How To Rule Poem by Thomas Ware

Ransack the ideals;
Convert the children;
Leave the room a hero;
Subvert the visions;
Most of all make compliance seem attractive,
Make the brightest futures from the putrefactive.

Enter, shoot down,
Any attempt at reason,
Pretend to be their friend;
Suggest treason;
Make it so that the standard seems revolting,
Offer alternatives, a drop from a majestic ocean.

Make sure to sympathize,
Act as if you care,
Act as if your mission,
Is to help them be aware;
Then once you enslave the mind,
Just enslave their souls,
Sneak around their backs, behind;
Recruit the corporations, no higher power than gold.

Enact the promises,
But do so much more:
The minor act of corrosion,
At their rights opens the door,
To greater ploys of welfare,
Give them comfort and repair,
Then use this as a curtain,
Triple their despair.

Start building factories around,
Until the smoke and waste abound,
Arm the cops, the people surround,
Drown out their voices with meaningless sound:
For propaganda is the greatest tool of the dictator,
Tell those who oppose you that their objections make them haters.

Trivialize the essential,
Play down their valid fears,
Have their hearts and brains under control,
To their independence sear!

And then, once you own the earth,
Activate the plots:
Destroy the earth,
Burn down the forests,
Boil the seas,
You cannot stop!

You are the only free man;
How does it feel?
Does it overcome your anger,
Does it make everything real?