States of America
It’s been red vs. blue
for so long we’ve been numbed
and blinded
to the real battle
between the oligarchs in power
and me and you.
Corrupt men
propped up by mountains of bodies,
oil-slicked waters,
flat-top mountains,
landfills, dollars drenched in sweat and tears
hard-fought but easily and gleefully stolen
by those who would claim
they serve in the people’s name.
They raise the temperature
and poison the water.
It doesn’t matter to them
in their conclaves
air-cooled and charcoal-filtered.
They won’t feel the effects of their actions
and they care nought about the generations
they leave behind.
They spin their divisive threads of rhetoric
and keep spears pointed at each other
our heads barely above the water
struggling so hard to keep afloat
we don’t notice the water they dump in.
This country
once so proud and acclaimed
now cannot even claim
the United in its name.
7 thoughts on "States of America"
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Well wrought lines truth speak;
“Corrupt men
propped up by mountains of bodies,
oil-slicked waters,
flat-top mountains,
landfills, dollars drenched in sweat and tears
hard-fought but easily and gleefully stolen
by those who would claim
they serve in the people’s name.”
Love that last line especially how the word acclaimed shifted to claim. Sad and true in its pronoucement!
So true and so well-said. This is tremendous and gut-wrenching:
“They spin their divisive threads of rhetoric
and keep spears pointed at each other
our heads barely above the water
struggling so hard to keep afloat
we don’t notice the water they dump in.”
excellent political protest poem!
I really like this, great specificity, and you express your ideas well.
Now, feel free to ignore me, but would you consider starting the poem with “Corrupt men?” That line is such a “grabber.” Just give it a little thought.
You know, I quite like that. Thank you for the suggestion.
I love how you tied the title to the last line. Thanks for sharing what so many of us feel.
So much truism and an indictment here: Love the artful statement:
“They raise the temperature
and poison the water.”