Smoke and Mirrors Issue 2 - Laudamus Te
Laudamus Te
by Cecilio Morales
Great dollar god
gracious dime
in this our time the unshod revile thee.
We work for thee
we give thee thanks
we whisper in thy Holy Banks
we bow before NASDAQ
before Dow;
the beggar knows not how.
Infidel, he squanders healing
treasures not thy budget ceilings:
Panderer to the poor;
his spoor, a trail of children wanton,
haunts thy grail, skill-less,
debasing productivity and growth:
Thy hand, invisible, shall smite him.
Thy prophets profit
thine acolytes count
thy trust rides secure the dreaded bust
thy stocks unlock the horn of plenty;
turn thy gaze to us, thy workers,
we discount all gloom
(at its proper rated credit)
and we abate the debit
of payroll-bloating shirkers.
How sweet the scent of anxiety
its piety
its spur to maximize!
We awaken to thy prizes
to our video and to our VCR,
to our car, without a care ...
small, unstoppable
the urge to hold Thee in the palm;
another day, another pay
thy grace speeds my pace
leaves the maudlin to their own.
I avoid the goblins of doubt
and the pints of stout
that degrade and threaten thy empire:
I devote to Thee, to appeal and to desire,
my finest waking hours.
---
Copyright (c) 1992 by Cecilio Morales
