RAINE REFLECTIONS
© Christopher Raine
Breakfast with Carl
Carl sits on a chesterfield
and yells at the television
like it matters
he scratches his thinning hair
over another fat serving
of tax cuts for the wealthy
and watches angrily
as his slice of the pie
narrows paper thin;
waxing theoretical physics
over blueberries and pastry
suppressing violence
he rubs his unshaven jaw
and shakes his head
austerity for the masses
while the Dow gets an erection
and the Nasdaq
lifts a flirtatious skirt
Carl watches floating heads
and scrolling ribbons
discuss winners and losers
points and percentages
while the rest of the world wakes
to cutting despair
inches from the eroding
cliff side of bloated mortgages
worn away by the chill tides
of rising costs
there are few luxuries left
Carl isn’t crawling
on mountains of garbage just yet,
but he has faith
that our intrepid leaders
will get us there