by Thomas Sullivan
It was never their wealth to keep
Though everyone was convinced it was
They were mistaken, same as you
By the beliefs of the day
The conquistadors tried, using the horse and sword
Fearful gods from another world, enslaving men and carting bounty home
But different gods rose up while the Spaniards sunk down
And drained it all away
The church made their play for the wealth of their time
Marketers of God scaring the masses into buying salvation
The coffers piled high until the scientists showed up
And reasoned those beliefs away
The Spanish sword and the Christian cross
No different from the softer weapons of today
Electronic ledgers and digital debts
Need fearful subjects to believe and obey
The greedy and the blind
Never see what’s coming
Until a new belief shows up
And takes their power away
Thomas Sullivan writes essays on contemporary American society. His writing has appeared in Arts & Opinion, Bad Idea Magazine, and Dogmatika, among others. His longer prose can be seen at open salon.
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