Rampant inflation chokes
the life out of purse strings and
auras
Conglomerated mass media
infiltrates our psyches
with images of celebrity, fashion
and click-bait news
Healthcare reform is stymied
by those with agendas of deepening
their pockets further
Musicians don’t “play it live” anymore
and are instead synced to pre-recorded tracks
There are attacks in third world nations,
There are backdoor deals codified by costly
handshake agreements
A gallon of milk costs $7
A hot-dog eating champion gets his own
Netflix special

Is this the American dream our founding fathers fashioned?
Where known criminals and adamant liars can still become POTUS?
Where being as shady as coal can be cause for celebration?

We lag behind other nations in reading, writing and math
Kids suffer, teachers are fraught with bureaucratic red-tape
that has learning anguish
We are a heartbeat away from global catastrophe
Dysmorphia sets in, Devil’s din

Hope lies in arts and crafts
By transmuting these adverse events
into anthemic proclamation to reverse devastation
Lilting songbird serenades
Painters and poets prophesize
All we can do is cope

____

Douglas G. Cala is a spoken word performance poet, writer, multimedia/IT specialist and recording artist from New York. He has been published in anthologies and magazines both nationally and internationally. When not writing and reciting, he works full time for NYC Public Schools’ Division of Instructional Information Technology as a IT Consultant & Desktop Publisher. You can find more about him by visiting his Poets & Writers directory profile.