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Poetry
Greed
By Talisker
01 November 2006
I was shocked to learn that 4000 executives in the City of London received bonuses exceeding £1 million this year.  That's £4,000,000,000+ and thats only the bonuses, not the salaries.  Am I alone in thinking this obscene and worthy of some government action?  In the end whose money was it?  It was you me and the average joe's pension fund or savings that's whose!  It makes me livid!  I speak as one who worked in the financial sector, not at the rarified level of million quid bonuses, but high enough to see the greed in the whites of their eyes.

Oli.

I’ll call you neither pig nor fatted cat,
None but man displays such avarice,
And surely not the best of men at that,
Is he who always cuts the biggest slice.

There is a huge conspiracy of greed,
To ease the guilty conscience of the few,
Who plunder without reference to need,
Resources which the Earth cannot renew.

“I’m paid what I am worth” I hear you say,
“The market makes the call and it is free”
This market which you call to your defence,
Is merely a cartel to set your fee.

Tell me you’re worth four hundred nursing staff!
A hundred noble surgeons, saving lives!
Your feeble vindications make me laugh,
It’s us you’re carving with your steely knives.

So take your filthy lucre while you can,
And sneer at us who struggle to get by,
Wealth and possessions maketh not a man,
And riches are no comfort when we die.

Oli (01/11/06)

Reviews

Written by Phil (6683 comments posted) 1st November 2006
A rant, but nonetheless a totally worthy one. They take their cash and then separate themselves from the rest of us in gated estates. Just wait until we hit the next depression. A few of them will suffer, but it's the rest of us who will bear the brunt. Backstabbing bastards all. As an aside, Asda have recently chosen us as a partner school. When we asked what we could get on the cheap - nothing. All they want is to sell more and more and screw everyone - public services included - just to look good. My rant over now.  
 
Geat piece. 
 
All the best, 
 
Phil.
It happens here in Oz too
Written by patterjack (1179 comments posted) 1st November 2006
These verses express my own feelings very precisely . 
 
The past notorious crop of robber barons in the US at least gave us back things like the Carnegie benefactions. 
 
A la lanterne , I cry ! Or let's stuff paper money down their greedy throats until they choke . Let them eat that instead of cake . 
 
To contain and control my anger at the situation I shall perversely indulge in one grammatical nitpick -- third last line --us rather than we
 
 
patterjack  

Written by ellipinnock (1753 comments posted) 2nd November 2006
Makes you sick, doesn't it? Great stuff as usual Oli, well written and to the point! 
 
Elli

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