The Windsors

Prince Harry's coming clean; he's quit the cult
that killed his mother and besmirched her name.
The Family's got no place for an adult
who can't be leashed with wealth, nor gagged with shame.
The Palace Press retorts with candy floss;
watch George and Charlotte chew the moppet roles!
Let peasants, grieving for the late Queen's loss
take comfort thinking someone's in control.
The Tories deem this contretemps a hoot!
distracting shoppers from their BREXIT mire.
As PM after PM gets the boot,
the cost of living's mounting ever higher.
While France dispensed with monarchs long ago,
most Brits still tune in to this stupid show.

Two wings, one bird

The Sanders faithful pencil in his name
disdaining any hint of compromise.
Where major parties look too much the same,
they're not endorsing either of these guys.
Two parties serving Bankers' venal dreams
are unresponsive to the People's voice.
So faithful to the Few who wield the means
the ballot lists both names, but no real choice.
Duoarchy simplifies a complex space;
most issues tacitly go unaddressed.
Few voters find a champion in this race
who'll advocate the course they're sure is best.
That "nothing's gonna change", as Biden's preached
portends democracy's beyond our reach.

Meet the new boss II

Joe's handlers would prefer he not campaign;
a scripted coronation's more his style.
So many Senate votes he can't explain
he's got no policy--but sure can smile!
Jay Inslee offered reasoned policy
but voters never warmed up to this man
beholden to no fossil industry.
Liz Warren's well-equipped; and brings a plan!
But donors like the status quo just fine.
And innovation just gives them the trots.
what's yours is mine, they know, and "mine is mine".
And too few voters can connect the dots.
In retrospect, one shouldn't find it strange
the few who wield real power, balk at CHANGE.

meet the new boss...

Joe Biden'd really rather not campaign;
a scripted coronation's more his style.
So many Senate votes he can't explain
he's got no policy--but sure can smile!
Jay Inslee offered reasoned policy
but voters never warmed up to this man
beholden to no fossil industry.
Liz Warren's well-equipped; and brings a plan!
But donors like the status quo just fine.
And innovation just gives them the trots.
what's yours is mine, they know, and "mine is mine".
And too few voters can connect the dots.
In retrospect, one shouldn't find it strange
the few who wield real power, balk at CHANGE.

infighting

Mike Bloomberg's staked a claim in Biden's lane
on old McCarthyites who live in fear
of "socialism" 'though they can't explain
just what that language seeks to mean this year.
The wafflers Buttigieg feels he should own
are still engaged as long as Joe's in play.
He's getting snappish guarding that fat bone
and Klobuchar just hasn't gone away.
The influence an Adelson can wield
among Republicans who want his funds
eludes Mike Bloomberg within this field;
they seem contemptuous of his late run.
A guy for whom the System works so well
is ill-equipped  to fix this Trumpty Hell.

values

Mike Bloomberg brings Big Money to the fight
like Boromir, aspiring to the Ring.
Self-reassuring that he knows what's right
But sages fear he'd make himself a king.
"Unreasonable Search" was policy
and thousands were arrested without cause
their reputations tattered recklessly
when he empowered cops to break our laws.
Jean Jacques Rousseau extolled equality
A principle the French cannot forget
without which, very few are ever free
unproven axiom, but a good bet.
False prophets chastise Bernie for his rage
But Class War's the big issue in our Age

chayya Sarah

A slave plays out the type-scene at the spring
for Yitzhak, who must never leave the Land.
Enticing her with camels, gold, and ring
(the last is for her nose, not for her hand).
His master'd charged him: "Go and take a wife!
But do so for the one who can't be there"
Although that ram redeemed his forfeit life,
Our jealous God's still disinclined to share.
By now, Laban weighed harsh on Rivka's nerves
And prospects in her hometown rated low.
This unseen prince could be what she deserves;
she didn't hesitate to say "let's go!".
The match his mother took no time to find
was left to God when he tried dating blind.

institutional corruption

Haim Saban preselects before we choose
Like China holding Hong Kong in its fist.
Democracy's deferred 'til they've gone through;
We only get to pick from their shortlist.
To serve the public shouldn't cost a mint;
The tab for ad-time's way out of control.
High-level jobs within "our" government
get purchased with a mortgage on your soul.
But "money equals speech" our courts attest;
to cap donations might abridge a "right".
So policy reflects donors' behests
They wield a veto largely out of sight.
While "Buckley..."'s still the law, sure your vote counts--
but ten-fold if it comes with large amounts.

puppetmaster

Beneath the haystack Bojo claims for hair
Bob Mercer sees a weak mind he can bend.
A FaceBook ad...a small donation...there!
His puppet heads a slate of better men.
The City's coffers lost a trillion pounds
on fears their banks won't serve the Continent.
A rash decision, made on shaky grounds
resolved outside the halls of Parliament.
Will Corbyn's Opposition seize the day?
Two years, he offered nothing to believe.
But now, he sorta thinks Brits ought to Stay--
at least until they vote again to Leave.
Bob Mercer's puppets dance to suit his whim
and never question what enriches him.

plutocracy

Jeff Bezos bought WholeFoods, and raised the wage
'though prices there remain way out of whack.
He's not insensitive to shoppers' rage;
this billionaire, at least, gives something back.
Melinda Gates convinced her loving nerd
to join with Warren Buffet, doing good.
Inheriting such wealth would be absurd
if they're to raise a son, and not a pig.
But Murdochs, Mercers, Adelsons...adore
pursuit of Lucre like it's its own end.
Like Jonny Rocco, so intent on "more"
they'll leave a legacy, but not a friend.
Democracy, or Mammon's ours to choose.
as Madison's republic's ours to lose.

high stakes

binSalman feared a coup was in the cards
but figured he'd forestall it by his wits.
He placed his royal cousins under guards
as non-consensual guests at the Ritz.
Democracy's not fostered by the gun.
He's seized their assets, not their loyalty.
His claim's unsure as Salman's youngest son;
most princes can post more securities.
Aramco's IPO is looking grim
as Saudis smuggle assets out the door.
The kings economists can't lie to him;
the nation's wealth's increasingly off-shore.
The odds are long for such a petro-state,
that bets its fortune on one gambler's fate.

sick

a bold display of his hypocrisy
to curry favor in his daughter's case
Joe Manchin voted Sessions for AG
one scandal blending drugs, and cash, and race
there's no competitor to EpiPen
for now, it owns a corner in its niche
but FDA will license one, and then
the window slams on this scam to get rich
for Bresch, like Shkreli, Healthcare's just a game
in which the goal's to maximize for cash
they never know a patient's face, or name
and think they're being praised when they're called brash
these parasites prey on the nation's health
because they worship at the cult of wealth

poorly-educated

For want of values, Trump relies on price;
one number represents all things on Earth.
A one-D system that cannot suffice
to weigh a counselor's, or plan's true worth.
His cabinet owns half a continent
and sees high office as a path to more.
Strange "public servants" who'd be quite content
to turn a profit sending kids to war.
The Wharton years were wasted on this creep
no education swelled his head, or heart.
Beyond arithmetic, it's all too deep
for one so smugly certain he's so smart.
For those with eyes, catastrophe's on tap
Trump's navigating by a pre-school map.

class warfare

the status quo has served the Clintons well
they've joined the Ruling Class' moneyed ranks
no matter it's a marriage made in Hell
they've hitched their wagon to the biggest banks
Piketty warned us of this downward slope
as capital's ingathered to the Few
as Bernie fades, so fades the People's hope
that we may share the nation's bounty, too
real wages don't reflect the market's gain
that bankers divy in the bonus pool
while Bill assures us that he feels our pain
his wife serves Wallstreet as its faithful tool
be happy that a woman gets her turn
but this one really doesn't feel the Bern        

Independents

prosperity's no closer year by year
dreams get deferred while only debts accrue
the 99% feel mounting fear
a nation's wealth's diverted to the Few
Detroit's a husk; those jobs have moved off-shore
and pensions crumble as tides shift the sands
the heads of industry claim ever more
while nothing trickles down to feed the hands
if donors write both platforms, Blue and Red
entrenching privilege to the elite
as if the Body Politic's a head
that has no need for brains, or heart, or feet
increasingly, both Left and Right rebel
to tell both parties they can go to Hell

post-partisan

for Clinton, power always flows top-down
and media collude with her design
she wines and dines the burghers of the town
expecting peons will fall into line
financial sector barons rig the game
recapitalized on the public's sweat
good bets or bad, for them it's all the same
they skim the profits, passing on the debts
the senator from WallStreet just can't see
why we suspect her ties to the big banks
and what they get for that fat speaker's fee
that's so routine, her butler pens the thanks
both Left and Right are starting to rebel
to wish both parties a swift trip to Hell

not of this world

the Church's coffers burgeon year by year
immortal corporation waxing fat
immune to taxes here and everywhere
a dainty haul from passing 'round the hat
but Francis feels his mission's to the poor
and worries banking bears a moral taint
instead of grasping after ever more
he's more inclined to emulate a saint
some Cardinals are tempted to rebel
unwilling to curtail the way they roll
Ecclesiastic politics are Hell
when Jesuits set budget, tone and goal
his vision moves the world's oppressed to hope
unless his guards assassinate this Pope

deeds done in darkness

Fonseca plays the shell-game to the stars
obscuring troves of their ill-gotten loot
they'd show your assets were all earned on Mars
if that would render the tax-burden moot
let legislatures try to levy tax
the A-list deftly duck out on their share
the burden falls upon the Workers' backs
and never on the robber-baron's heir
a billion's quickly hidden overseas
but those who toil to eat can't catch a break
their nest eggs stunted by their bankers' fees
while One Percenters scold 'let them eat cake!'
the game's been rigged by those who drew the board
all profits skimmed into the bankers' hoard

splittist

Mike Bloomberg smells an opportunity
there's no one who can unify the Right
in such a field, it seems to him that he
might sweep away some smoke and shed more light
a Jewish financier to take on Cruz
and all his snide allusions to New York
a One Percenter speaking for the Few
to guard the Banking Sector and its pork
beyond Manhattan, who'd flock to his cause
or do more sympathize with OCCUPY?
he sees the Big Banks' strengths but not their flaws
his shining city's all pie-in-the-sky
each vote for him comes out of Clinton's pool
the WallStreet bankers need but their one tool