He’s a crusader
With deep convictions,
A man of integrity
Who can always
Be counted on to
Share some wise advice.
He prides himself
On being a person of
Honor and moderation,
Steadfast purveyor of
Only common-sense views,
Which is why he
Is fervently against
Income redistribution,
At least the kind
That helps the poor.
A rivulet of fetid water
Winds its way through
Garbage-choked dirt alleys
Walled in by smoke-filled
Tin shacks crowded to bursting.
What remains after
Everything was sucked out
By self-important predators
Whose lust for money greatly
Exceeded all other impulses.
There is no sign
That he’ll ever be
Any other way.
He’s a gentleman,
As attentive as
They come.
When he sees ladies,
He always smiles and
Opens the door for them.
He’s gracious and
Polite, complimenting
Them on their looks.
He unflinchingly believes
They’re wilting flowers
That require his help.
The fairer sex who
Need a strong man
Guiding them.
That’s what his father
Told him, and his
Father before.
It is said that only twenty percent
Of people are able to change an
Undesirable behavior, even when
They experience severely negative or
Life-threatening consequences, and
Eighty percent will continue doing
The same thing until it consumes them,
Unable to change, emphatically
Assuring themselves that things are
Going much better than they are.
It starts imperceptibly –
Gains momentum –
Grows stronger –
Craves ever more power –
Eradicates the arts and intellectuals –
Mocks knowledge and reason –
Clouds the truth –
Creates chaos and disarray –
Imposes order by force –
Subjugates its own people –
Destroys its enemies –
Subverts democracy –
Stops at nothing.
If you had to
Come up with a
Highly effective, and
Fiendishly surreptitious,
Way to destroy
Democracy and make sure
All the money goes
To you and your
Affluent friends, you could,
I suppose, do it by force,
Which leaves a lot of
Bodies and resentment behind,
Or you could gradually
Starve public education,
Perhaps even siphon off
Its funding to other
So-called schools,
To make sure that
The general populace
Gradually, without noticing,
Loses its ability to
Think critically,
Discern what’s really
Happening around them, and
Separate fact from fiction.
The more you weaken
People’s ability to reason,
The sooner you can
Buy another yacht,
Plus you can
Sit back and have
A nice laugh as
People who have far
Less means than you
Passionately defend
What you’ve cleverly
Termed School Choice,
Freedom always sells.
Don’t worry ma’am,
It’s just a formality.
What was that?
Oh, yes, it’s a new
Policy, the bill just
Passed in the last
Session. I know,
It’s an inconvenience,
But it’s just the rules.
Everyone has to have
Some kind of identification
To vote. Oh no,
Not at all,
This is nothing like
Those days.
Will that be all?
Next.
She stares at the
Shifting, fuzzy image
Of her husband and
Tells him all the
Mundane but grounding
News about what’s going
On at home, the children
Take turns saying hello,
Too young to realize
What’s really going on.
She asks once again
When he’ll be home and
Gets the same answer.
They sign off with a
Kiss, fingers on
The screen, bit players
In the latest conflict
Lining the pockets of
The usual opportunists.
An assemblage of
Caring individuals.
Moms, dads, children,
Brothers, sisters,
Grandmothers, grandfathers,
Aunts, uncles, cousins,
Friends, trades people,
Professors, teachers,
Business owners,
Students, factory workers,
Truckers, public employees,
Pilots, retail workers,
Writers, artists;
Representatives from
Every slice of life,
March down the street
Standing up for the vast
Majority of the citizenry,
An earnest call for greater
Equality, opportunity.
From windows above,
They nudge each other,
Laugh, and shout,
“Get a job!”
