To Pay My Way Poem by Tom Courtney

The Ides of March are nigh upon us
Earthquakes come to tremble on us
Floods and droughts all have their day
And alternate in disarray

Crowded urban centers find us
Collisions, traffic jams all bind us
Into modern day turmoil
The kettles burn the pot’s a’ boil

Tempers flare and nerves are frayed
Oaths are said and words are prayed
Save us from vicissitude
Spare us this short interlude

Upon this planet, time we spend
Just give us peace and let us mend
Man and woman, priest and child
Proclaim the chaos, find life defiled

And was there ever once a day
When sweet wines flowed like Beaujolais?
When gentle streams ran to the sea
When we had time for you and me?

The harried pace of modern life
Is close to madness, full of strife
And will we live to see a time
When we’re complacent composing rhyme?
Away from TV- video
Without the late late late late show?

The pace of life is faster now
We question which and what and how
We're racing quicker to and fro
And barely know which way we go

The icing on our cake is sweet
But factories make this chemical treat
We indulge ourselves in luxury
We barely need how can this be?

We work and sweat and strain for leisure
And find that life is hardly easier
What progress are we making now?
We’ll soon have milk without the cow

Gadgets designed to ease the task
Pile up unused one needn't ask
We cannot shop without coupons
We have no hams without Poupons

I say I cannot keep the pace
I’m tempted to dropp from the race
But I have bills and notes to pay
And mouths to feed without delay

I work to buy the car I drive
The car I need to stay alive
It takes me to my work each day
So I can live to pay my way