Pay no mind
to the gold flecked philosophies
to the high hat hypocrisies
of their bootstrap elegy
pronouncing vice as virtue
spreading apathy to foster
fields of mice who do their bidding.
Nothing we see seems to be what it seems
when Enron robbed Ida and chortled and crumbled
the mountain we found wasn’t even a fraction
of the fraud that was lurking
virtuous kneeling in pews and on TV
Elmo grooming the children to pray
to the heavens for love and salvation
finding church in the arms and uncomplicated desires
of evil men hiding in cloth and mire
protected by god who shuffled them off
to others and others every time saying sorry
and moving on to new fields and new fosters
where no means maybe and riches are granted
the veil of proof that god favors the takers
and pays poverty wages to victims of crimes
that can only be hidden neath the feats and the fears
of all gods children
convinced the next scratcher brings heaven
while mending and tending the needs of their handlers
the virtuous lenders and miners of fortune
held up like beacons held out like sirens
but hidden and choked behind screens that strain them
and keep them aloft for all to see and touch and everything but be.
Each toiler now looking for that great scam
that will let them touch god who they claim has a plan
but what do they mean when kindness and love are held out as ideal
and the scripture of fortune is fed by greed
and love is devalued to want and to weed
developing dad 