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Rhyme scheme

“The Leader,” an anonymous poem, was published by Pakistan’s National Book Foundation in 2004 in A Textbook of English, intended for eleventh-grade students. The education ministry announced plans to remove the poem from future editions after it was revealed in December to be an acrostic spelling “President George W. Bush.” Several Pakistani newspapers claimed the poem had been deliberately included in the book at the behest of President Pervez Musharraf in order to please President Bush.

Patient and steady with all he must bear,

Ready to meet every challenge with care,

Easy in manner, yet solid as steel,

Strong in his faith, refreshingly real.

Isn’t afraid to propose what is bold,

Doesn’t conform to the usual mold,

Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won’t do,

Never backs down when he sees what is true,

Tells it all straight, and means it all too.

Going forward and knowing he’s right,

Even when doubted for why he would fight,

Over and over he makes his case clear,

Reaching to touch the ones who won’t hear.

Growing in strength, he won’t be unnerved,

Ever assuring he’ll stand by his word.

Wanting the world to join his firm stand,

Bracing for war, but praying for peace,

Using his power so evil will cease,

So much a leader and worthy of trust,

Here stands a man who will do what he must.

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