Nearly 3 million dollars
in bonuses was given
to more than
twenty-eight hundred
employees
of the Internal Revenue Service
between October 2010
and December 2012
but twelve hundred
of these people
had tax issues
or official-conduct violations.
Now granted
their bonuses are something like
one ten-thousandth
of what CEOs get
for their more egregious
stealing from the commonwealth
and those responsible
for the bonuses
will likely be reprimanded
but hypothetically
who can begrudge
the more relatable
Joes or Janes
from doing what has been
successful for those
who have inherited power
in a would-be democracy?
Optimists believe
the people will wise up
and rise up
pessimists believe
the people will be subsumed
and meet our doom
and while these two
were discussing
how they saw the world
finding both points of contention
and overlap
the CEO had a few quick meetings
filled up two glasses
with both their "-Mist" suffixes
and said
"You both look so thirsty."
This poem © 2014 Emily Cooper.
This poem © 2014 Emily Cooper.
