The Ballad of Trickledown

"Greed is great." economists say,
"Demand creates employment.
Ignore warped personalities.
More goods mean more enjoyment.

If some get rich while others starve,
that's natural selection.
The wealth will trickle down at last.
There's no need for dejection."

But when the buckets of the rich
get near to overflowing,
they buy some bigger ones instead
to stop enrichment slowing.

Or if they find their buckets leak
and some wealth is escaping,
they very soon find ways to stop
both hole and poor folk gaping.

So should we wait for Trickledown
to quench our thirst by sipping
the meagre damp refreshment gained
from taps yet barely dripping ?

The wealth in rich folks' swimming pools
reserved for private pleasure
could fill a public reservoir
for everybody's leisure.

But never yet in history
through all the different ages
have rich folk voluntarily
let go their wealth in stages

since, even when some sympathise
with poor folk or when some flirt
with socialism, they can't bear
to give up any comfort.

So should there be an armed revolt
to take what won't be given,
a rising tide of anger showing
the lengths to which we're driven ?

For what if waves of violence
should wash away foundations
and undermine the dominance
of privileged expectations ?

Would those who've suffered poverty
before achieving power
be keener on equality
or, like the others, shower

on family and friends the gifts
from wealth they have no right to,
corruption proving more tempting
than public good they might do.


With greed ingrained in most men's souls
we ought to be addressing
health before wealth, need before greed,
not giving greed our blessing.