Government isn’t some
Scary monster out to
Eat you and your children,
It’s merely a reflection
Of its citizens’ priorities.
We can decide that
Altruism is important
In a civilized society,
Or that we are
Just snarling creatures
Fighting each other
For survival,
Guarding our dens.
As she’s being driven
To her friend’s house
For a pool party, she
Notices the homes where
The regular people live,
Home-made affairs of
Brick and mortar and
Metal doors opening
Onto streets teeming
With cars, people, and dust;
She wonders passingly
About how they
Can all live jammed into
Such cramped abodes.
Passing the shanties,
She has a fleeting sense
Of children growing up
Under corrugated tin roofs
With no running water.
They screech and howl
When the people they
Don’t deem fit get any
Kind of help from the
Government, while
Conveniently looking
The other way when
They or someone they
Approve of receives
The same assistance.
Destroying a nation
To satisfy unacknowledged,
Unmet needs, a petty
Tyrant imposing his
Frivolous whims on a
Tired, anxious populace
Whose only role
In the farce is a grim,
Resigned obedience under
The threat of violence.
Of course their first
Target is art and the
Humanities, you wouldn’t
Want to have any agitators
Out there who can think
For themselves and question
Authority, you require
Compliant people who will
Take to their pitchforks
To fight for the same
Shady characters who
Gleefully oppress them.
The only reality he’s
Ever known is wealth and
Privilege (and the
Narrative concocted by
His family to make it
Seem like all their
Good fortune happened
Through determined toil
Rather than by some
Relative many years ago
Who happened to be at
A favorable place at an
Advantageous time and who
Never let it be forgotten
That it was his superior
Mettle and exertion that
Made the whole thing possible,
Not the bit about
Taking advantage of others
For personal gain),
Which makes it really easy
For him to denigrate those
Who have far less than him.
Stately columns adorning
A shaded portico,
Stately oaks lining
A shaded lane,
Lush, sultry greenery,
Small decrepit cabins nearby,
Inhabited by enslaved human beings
Whose toil builds ever-larger
Mansions where rulers
Live off the forced labor
Of others who have no choice
But to hope for a better day.
A wealthy banker
Playing games with
Other people’s money,
His slippery maneuvers
Causing the economy itself
To collapse, buried under
An avalanche of deceit,
Gets paid hundreds
Of times more than
The diligent person
Washing his dishes at the
Upscale restaurant he
Frequents for lunch.
Allow me to tell
You a lovely little story
About a country that
Lost its way because it
Believed in hatred and
Division rather than
The common good and love.
It’s the tale of every
Civilization that has
Come crashing down while
Shrugging its shoulders
And wondering why it
Happened, human beings utterly
Convinced that competition
And conflict are more important
Than helping one another succeed,
People who don’t understand
We’re all in this together.
