The City That Lost Its Soul Poem by Denis Martindale

I used to blame the Government
For things when they went wrong,
For spending money Heaven-sent
God meant to make it strong...
Yet passing time enlightened me,
To tricks I never knew,
To parties that were fancy free,
Just for the chosen few...

And golden handshakes just for some,
When taxes were increased,
As if that were the rule of thumb,
The nature of the beast...
But then I saw the City die,
The homeless still despised,
While righteous souls were asking why,
The truth I realised...

I saw the point of no return,
Inflation damned us all,
Mathematic skills the last to learn,
Meant fools like us must fall...
Yet every nation faced the same,
Despair lived in each soul,
Such that each one must bear the blame
When we lost self-control...

When prices rose, we tightened belts,
The City understood,
Yet even then, our money melts
In every neighbourhood...
Our money doesn't go as far,
That's why the cuts are made
And pretty soon, the weak they bar,
The strong no longer aid...

So look around, with open eyes,
Just look at what they've done,
They've cut each soul right down to size,
Yes, every single one...
That's why your soul's now not as bright,
As once it used to be...
You see, outside it's dark as night,
Through sin's audacity...


Denis Martindale, copyright, July 2013.