Damage Control

taking the money means changing horses
in midstream, means using horses for
water polo, means you are farmers
without the goofy soldier soundtrack,
means you are the Dutch children
holding back the North Sea with just
fingers and toes,

we are damage control, the new motto states

reality does not comport with
some kind of common core
created by ivory tower hermits
that fade to dust upon
sighting their own shadows,

we are the gatekeepers doing damage control,
the real motto should be

the great earthquake is coming,
the scion from the southern tier
screams with all her melodious might

everywhere, the routines shall change
and the test scores will increase and
meek instructors will become high
and mighty alpha dogs once again,

welcome to fantasy island,
is what the Ricardo conscience says

the s**t rolls both ways on the hill,
defying and edifying the Newton's laws
at the same moment,

imposing ivory standards on a
routinely subjugated population
group will never guarantee
positive results,

there are the exceptions
of course, but like always,
far and few between
is the phrase of choice,

they are outliers but
the rest fall under the
bell curve made of
historical razor blades,

so no amount of
midstream horse changing
is going to rewrite
the historical narrative,

where education has no value,
the grants that are taken will
never have any effect,

some will win and
some will lose and
a few will take the draw,

in the end, not enough
is usually good enough,

maybe it's the core-heads
who live on fantasy island
after all

Reviews

[Seshat Nidaba]

Kenny, just between you and I, sounds like people in the States are getting more conscious!

Reality is political and what are we willing to do to feed the kids?

[Kenneth The Poet]

I hope so, but I don't know much of the time. There are the dedicated few who want to help the kids, but many of the kids won't be helped because the school life is only part of their life.