Bankruptcy Poem by Sidi Mahtrow

'Don't Complain, If Your Mouth Is Full.'*
Once was a farmer so bold and proud
Who in the small town, stood out in the crowd.
He grew cotton and other crops most expertly
And his fame throughout, grew exponential.

Others, from as far away as Texas, came and stood with him
As he expressed need to control interest rates which were certainly grim.
The public which about food prices complained
And on the poor farmer, heaped much of the blame.
A saying was heard far and wide; not to be cruel,
'Don't complain, if your mouth is full.'
They took their tractors to the Mall in Washington
To plead for relief from the Banker’s Conundrum.

In Washington, representing the district
Was one known as a 'farmer', though he knew not how to pick.
Representative Ed Jones was above it all
As he view the disruption on the Nation’s Mall
And to his surprised one Autumn day
His very own tenant farmer filed for bankruptcy.

Such was the fate of many others like him
Who were abandoned. It was such a sin.
For you see Jimmy was in the White House then
Yet there were those who thought him a friend.
The interest on loans went to twelve, then sixteen
And the poor farmer, forced to borrow, was caught in between.

So the farmer about which we write
Was caught in just such a financial plight.
His family and friends knew not what to do,
For them, and others, solutions were few.
One day he left us all alone
The smell of nitrate, and then he was gone.