Thursday, July 21, 2005

Kleptocracy
by
John Dutton


Aspiring thieves, don't read any further
if you don't not want to remain in ignorance
of what you shouldn't do to become
the opposite of what you are now.

The way to wealth isn't paved with
good intentions, but is a smooth tunnel
lined sometimes, briefly, with lead.

This tunnel vision excludes the law
and exudes a call to offer forth goods,
chattels, children to the gods.

For those gods bear paper and rules
and rights, and wrong signposts to
ancestral lands that are graves for the
idea that the world was once no-one's.

But the tinkle of taxes, the shuffle of shares,
the bustle of bribes and the trading of titles
hand the kleptocrats their fortunes and
suddenly
Russians own soccer teams
Chinese build Versailles
Congolese fuel private jets
North Koreans strap on warheads
Sheiks prowl in Rolls
And Yanks own the world.