Emperors and Scarecrows
Food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters —
Who would have believed, here in the land of abundance,
That our seven years of feast would give way to seven of famine,
That manna would cease falling from heaven,
And that we'd be feeding off the generosity of beggars
We beg donate, to us, a portion of their precarious stores?
Now, it's America's turn to suffer the stark reality
That destitution can't be bribed, lobbied, wished out of existence,
With a few flicks of a split-tongue spitting political gibberish.
Starvation is, indeed, immediate, too perniciously visceral
Not to be heeded with extreme urgency;
Otherwise, the body withers, dies, decomposes.
So has it always been.
Individuals, nations, civilizations wax fat and wane fast,
Go from obese emperors to spindly scarecrows.
11/07/08 - (1)
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