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Readers: I realize that I'm not a poet, but I try.  And it feels good to let go. L. Landes

 

A Poem for the Planet  - The American Way

 

by Lynn Landes 4/22/04

 

cleaning with contaminants

eating poisoned food

fluoride in our water

explains our nasty mood

 

racing for the cure

but running from the cause

the games people play
don't let facts get in the way

 

educated to be ignorant

medicated to be sick

it's public policy in America

a tragedy, a trick

 

forged news we're given

false choices to make

we vote on machines

democracy's a fake

 

brainwash the children

with pledges of loyalty

as the rich become

our modern day royalty

 

The American Way

it's upside down

as protesters march

led by puppets and clowns

 

some wear white

in abject surrender

abandoning the battlefield

before justice is tendered 

 

America is special

Bush says with a grin

the rules don't apply

we fight, we win

 

but reality is a sobering thing

we're Rome all over again

not built in a day

but burning just the same

 

one day soon the oil will be gone

as the earth grinds on without lubrication

will the wobble increase?
will the planet cease?

 

let's hope time runs out

on the American Way

where money is king
king... every... day
 

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Lynn Landes is one of the nation's leading freelance journalists on voting technology and democracy issues. She also writes about the environment. Readers can find her articles at EcoTalk.org. Lynn is a former news reporter for DUTV and commentator for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Contact info:  lynnlandes@earthlink.net / (215) 629-3553