of powers and all that."
The president continued staring at the monument, then smiled. "Of course you're right," he said. "Forget I ever mentioned it."
A year into President Gray's term, the media noted how little the job had changed his appearance. Indeed, he seemed as fresh and full of vigor as he had when he first took the job, and not a day older, and his presidency had been successful by almost anyone's standards. The press secretary was encouraged by the president's apparent stamina and good health, though he was somewhat troubled by the condition of the Washington Monument, the stones of which now appeared a sickly yellow. The federal government authorized the renovation of the monument, and workers began cleaning its outer surface. Though work on upgrading the monument continued throughout the year, the monument's condition only seemed to worsen. Tourists were overheard mentioning that the Washington Monument was looking a little bloated. President Gray, on the other hand, looked positively vibrant., buoyed by his popularity with the American people. He lived a hedonistic life and thought nothing of it.
"You are untroubled by your actions," said his press secretary, wearily.
"The nation is in fine health," replied President Gray. "Economy strong, crime on the decline. Everything about this country seems to be heading in the right direction. Except for the Washington Monument, of course. But some things can't be helped. And I can't help a monument that doesn't want to be helped."
"But what shall I tell the media?"
"Tell them that congress needs to work with me, not against me, if we're truly going to bring the monument back to its previous glory. And if the monument doesn't get better, blame the media. Or my opponents. Out of my control. I was out of the loop. Whatever. We'll think of something."
The following winter was a harsh one, full of blizzards and bitter cold temperatures. The Washington Monument deteriorated further as some of its stones crumbled, and the monument's peak stood 20 feet closer to the ground. Visitors rarely went into the monument anymore, citing its poor air circulation and a foundation that seemed to groan with every footstep upon it. President Gray, meanwhile, was in excellent shape, and his approval ratings were very high. Most everyone seemed to like President Gray. There was a bit of a problem with that monument, however, but everyone expected that President Gray would find a way to fix it. "President Gray will make it all better, " said many a U.S. citizen. "If he can't do it, nobody can."
By the fourth year of President Gray's term the Washington Monument was positively obese. It was little more than a thick crumbled rock pile, now flat on top having lost its peak. Tourists stayed away from what the locals called "that fat ass, no good, waste of a monument." All was no longer well for the president either. The crumbled monument had come to define his administration, though his time in office had been filled with peace and prosperity.
The president's opponent in the general election cited the Washington Monument as a sign of the president's ineptness. "If the president can't salvage a monument in his own backyard, how is he going to manage the entire country effectively?" The American people seemed to agree; President Gray was losing in the polls.
President Gray's press secretary gave him the poll results. "There doesn't seem to be any way you're going to win the election," he said gravely.
President Gray hung his head. "It doesn't make sense," he lamented. "The economy is up, crime is down. I should win in a landslide. Why? Why is this happening to me?"
The press secretary did not answer him. They both knew why the president would lose. The Oval Office was filled with gloom.
The press secretary stood up to leave. "There's nothing you can do. Unless ..."
The president looked at him. "Unless?"
The press secretary cleared his throat. "Unless the problem somehow goes away."
The president nodded and grinned. "Let's make it happen."
Everyone agreed that the most striking images of the presidential election campaign were the photos from late October of President Gray and several of his cabinet members attempting to bury the remains of the Washington Monument with bulldozers and shovels. One week later no one was surprised when President Gray lost in the biggest landslide in the history of American presidential elections, and all agreed that his legacy was nothing more than a heap of rubble.
For the first few months newly-elected President Green struggled unsuccessfully on a variety of issues, and consequently the American public perceived him as weak and ineffective. Then things suddenly and inexplicably began to turn around for him, and before long he was an immensely popular president, a symbol of all that was good about America. One morning he was in the Rose Garden, standing in sunlight while thinking fondly of his good fortune, when his press secretary came over to see him. "Mr. President, your polls really couldn't be better. But I thought I should let you know that at the Lincoln Memorial, Honest Abe appears to have gotten the measles. Also, he's now slumping in his chair."
"I know nothing about it," stammered President Green, and he briskly walked away.
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