Poem: Upswung

Watching my country from afar brings clarity, but confusion as well.

Upswung The wire story from New York asks why Americans are so glum after five years unending growth And I pepper my eggs, sip coffee as the Dow breaks through 5000 It may have to do with the source of growth Mergers, as in closing plants Downsizing, as in being laid off and upswings, as in bottom line Those in the know are in the Dow and 5000 isn’t reached with sweat as it once was in the good old days when a single income bought a home and the city was a place to live I pour another cup and ponder pension funds It’s their fuel that fires this growth and in turn they’re fueled by sweat as our investor-self lays off our worker-self and New York wonders why we’re glum It’s strange to see America from here among these newborn Czechs in Prague Running after an American dream of Michael Jackson and Big Macs and I wish them well and wash my dishes

This poem is included in Jim Freeman's poetry collection BROKEN PIECES available here in print or as an e-Book in your favorite formats.