Thursday, September 03, 2009

SLICE OF THE PIE

by Phyllis Wax


Health care for all—
In America ?
Pie in the sky

Some get pecan, pumpkin, coconut cream
Peach, cherry, lemon meringue
Strawberry, blueberry, key lime

A mud pie for others—
Or maybe a cow pie
Pie in the face
If they can’t pay

Eat humble pie, swallow the bile
Die out of sight As American as
Apple pie

Demagogues stir up mobs
To protest change
With rhubarbs and
Raucous tea parties

Know-nothings don’t believe
There can be so many places
Where people live longer
Everyone gets care
Fewer babies die

Get pie-eyed or
Open your mouth for
Sweet Eskimo Pie
To help you forget

You won’t get a slice
Of American pie


Phyllis Wax lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she seeks to understand history and the world. Her poetry has appeared in The New Verse News before, as well as in numerous other on-line and print journals and anthologies.
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