112. Another Revolution

The man on the hill,

The man in economic mountains,

The man on the street,

Became bitter enemies

A new revolution

Spreading throughout the world

Occupying the nation

As people protested against failing government and corruption.

Greece tumbled

From economic prosperity,

The Union of Europe

Scrambled to their aid.

Arabs had their spring.

The Middle East erupted with fire

To deal with their bullying dictators.

The Spring turned to Fall

Then Winter

Back to spring.

Iran threatened Israel

Promising possible nuclear annihilation.

As the world continued to burn and change

America looked over the rift of a new election.

Politicians preached their promises to people

Saying they will change.

People went “Psh”

As they play their iPhony games

Being sucked into a Facebook reality.

The election’s rift

Is where the future will be.

No change from said politicians

Nothing from violence and bloodshed.

Slavery on the chocolate Ivory Coast

While men kill and kidnap in Africa.

Nothing new.

Everything’s the same

At least the technology’s shiny.

At least a retweet showed you care.

92. Industrialization

O Man!
What troubles have you brought upon yourself?
With your machines that spew black smoke?
You have broken from nature.
You have broken from the past.
Listen!
Can you hear the powerful sounds of the locomotive
Swiftly crossing the river?
No longer can you go back to simpler times.
This is progress you say.
Progress to what?
We have new medicines
With technologies to get things done
Quickly and efficiently.
Now we have time to ponder the mysteries of the universe.
At what cost?
Coal soot blackens the sky and trees.
The peppered moth had to change its clothes for you.
Classes separate.
Those at the bottom are miserable
While they work and toil in the mines and factories.
Those at the top happily counting the money
That they earned on the backs of the poor.
All services for the poor are work.
Children work.
Women work.
Men work.
All in dangerous conditions.
What is the loss of a hand to you, factory owner?
What is the loss of a life?
Just a machine part to replace.
They are expendable.
Just a new fabric dye for your textiles.
People see that their clothes are dyed in blood.
People see the mummified corpses used for paint.
Yet many ignore it.
But the writers
They are watching.
They know what’s happening.
They cry tears of black ink onto their pages
Marx and Engels
Wrote about change in government
They spoke of economics.
Dickens wrote of social change.
Browning wrote of the children’s cry.
Darwin wrote of evolving.
Some dismissed it trying to fight against that so-called religious abomination.
Others accepted it.
Some to an extreme.
“If they can’t find a way to live,” the rich man said,
“Then they deserve to die!”
Decrease the surplus population.
Right Mr. Scrooge?