Delousing Time
So Christmas
comes – and brings, to some, relief.
When schools
are closed, the teachers then can sleep,
And so
indeed can students – quite a few,
Who stayed
up nights on all the items due.
And workers,
where there’s simply Christmas, might
Enjoy,
perhaps, a bit more rest at night.
But sadly, Commerce
rules. As Christmas comes,
Along with
carols, hark – the sound of drums!
They’re
calling out to shoppers – “Come and buy!
Consume,
consume – and never question why!”
And so you'll
see the parents, haggard, seek
For gizmos. Shopping’s not for those who’re weak.
Thanksgiving,
once, was a holiday from jobs,
Except for
those who cooked for their nabobs.
But now, we
see the stores are open wide.
And at their
gates – beware, the human tide!
And so with
Christmas. As the solstice nears
And passes,
we’re besieged with nibbling fears.
So Christmas
too becomes a time for worry.
The ones who
profit never say they’re sorry.
But still,
we’re happy, those who teach at schools,
Who’re
treated, through their working lives, like fools.
A week or
more to rest, to clean the house,
Do catch-up work
and also – to delouse…
For though
our schools have long been human mills,
They test
yet more our patience, souls and wills.
And infestations
grow within our minds,
Whose
purging now proceeds, as each unwinds.
So Christmas
is delousing time for us,
When teachers
breathe – and in their instincts trust.
And then,
till June, we’ll labor. Lice will breed –
And on our
souls, till summer, bite and feed.
Whoever
engineered this servitude,
Should now
be blessed with true beatitude.
Let Bloombergs
grow yet richer, every day.
“We’ll work
yet harder!” grateful workers say.
We labor for our students, yet we ask,
Who profits most from every thankless task?
Our students – or the ones who want them herded?
I'll whisper now... So tell me, if you heard it.
;-)
We labor for our students, yet we ask,
Who profits most from every thankless task?
Our students – or the ones who want them herded?
I'll whisper now... So tell me, if you heard it.
;-)
2013 December 20th, Friday
Brooklyn, New York
Comments are welcome. Please see below.
Another fantastic poem. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays! with appreciation,
Ellen Ruth Topol
Thanks, Ellen Ruth Topol, for reading "Delousing Time" and for your kind comment.
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