Don’t come cap in hand with your right-wing agenda,
your mouth is an organ, a vile pretender
to intelligent, thoughtful, democratic ways,
you spew forth your sound-bites, earn thoughtless praise
from a populous dulled by consumption and greed,
mesmerised by the box in the corner that feeds
them with ‘news’ that is passing for real information –
celebrity gossip, face transformation,
lose weight in days from your vast corner couch,
buy clothes, shoes and skincare, perfect your pout,
get two point four children and a four by four car,
ferry them everywhere, see the world from afar
through the screen of an iPad (other brands will suffice),
you can’t let them outside, but will never think twice
about letting them surf the wide world late at night
just as long as your kitchen and garden are right,
because the neighbours are watching, your community cares
if your house lets the side down, and you’re caught unawares
by a marginal rise in the next lending rate –
you must make those payments, you cannot be late,
there’s the store cards, the credit cards, your salary’s too low,
there’s no extra income, watch your hard-earned all go
on taxes as immigrants flood across all our borders,
they sit with their hands out, it’s so out of order –
or they work for nothing, or much less than you’re worth,
but –
is that the true picture, are you blaming them first
before looking in the mirror, and believing the lies –
it’s easier to lash out, to turn a blind eye
to a broken down system that allows hate to be dressed
in a suit and a tie and a smile that at best
is trapped on the lips, gets no further beyond,
who’s to blame if, not thinking, you vote for them wrongly
believing that everything will be better, ever after –
nothing sounds quite so hollow as victorious laughter.
Friendly Fire
——
Freya Writes... 