The Economy Poem by Brian Taylor

is a Hose.

The Government collects water from the people
pours it into the top of the hose
to give it back to the people.

Near the top of the hose; a hole.
See! water leaks out here
into a tank marked Government
(which is always empty) .

The rest flows down towards the people.

It leaks through other holes:
Government Agencies
Government buildings
Government contingencies
Government perks.

There are also holes for
Lawyers
Accountants
Criminals.
(The Government is always trying
to block these three) .

Finally, what is left of the water
reaches the people at the end of the hose.

The people fight over it
(it is never enough) .

When they get thirsty they start
to throw stones at the government
and threaten to sack them.
The government then, reluctantly,
pours more water into the top of the hose
(which they get from the people) .

Finally, when the people are very thirsty,
under the leadership of the
Lawyers
Accountants
and other Criminals,
they attack the tank marked Government
and break it open.
(It is always empty) .

Many of the people die,
(except for Lawyers, Accountants
and other Criminals.)

The Survivors go off and dig a new well;
drink as much as they are able,
as quickly as they can,
and wait for a new Government to find them.