America's Problems

Open thy throat, O Muse!  Let thy honey-sweet words pour forth, to enliven the eyes of our audience of the terrors that plague our country in this day and time!

First, I sing of a drop in moral scruples in the family.  I sing of children in the streets, fighting like jackals over a carcass, just to survive.  I sing of the broken household, the man who hurts the wife, the wife who hurts the husband, the man and woman who live like husband and wife, and the children who have to live in these places.  Worst of all, I sing of our government who sees this suffering, and does nothing.

Next I sing of money.  Never enough for those who need it, and those who have it spend it like sailors just in port.  Those who would guard our society themselves, our government, are little better; hast thou heard of the national debt?  Like a spider who gluts itself on countless flies, it continues to grow and grow, and we become more and more in debt.

Our country has become more paranoid and violent.  One can hardly turn around without hearing some news about a bomb threat, or a shooting at a school, or political corruption.  Gone are the days when Americans could board a plane, or walk the streets at night, or even ask for directions to such-and-such a place without fear.  All is now chaos and panic.

America has stopped caring about itself.  Trash litters the streets and gutters, like the bones of men in the cave of the Cyclops.  On the beach, you find pieces of glass, old cans, and other things that hurt people and animals.  Trees are chopped down without care for the environment.  The earth cries out in pain, but our ears are deafened by our ear buds, phones, and television sets.

Lastly, I sing of lies.  Lies we tell ourselves, and others.  Thefts that often go unchecked, and people who willingly poison themselves for pleasure.  Poisons of the body and mind, that eventually poison the soul.  They enter the lungs, the throat, the veins, and/or the optic nerves.  Many try to fight these poisons, but it's as if they are fighting a giant hydra: for every person they can save, two more turn up.  It's a never-ending battle for the souls of man.

If thou find this Muse's song to be preachy, I apologize.  I thank thee for thy time.