Yesterday the Fireflies

 

                         The caged bird sings

                         But the melody is tired

                         Like the pro

                         Who bags him umpteenth

                         Our flag wilts

                         In the hands of a patriot

                         His love stops at the border

 

                         The air is free

                         Too heady for most

                         We need the hearth

                         Comfort of familiar things

                         We are the microchipped children

                         Input is our prep school

                         Program the poor devils

                         For a better tomorrow

                         Never mind the litter along the way

 

                         Cars tightly closed

                         Behind tinted windows

                         Replace the walkers

                         There are no voices

                         Only silent engines

                         The recording repeats itself

                         Have a nice day

                         Suddenly the doors close

                         Suddenly we have a ghost town

 

                         I'll take the brisk one

                         When the wind blows over the mountain

                         And the loon cries in the night

                         Then you can see the crab

                         Scuttle across a sandy floor

                         Before he slips in the bay

 

 

                                                      Jack Mashman

                                                      1986