First they took away the all money
\npoured it into the government trough
\nand they fed the war in Afganistan
\nbut still that wasn’t enough<\/p>\n
so they crucified the artists
\nand they stood around and laughed
\nand they fed their blood to the Taliban
\nto fatten up the golden calf<\/p>\n
Let them work for a living
\nthey yelled as they played itunes
\nand the sand crept into the alphabet
\nand they howled at the rising moon<\/p>\n
Next they canceled the arts in all the schools
\nand art disappeared from the malls
\nno theatre, sculpture, films, no books
\nand nothing on the boardroom walls<\/p>\n
They imported a bit from China
\nlike they brought in everything else
\nand the only dance was done without pants
\nin bars on the edge of Hell<\/p>\n
Let them work for a living
\nthey yelled as they played itunes
\nand the sand crept into the alphabet
\nas they howled at the rising moon<\/p>\n
The rehearsal halls were empty
\nthe theatres silent too
\nno dancers sweated all day for a chance
\nto sweat all evening too<\/p>\n
The blues musicians were sent to camps
\nand so were the writers and their pencils
\nsoon the only words were spoken by birds
\nor sprayed on walls through stencils<\/p>\n
Let them work for a living
\nthey yelled as they played itunes
\nand the sand crept into the alphabet
\nand they howled at the rising moon<\/p>\n
Then the kids rebelled ’cause the schools were Hell
\nwithout some art and music
\nbut some expert said they should eat brown bread
\nand adamantly refused it<\/p>\n
and day by day the world grew gray
\nand the streets grew still too soon
\nand the sand crept into the alphabet
\nas they howled at the rising moon<\/p>\n
So now we work for a living
\nand we’re grimmer and deader and soon
\nall that sand will swallow the alphabet
\nas we howl at the rising moon<\/p>\n
and the sand will swallow the alphabet
\nas we howl at the rising moon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The poem takes on the growing political will to abandon the arts. And it rhymes! Is this a song? an anthem? #903 Continue reading