They Say, I Ask

This was one of the poems I performed at the Mercury Cafe as a featured poet on July 31st. The name of the poem is in the title of this blog.

They say

Work hard, come early, stay late

They say

Put a little away in case of a rainy day and take advantage of your company 401k

They say

Buy American, forgo the foreign auto

They say

Pay a 10% tithe of your earnings and receive your blessing 10-fold

They say

Marry her for love, money's not everything

I ask

Why doesn't this protect me from massive layoffs?

I ask

How can I be sure that I'll still have my money if Citibank goes belly up while my face is down?

I ask

Why doesn't GM make a car that we want instead of the Chevy Volt?

I ask

How come the church pastor doesn't pay tithes yet gets to drive a Cadillac to his palace which is made of gold while his tithing members can't keep their lights on in their house in the ghetto?

I ask

If marrying for love works so well, then how come over half the country's filing for divorce?

I say

Live life on your own terms, because if you listen to what they say, and it don't work; oh well, they say you're a jackass for listening to them anyway.

© Copyright 2009
Glenn Gamble
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