There was a time
when we were a great city
I remember
but now we teeter on the brink
of sliding into the crowded
ranks of all the other cities
who were great once, too
not every city has their time in the sun
some do but it never seems to last
as the ebb and flow of fools and bullies
measure the tides of history
Our shining city
has become infested
its foundations destroyed
in order to feed the Queen and her King
and their voracious appetites
so the question is
will we be in time to save it
You can hear the chant
Feed the Queen
feed the King
A bad comb-over
short appendages
and a protruding stomach
he is the Orange King
his attendants laugh
as they gather round
feeding him his diet of
cheeseburgers and bullshit
keeping him full and confused
and compliant
willing to do their work
he is a useful idiot
addicted to public adoration
cowardly and full of bluster
he believes in nothing
except the Green Queen
and of course flattery
Feed the Queen
feed the King
And the Queen
so much smarter
plays his minions as they play him
from behind the curtains
she sings Siren songs
of purity and power
of sacrifice and commitment
and of the importance of loyalty
she seduces with tunes
of promises delayed
of wealth if only
and of the duty to work
and sacrifice
and tithe
Feed the Queen
feed the King
And so we wait and watch
and wonder when this assault
this infestation will subside
as all infestations must
either by killing the host
or depleting its resources
will there be enough left to rebuild
or will it crumble into dust
and darkness
a city of ramshackle houses
of mud huts
a city that is no more
that once was
a city that might have been
if only
Feed the Queen
feed the King
Marv Himmel
January 25, 2018 ©