Burn It Down
It’s one of those days
I can mouth the words about moderation in all things
Incremental change, baby steps
But from my fiery heart
That has seen so many fall
For this
This way of life I was born into
And which continues to malign dear friends and family
From my heart, up into my throat
I feel it punching to get out
And with yet another GoFundMe posted
To cover someone’s medical expenses
So they don’t die for capitalism
I speak my truth aloud:
…
BURN IT DOWN
…
Not Mao style
Do not throw the bakers and craftsmen into prison
They are not the problem
But gather the hedge fund managers
The actuaries
The pharmaceutical marketing reps
The oil executives
The prison profiteers
All the passengers of the B Ark
Take them gently from their offices
Sit them down
And explain
As one would to a child
“Remember how you were taught
Not to hit
Not to hurt others
Not to be selfish
I’m sorry someone told you
That didn’t matter when you grew up
But it does”
Give them shovels
Hammers, nails
Circuitboards
Useful things
With which to repair the world
They helped to break
The world we will build
From the ashes of the one we burn today
…
Today is not a guillotine day
Some days are
I will admit
No, this is a realignment day
A second chance day
An opportunity to prove humanity’s resilience
And adaptability
No revenge
No animus
But no more greed
No more blessings on the glory of taking
Of hoarding wealth
Beyond what any human could spend in a lifetime
No more billionaires
No more of the corporate machines they build
To extract the life essence, shelter and security
Of the weak and unfortunate
No more Gordon Gekkos
No more shark tanks
This demonic alchemy
Which converts nature into gold
Ends today
…
BURN IT DOWN
…
Our foundations are rotten
We cannot shore them up
With paler imitations
We must dismantle the edifice
And build it up again
…
But you say
The Milton Friedmans and Ayn Rands
Said the same thing
And they won
Look where it has gotten us
However
They won long ago
When the first slave ships crossed the ocean
When the monied white classes alone held the votes
The will to power
Has always been
And, I worry
Always will be
And so, perhaps
I am misguided
In my belief that we can build a better world
…
Except
My grandmother
Lived out a century
The latter part paid for
By Social Security
And Medicare
The elders in her youth
Had the poor house
Change is possible
If we can keep it
…
Tear down the generators of soulless chits
The levers pulled by invisible hands
In the dark Satanic mills
That wring profit from the bones of the poor
Let all tributes to Mammon
Cease forthwith
And let us work together
For us all
…
BURN IT DOWN
…
Before it collapses under our ponderous weight