Hucksters

The merchants of nostalgia come. They stand
Before the throngs of old and dull, and promise
To deliver what the wretches want: a drunkard's
Vision of the past, of them as younger and untroubled,
Free of others speaking foreign languages
And kneeling down to worship heathen gods, a job
For life at decent pay down in the mines or on
The old assembly line before the line was shipped
To China, and the robots came, a time when queers
Did not exist, and women stayed at home to do
The work that they were meant to do. The merchants
Shout, “You'll have it all.” The wretches cheer.
Some queers are thrashed. Some immigrants
Are chased away, and flags are flown. All other
Things remain the same, a situation undetected
By the old and dull.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 237 times
Written on 2019-04-16 at 00:10

dott Save as a bookmark (requires login)
dott Write a comment (requires login)
dott Send as email (requires login)
dott Print text