Poema: 'A political critique'

"A life of beliefs fake like American democracy

And morals look nice like religious hypocrisy.

Donate money for free and call it humanity.

Tax the old and the poor and call it liberty.

Slaughter women and children and call it strategy.

hide the drugs, slugs on the street, thugs who compete

In jungles of concrete - and call it stability.

Give yourself a raise and call it job security.

Export weapons for cheap, the A-bombs we keep,

"Sleep my children" - and call it morality.

Preach with a bumper sticker and call it loyalty.

Confide in talking heads and call it philosophy.

Let them stand in the back of the bus,

Gas the rebellious, feed the prosperous - and call it equality.

Exterminate our forests and call it practicality

When in actuality

It's insanity.

Unemploy your people and call it economy.

Fill the air with smog from factories that clog

Our coasts to roast our most wondrous resource and

Call it maturity, efficiency, ability, industry:

How 'bout absurdity?

So if you tell me we're okay now - I'll call it a lie.

But if you tell me we can change, I'd say, let's give it a try."

Brian P., Huntingtown, MD

http://www.teenink.com/ [revista de literatura jovem]