Thursday, July 29, 2010

Let Their Children's Children Decide



let your children's children's children decide who was now right or dead wrong -
should they ever be born and learn to read, should they even grow up

ask them what it is like in the land that we carved up from coast to rich coast
get their opinion on our furiously confusing petroleum-powered lifestyle

poll them about what we did when all the fish were gone or poisoned
listen to what they say of the animals they know of only in books and zoos

discuss with them the agricultural contamination they congenitally inherited
talk about toxic landfills also filled with half eaten foods and tons of recyclables

question them over paying off your credit card by refinancing your home
prompt them about ignoring the increasingly hot, dry and windy weather

feel them out about the green revolution and the value of large human numbers
probe them concerning their legacy from the turn of the 21st Century

listen to their bewilderment regarding our runaway military spending
ask them which are the lands of the free and where the brave actually lived

have them detail consumerism's contribution to our legacy for humanity
have them name one media event that millions of you sat haplessly glued to every week

get them to list out the issues we knew and ignored which now plague them every day
let them judge us only on our actions, should they suspect our motives

determine if they find us quaint but levelheaded or foolish and short-sighted
find out if they still emphasize expensive form over boring substance

ask them about the wisdom of our nationalistic intolerance
get their opinion about the cheap fast foods that we grazed upon into a proud obesity

poll them about our exterminating the smiling chimps and the quiet orangs
listen to what they say about the birds they can only hear now in old recordings

discuss with them the toxic runoff our pavements dumped into their channelized rivers
talk about the plastic litter we casually tossed that they still find everywhere they go

question them over the wisdom of leasing a new gas-guzzler every second year
prompt them about ignoring the heavy metals & coal-fired mercury in a mother seals milk

feel them out about our policy of righteous and reactionary, preemptive exceptionism
probe their feelings about what we did for so long to the cows, pigs and chickens

listen to their questions about how corporations took over the government
ask them to name the countries that they can actually admire from our times

get them to list all the ways our political religious right has blessed their lives
have them name a scientist and one corporate leader that lived among us

have them list out the benefits of an ever-increasing world population
let them judge us by our legacies should they have forgotten our empty rhetoric

determine if they still feel that abortion really is an overriding and very public issue
find out if they think we left them a chance to have at least what we had

ask them what those we called conservatives actually preserved for them
get their opinion on the affects of global aquaculture methodology

poll them about the brains of cetaceans and our killing them in the name of canned tuna
listen to what they have experienced with regard to the climate change we scoffed so hard

discuss with them the state of the lands left to them by our conglomerate farming
talk to them about the wisdom of subsidizing the export of our manufacturing

question them on the enduring vision of real estate salesmen and land developers
prompt them about the consequences of ignoring where your food is coming from

feel them out regarding what decisions god should make in a proper government
probe their feelings about which creatures actually possess real souls

listen to their questions about the ratio of paid lobbyists to politicians
ask them why we always spent more on dEfense than all the others put together

get them to list all the benefits of putting a plastic flag decal on an imported car
have them name some old multinationals that inspire their admiration

have them list out the benefits of corporate medicine over family doctors
maybe they can judge our actions not on what remains but by our perceived benefits

determine if they feel that we just stood by as millions died of non-profitable diseases
find out what they hold in honor and see if we used it in our marketing

let any surviving children decide and whoever writes the history be our judges
for we are not about to be stopped in this, our own righteous pursuit of individual happiness

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