PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

I was once so god damned rich
Might be hard to understand
To have anything you wish -
No matter how large or grand

For many years I did own
In the heart of Beverly Hills
The very loveliest home
With all the finest of frills

Two acres and twenty rooms
Silk sheets gold plated brooms
Maids drivers and every tool
My life was easy and very cool

Then came the financial fire
Of two thousand and eight
I lost everything but my ire
For I saw the truth too late

Endless dominos were falling
Mandelbrot’s fractal chain
With human voices calling
In choruses of deep pain

I had my share of dominos
And debt to crooked banks
So I suffered mighty throes
And to them give no thanks

The descent was immediate
The depression hard to stop
It seemed that nothing fit
And everything was locked

Irony - pair of dice in human hand
I say looking down at Beverly Hills
Earning cash - giving sexual thrills
In the back of some stranger’s van

You say it could not happen to you
You are too smart - or this or that
But if it did - what would you do
To deal with the new set of facts

Could you - would you - should you
Where - how - when and how much
Who with - what’ll you have to do
And will you ever again find luck

There are so many questions
When you are totally broke
And too many indiscretions
Before it’s all writ and spoke

I was once so god-damned rich
And now I am so damned poor
If it wasn’t for those I’d miss
I’d say - I don’t want any more

The Problem

By JFarrell

The problem: War

Why do we have war?

The big boys, the US, Britain and Russia

Sell the guns and tanks to either side in every war

The problem: Unclean drinking water

Why? The wars we enable pollute the land

But, also, we have water-purification tablets;

Why do we not give these away, free

Stop people dying through lack of safe drinking water

The problem: 30 dead in a burned out tower block;

Why? Facts (not opinion): the less fire resistant cladding was used;

Fire services did not have equipment capable of reaching the higher floors

There should start your ‘Public Enquiry’ now.

In these times of austerity it was not cost-efficient

To use the slightly more expensive cladding

Or ensure our fire services were properly equipped

Profit before people is today’s world

Profit is the be all and end all;

Profit and wealth are not the only important things.

People are important, more important.

Think on this, you rich, wealthy people…

Apartheid had to adapt to the fact of there being more black people than white people, or face revolution.

There are far more poor people - people with nothing, people with little, “hard-working, honest families” - than there are rich people.

Vive le Revolution :-)

Still Peasants

By JFarrell

John Lennon wrote “you think you’re so clever, so classless and free, but you’re still f**king peasants, as far as I can see.”

Look around,

What do you see?

Wretches, kings, heroes, villans?

Look at the marvels we have made;

Buildings that reach the clouds,

Ships that can reach the moon,

Telescopes that can see the beginning of Everything;

We even split the atom,

And today, we’re creating particles.

We think we’re so clever;

We think we better ourselves;

So, why do we still work, slave-like,

Working all hours,

Just to survive?

Making rich people wealthier,

While we strive,

Harder and harder.

My friends,

We are not classless;

Though some may have the luck to make it big,

The vast majority of us

Will still be peasants.

Ruffling a few feathers
stepping on truffle treasures,
now these earthly pleasures
are inedible
maybe spreadable 
but I’m skeptical,
is it ethical to serve
these chemicals to the herds
of people that populate this place?

Some hungry children,

Were quarrelling then,

Over a piece of bread,

Sense of pity filled my head!

I bought some food,

From a nearby store good,

And to the children I did give,

Eating the food, they began to live!

They smiled at me with dazzling eyes!

In my heart celestial peace did arise!

A lost art in words, gains a million new voices.

As a generation splits and folds and divorces.

Its parents who broke up the families of millions.

And created a single-parent driven decision.

To raise up a brand new multi-generation void of.

Fathers who work with any aim and mothers who

Care for any gain in the prosperity of their youth.

Short term gains for long term losses, a new generation.

Is killed by their losses. While Wall Street profits rise and increase.

On the backs of the slaves with broken families and no tolerance.

The corporate enterprise lobbies proliferate the special interests.

Whose wealth fails to obligate them to the

Sins they portray as okay and applicable and seemingly doable.

But the sins of the wealthy are way too expensive as they

Obliterate the families of the working poor and middle class.

Drugs, Sex and Violence, expensive sins whose effects cannot be mitigated.

Slavery to debt, and oftentimes at the hands of someone else, your neighbor, digging a pit

For you as they sin.

He was an odd man, who liked to hold his penis,
He always stayed with his aunt,
Never had a girlfriend,
And his mother used to clean for us.

Not particularly handsome,
He searched high and he searched low,
Girls liked him but they'd always say,
'You can't be holding your penis all day'.

One day he chopped it off,
And put it in a jar,
He found a girl to marry,
But their sex life never got far.

1:30 AM 5/23/2013 ©

They're going to take it all away!

everything... everything... EVERYTHING!

We tried so hard to pay to keep u---

(Trying doesn't matter I need money)

Give us an extension Mister!! Please we beg yo---

(No more extensions pay now)

Don't take our stuff away we nee-
(I run a business not a charity)

I know you run a business but please have merc---

(Are you serious? Do you have the money or not?)

No, we don't have the money but we ca---

(You can what? You're homeless what can you possibly do?)

We'll figure out something just give us some ti---

(I don't have TIME! Get out if you don't have it!)

Please sir EVERYTHING we own is there don't do thi---

(Whatever is in there is mine now. Have the money by tomorrow or else)

But pay day isn't until Frid---

(I don't care!!! If you want your stuff I want my money!)

Okay! Okay! We'll try because if we lose this we'll have

nothing..... Nothing..... NOTHING!!!

Haven't eaten for a day or... five,

nothing in the house.

during these times when I'm starving

I envy the crumbs of a mouse.

No income equals no food,

at least for a while.

Don't draw the attention of teacher's

If they offer food just smile.

Don't scarf it down or eat too slow

your stomach will start to ache.

Never ever asks for seconds!

though your mouth may start to quake.

If you find some money,

you must buy enough to share.

Don't be selfish because you know

you're not the only person starving there.

If you can, save most of your school lunch,

and bring it home to mom.

To divide between your brothers and sister

enough to fill your palms.

Don't stuff your face,
you must keep yourself neat.

Maybe if we're lucky

dad will have some candy or a treat.

But if not go to bed,

drink water to fill up your little tummy

Just think of all the food you'll have

when mommy brings home money.

But don't imagine mac & cheese

or the chicken she may be carving.

Because it only makes your stomach growl

and you're already starving....