A poem I wrote in December of '11.
*
* *
Once Upon a Recession
There
was an old lady who lived in a shoe
Slung
over a telephone wire
With
all her expenses and bills overdue,
She
could not afford to retire.
Her
dear friend Peter Pumpkineater
Had
a wife and couldn't feed her.
Residing
in a pumpkin shell,
They
knew their home would never sell.
Old
Mother Hubbard lived down the street
Disabled,
she dwelled all alone
Her
kitchen cupboard held nothing to eat
And
no one would throw her a bone.
In
this mass Plutocracy
They
had such meager means
Because
the aristocracy
Spent
gold on magic beans.
The
king did teeter dangerously
Atop
a great stone wall
He'd
built a castle in the sky
So
it was doomed to fall.
All
the king's horses and all the king's men
Could
not put the economy together again
But
Peter, Peter Pumpkineater
The
lady in the shoe
And
Old Mother Hubbard
Knew
exactly what to do.
Apart,
they each were small enough
To
live in boots or shells
But
then they all united
And
stormed the citadels.
They
occupied the castles
They
occupied the gates
The
guards all tried to stop them
But
it was far too late.
Millions
had joined them
Reaching
fever pitch
Demanding
fairer wages
And
taxes for the rich.
It
was no easy trial
They
had to persevere
The
process took a while
They
did not yield to fear.
After
strife and labor
They
won their due reward
Each
man and his neighbor
Had
lives they could afford.
Peter
and his lovely wife
Moved
from their pumpkin shell
To
an urban condo
Where
they fared quite well.
The
little old lady who lived in a shoe
Finally
retired.
And
Old Mother Hubbard filled up her cupboard
With
all the food she desired.
So
if you think you're much too small
To
have your rights upheld
Remember
those who changed the world
Stood
up
And rebelled.
And rebelled.
