Plunder

Don't be fooled by men and women speaking
Softly, wearing suits, by hands which show
No sign of toil. Do not be distracted by
The ebb and flow of bytes and assets, by
Goods on assembly lines or shiny shelves
On shopping streets. The heart of business
And of wealth has been, and always will be,
Plunder. Seize the land and suck it dry.
Dig out its minerals and its petroleum
And leave it ruined. Fell its trees and farm
Its soil until the nutrients are gone, and, while
You're at it, take the natives captive. Make
Them work your land, and, if they die, go
Capture others. When the soil's been
Depleted, seize some more. The world's yours
To plunder, son. Make yourself the master
Of the air and ground and water, also those
Who'd hoped that some of these things
Would stay theirs.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 22 times
Written on 2020-05-12 at 19:48

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