Wednesday, February 28, 2018

day FOUR HUNDRED and FIVE

the framer

the framer
sits in the semi-dark
of his once-thriving business
wearing his USA hat
and 9/11 never forget t-shirt
he’s waiting on america
to become great again
for a renaissance in wall-hangings
or a great solar flare
in the meanwhile he’s had to sell
half his business to an insurance company
so every day a bunch of elitist swine in suits
take up space in his shop
where the prints and framed photos
of republican presidents playing poker used to be
they play their music out into the street
have set up tables for insurance information
they’ve even taken up half the marquee
above the store
it’s pretty obvious who runs the show now
but the framer
sits there as if he’s looking for lost time
he put his trust in another charlatan politician
disguised as the working man
and little by little his whole life continues to be taken away
because there’s no bailout coming for his kind
no savior in the guise of another gilded philistine courting votes
walking garbage opportunists with rhetoric and little else
it just is what it is
another dupe falling for the institution that professes to back him
another dream dashed in america
another life’s work dying like a wounded animal
i want to feel bad for the framer
but i just wish america made smarter people
real bootstrappers who didn’t fall for rhetoric
people who didn’t wear their ignorance on their chests and heads
like badges of honor
i wish that i could give the framer some business
but these days
even i won’t sink so low.

--John Grochalski
                                                           

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