Deadly Ignorance

Harper thinks the arts
are practised by rich farts
who drive in limousines
to galas most obscene.

He doesn’t realize
the arts are little guys
and girls of every station
who work across this nation

at jobs for minimum wage
to put their art on stage.
They practice, draft, revise,
compose, rehearse, devise,

and live a life devoid
of things the rich enjoy
just so they can say
“I’m better at this today.”

Know these are the ones you’ve stunned
by cutting off arts funds:
and you should really note
we are cutting off your vote

not just because you’ve screwed us—
for that is merely human—
screw us and you screw our country
and for that we are unforgiving.

About riverwriter

Poet, playwright, duplicate bridge player, website designer, cottager, husband, father, grandfather, former athlete, carpenter, computer helper for my friends, theatre designer, backstage polymath, retired teacher of highschool English, drama, art, a baritone singer in a barbershop quartet, who knows what else? wordcurrents is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wordcurrents/ Doug also has a Facebook page, "Incognitio", related to his novels.
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3 Responses to Deadly Ignorance

  1. George says:

    now Arctic methane’s farting
    World stock bubbles burst
    The Arts have current, well beyond
    This Steven Harper curse

    Currency
    is what we see
    But Current
    is learnt

    • stephanie says:

      I am so astonished by Harper’s comment I am somewhat devoid of words, and definitely unable to make them that expressive and clever, Poppa and George. But I feel like my heart is bursting just a little (and perhaps tentatively) that Harper’s ignorance and blundering doltism might just fire up disimpowered and often slumbering (depression over their low wages and lack of opportunities?) artists, and creative people in Canada, enough to actually rally them to the cause and give them a voice.

      Ok not so devoid of words: just getting fired up!

      • George says:

        I guess I could take a stroll down the canal over to Parliament with a megaphone and a sax and….err maybe just a megaphone
        – after all I wanna be heard, not signed.

        I’ll also bring a little Harper puppet so people can see the strings.

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