Lifelines And Jackpots Poem by Mustafa Marconi

He asked me if I believed him
If I would join him in his cause
If I could somehow find it inside of me
To put aside my personal reservations
And attach my hopes to his wagons
He asked me if I would join his revolution
If I would unite with him and embrace his vision
Of a better America, of a better tomorrow
Leading this world into great new day
He asked me to be patient
To concede that change comes with tremendous sacrifice
As the largest and most influential vertebrates of capitalism
Eagerly accept lifelines that are not offered to the common man
As the rolls of the unemployed mushrooms and swells
The top five percent divvy the spoils
Trapped in a recession while prices are rising
And projections for our future are disheartening and dim
He asked me to blindly support him
To caulk up his weaknesses and indifference to “politics as usual”
To comfort my children as our cupboards lie empty
With pictures of him sitting beside Martin Luther King
He asked me to understand this from his perspective
To have faith in his ability to show us the way
To hold on to the promises despite the contradictions
Trusting that time alone will ease our collective suffering
Extending privileges to the true enemies of freedom and liberty
Under the false pretense that their success will lead to a recovery
Despite the evidence that unambiguously disputes
The effectiveness of trickledown economics
He ask me to not to acknowledge
That he succeeded a mass murderer and a liar, as the President of the United States
Enthusiastically extending many of his undemocratic and illegal policies
To my left and to my right
I am forced to hear his praises
By loyal and proud constituents
That just cannot see past the color of his skin
The arrogance and absurdity of my compatriots
To regard an American event
As an universal historical occurrence
As if he was the first son of Africa
To lead a sovereign nation
The arrogance and absurdity of my compatriots
To ask me to grant him a pass
To prop him upon a pedestal
To blindly tender my complete and uncompromising support
Just because of the color of his skin
So I am lambasted for my critique of his tenure as President
Accused of just being a hater, trying to bring another Blackman down
Despite the fact that he has not lived up to his promises
Despite the fact that he has acquiesced to the “Right” over and over
Despite the fact that the middle class is being exterminated
As the divide between the wealthy and the poor increases every day
And despite the fact that there is nothing inside of my American experience
That he could even remotely identify with
He asked me if I would believed in him
If I would donate my limited time and resources
If I could somehow find it inside of me
To put aside my personal reservations
And attach my hopes to catchy slogans and patriotic rhetoric
He asked me if I would join his revolution
If I would unite with him to continue to take from the masses
And give all of this country’s wealth to the rich and powerful
He asked me to dream with him
To dream of a better America, of a better tomorrow
Leading this world into collision course with global catastrophe
A world wide recession
War, hunger, and genocide
He asked me to be patient
To concede that higher dividends comes with tremendous sacrifice
As the largest and most influential vertebrates of capitalism
Eagerly accept lifelines and jackpots that are not offered to the common man
As the rolls of the impoverished mushrooms and swells
The top five percent divvy the spoils