And so returns the machine,
its slow metal grind,
its teeth too hungry to wait,
for there are coffers to fill,
coffins, too, but pay no mind,
sacrifice a percent or two
for the Republic,
tithe your blood and breath
for the common good —
for god’s sake a haircut,
and a chance to worship
your false gods once more
on the courts, the screens,
in the checkout line,
at the pulpit, praise the lord,
get down on your knees
in gratitude to the great, bloated men
who saved you with empty words,
wore down your mettle
with false science,
gave up your many
to jerk off the few —
the few who won’t ever notice
your last vassal breath
as it seeps from the machine,
the sad, foul exhaust
that clouds the skies once more.
Poem ©2020, Jen Payne. National #NaPoWriMo. National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.
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2 replies on “21 – The Logic of Greed”
Excellent!
Gave me vibes of being an insignificant cog in an otherwise bigger game. An irrational machine that functions on a medley of irrational systems all in an attempt to feed itself.
Why? Just because it can.
Very well written :)
Definitely feeling like a cog, when I watch the new anyhow. In the day to day, I have more hope than this poem appears. Thanks for stopping in!