Not the Same at All

Who's got dirty fingernails? Isn't that what
Decides these things? The well-dressed folks
Who sell you liquor, they're just fine. The checks
They write to buy your leaders are “free speech,”
The courts have said. The men with guns who
Guard the liquor sellers' properties wear uniforms.
Each has a badge. They are police. We like them
Near, and smiling bankers who receive
The money made from liquor sales are hailed
As model citizens. The fingernails of all of these
Who serve our needs and sustain markets, we can
See, are very clean...But those of those who sell
Us cocaine aren't. Such folks are criminals.
The checks they write to politicians are illegal.
They are bribes. The men with guns who guard
Cocaine are gangsters to be locked away,
And bankers who receive the proceeds from
The sales of that foul drug are fined for money
Laundering. One industry is good for all.
The other threatens everything. At first glance,
You may see no difference. Check the fingernails.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 31 times
Written on 2020-02-03 at 15:15

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