POOREST CHORUS By Tom Jensen
The brutal honesty
of this fun house - mirrored
fishbowl world in which
we all live inside
Is that a man's soul
Will either with him
gently die
or watch him
lay helpless as he is
economically crucified
This is not just
mere opinion
But a simple fact
That we can no
longer push aside:
I've been watching
the Walmartization
of these United States...
Which is tied directly
to the exploitation of
our country's citizens
by big magnates
Where the more get more
and the poor get less
As every mom and pop store
is forced to liquidate
I've been watching
the Walmartization
of these United States...
Seen values and morals
and a sense of duty
to country
slowly disintegrate
Over the last sixty years
faces on the street
Have become overrun
by utter indifference
if not hate
I've been watching
the Walmartization of
these United States...
People getting hosed
but not being
able to take a bath
In Katrina's aftermath
And its our own
government
that has yet to
close the floodgates
But there's more to it
than court rulings
It's what large bills
get passed
On the house floor
to the Senate
I've been watching the
Walmartization
of these United States...
I've seen kids having kids
Who're functionally illiterate
Little ones walking
hand in hand
With the falling prices
of real estate
I've been watching
the Walmartization
of these United States...
I've seen people drown
In a pool of knowledge
Because the water
turned stagnant
As our world has
become all carved up
and fractionated
I've been watching
the Walmartization
of these United States...
As funding for education
gets bled so badly
it needs a turnicate
Yet it's never seemed to be
a major issue for debate
Brought up by any
presidential candidate
I've been watching
the Walmartization
of these dividing states...
Hoping for a
reversal of trends
But how much longer
will we have to wait?
It's an unfortunate story
But one that somebody
had to narrate