mahiwaga

“gotta grease the wheels of the economy to keep it running”
my communist sister declaimed sarcastically as she bought
that new outfit with money that she didn’t have
earned from the job that she hadn’t been offerred
the paycheck that she wasn’t given for the 4 hours of work she did each day
putting it on in full view of the banner of che guevarra
hanging on her bedroom wall

still, sunlight streams through the windowpanes
through the muck and the grime smeared upon the glass
I cast an eye out to the freeway traffic down below
yup, the machine’s still running

bought the uniform of the Establishment today
not one, but two straight-jackets
to put on so I can dance for the Man
in hilarious hopes of dancing my debt away

I admit it
I do not understand the Man
Why is it that they scream bloody murder
when we give an extra million to the teachers
and a million to the healers to help them do their work
another million to the poor and the old,
to those who cannot help themselves
even when the coffers are full, the treasury is overflowing

but when we lay mired in ruinous debt
we borrow billions upon billions
to give to the butchers, the rapists, and the thieves
call slaughter liberation
holocaust victory
and fear courage and security
say that fences lining the borders, our “land of the free”
say that those armed with AKs and 9-millimeters
facing a horde of hungry, desperate, unarmed people
“we are the home of the brave”

I am the prophet of a new religion
give thanks to the Reagan, for he is good
and the Nixon who came before him
who proclaimed “I am not a crook”
For only the wealthy are righteous
and the poor should be swept from the earth
this Bush is idiotic, but he is not consumed
And as it was to the father, so is to the son
and so in every church sanctuary, let there be a missile
to commemorate the sacrifice of Lockheed and McDonnel-Douglas
let the holy sacrament be bullets and a gun
not my body and blood but yours
he who is persecuted because he believes in the 2nd amendment be blessed

blessed are you who are mean in spirit
your kingdom shall be better than God’s
blessed are you who rejoice in massacring the weak
for the dead are not vengeful, and your sins will remain unpaid
blessed are you who are arrogant and ignorant
you shall usurp the whole earth
blessed are you who despise those who hunger and thirst
handouts are for the weak and lazy
blessed are you who show no mercy
for it is the merciful who are slaughtered,
the just who are slain
blessed are you who are purely greedy
the wheels of the economy must remain greased
blessed are the warmakers
the armsdealers, the bombmakers
the murderers and sadists
for you shall be called the sons of the Dollar
blessed are you who are persecuted because of your selfish beliefs
oh, blessed, blessed, are you

America, America, where art thou, country that I once loved?
To your shores of opportunity came my ancestors
with hope and faith that you were just and true
I remember Lady Liberty, standing alone upon that isle
“give me your tired and your poor”
embracing the huddled masses yearning to be free
I used to Dream of you, America
I used to believe
now that dream has left me
I wake to the bitter dawn
unveiling
human nature
so help me, God