Capitalism Fails

My very first Villanelle poem.

 

Capitalism fails when there’s nothing left to take
When everything we lived for is discovered to be fake
Was everything we killed for just a big mistake?

It domineers to commandeer- its property at stake
Creating a dependence on the products that it makes

Capitalism fails when there’s nothing left to take

It hums a tune to placate you as you work for its gain
Then in hegemonic harmony it buys out local trade
Was everything we killed for just a big mistake?

Homogenised and standardised- free thought down the spout
As idolatry fills TV screens of hedonists devout
Capitalism fails when there’s nothing left to take

A guise of stark normality that crumbles when it’s opened
Free will contained by wanton gain, but when the systems broken
Was everything we killed for just a big mistake?

An experience of convenience and lying through clenched teeth
The pretty packaged products that hide the s**t beneath
Capitalism fails when there’s nothing left to take
When everything we lived for is discovered to be fake.

Author's Note

I wrote this weeks before the global recession was announced. I was just starting to believe that I had psychic prophetic abilities when my wife kicked me out for spending too many long hours giving my prognostications to cyberspace. I didn't see that one coming!

Reviews

[Valerie Dean Belew]

Sorry about your wife. The poem is sensational. Capitalism feeds on greed. It is a good system to motivate, as long as it is kept under control, but unfortunately, power is hard to control, because it tends to reward itself. Anyway, the poem was strong, and I have sent you an invitation to join my group, Writing to change the world.