RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS
Confronting
China (Confronting Us) *
No one wants a war with China
SO YOU WANT A WAR?
But we must stand for democracy
YOUR DEMOCRACY IS A JOKE
Your actions in Hong Kong alone
STAY OUT OF OUR BACK YARD
Are an affront to human dignity
STAY HIGH AND HAVE A COKE
Of course we want to get along
WE HAVE GIVEN YOU OUR FRIENDSHIP
With all nations weak and strong
YET YOU RESENT OUR STRENGTH
But our best allies cannot be
WE HAVE GIVEN YOU RESPECT
Authoritarian autocracies
BUT IT HAS REACHED ITS LENGTH
Mass incarceration denial of rights
SUPPRESSION OF MASS PROTEST
We must be adversaries in this fight
YOU DENY YOUR OWN
We must oppose oppressive laws
YOUR FREEDOMS ARE SHRINKING
For we support the people’s cause
OUR FREEDOMS HAVE GROWN
Free trade came at too great a cost
OPEN TRADE BENEFITS ALL
Corporations won but workers lost
CORPORATIONS MADE A KILLING
You make your profits on the backs of labor
CONSUMERS GOT CHEAP GOODS
You have not been a good global neighbor
CEO’S FOUND IT THRILLING
This crooked game has gone too long
WHY CHANGE WHEN ALL IS WELL?
The time has come to end this wrong
WHY STOP WHEN BEFORE ITS DONE?
For while we have our share of blame
THE PARTY IS GETTING STARTED
Your barbaric crimes put ours to shame
THE GAIN IS ZERO SUM
* The multi-voice poem is an innovation by poet Jack Foley
No comments:
Post a Comment