Thursday, July 23, 2015

poem of the day 07.23.15

This poem was inspired by and informed by Ben Norton's great piece in Counter Punch. You can read it here


how’s the fish?

at whole foods
unions are like getting herpes
at whole foods
they’re always open on thanksgiving
whole foods cares for community
whole foods cares for animals
whole foods cares for the planet
but they sell over-priced fish and milk and cheese
made by prisoners in the colorado prison system
prisoners get $1.50 an hour to farm organic tilapia
they get sixty cents an hour for your milk and gourmet cheese
at whole foods you can have your tilapia
crispy and baked southwestern style
you can have tilapia tostadas on cinco de mayo
you can have tilapia with fennel and tomato
or do it cajun style with some broccoli and brown rice
over at whole foods they believe the stars predict the future
over at whole foods climate change is good
over at whole foods it’s conscious capitalism all the time
ask john mackey about his one-hundred million
ask steve easterbrook at mcdonald’s
about the prisoners making frozen beef patties and chicken nuggets
chit chat with a con over at sprint and verizon
have one book you an avis car or a flight on american airlines
have a starbuck’s holiday blend on the backs
of the prisoners in washington state
ask signature packing solutions how much they’re paying per hour
or go international and eat an apple with foxconn in china
in south carolina female inmates are sewing
your sexy victoria’s secret underwear
they’re sewing confederate flags
replacing sweatshop tags with “made in the u.s.a”
at wal-mart they’re clearing barcodes and reselling plastic junk
back at whole foods
they’re only selling the best organic money can buy
they’re satisfying, delighting and nourishing their customers
back at whole foods
they’re creating wealth through profit and growth
they believe that corporations are people
just like the supreme court
back at whole foods
they’re practicing advance environmental stewardship
whatever in the hell that is
they’ve got millions of recipes that they want you to try
some meat
some chicken
those cheeses and milk
at whole foods they’re cooking up the tilapia
with a roasted garlic crust
with parmesan and herbs
they’re food is low fat and gluten free
over at whole foods everything is natural
but in the end it all ends up tasting like the new jim crow.


                                                                                   

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