MARCH 2004

• 
  'Pande-Money-um'
  by Ian Reed
  
  
  Mammon, the god of money and unfettered gain,
  Ascendant in this age of acquisition,
  Fearing perhaps the populace perceive
  The import of Paul's timeless admonition
  
  That love of money lies at Evil's root,[i]
  Knows -- if the Christian flag conceal his course,
  His crooked cause to conquer in crusade,
  To countenance the breach of worldwide laws,
  
  Whitewash the White House as a white-washed tomb[ii]
  And dish out devilish democracy
  (For Satan as an angel masquerades,[iii]
  Prince of the Air[iv] in Hell's ascendancy) --
  
  That labors of the poor can be consumed
  In wasteful weaponry and waging war
  And deficits can mortgage future wages,
  The rich to lend, the rest to pay them more.
  
  Thus, summoning an Empire in God's name,
  In righteous ruse to pillage, loot and rape,
  To crush the Muslim and his heathen offspring
  So at his deeds the Host of Heaven gape,
  
  He blazons Jesus' banner blatantly,
  Enslaving peoples with an iron rod,
  'Till, by abuse of U.S. government,
  Christ serves the pleasure of this lesser god.
  
  
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  [i]     1 Timothy 6:10
  [ii]  Matthew 23:27-28 [iii]  2 Corinthians 11:14
  [iv]     Ephesians 2:2
  
  
  Copyright Ian Reed 2004
  tango_poet@hotmail.com; (212) 841-0341
  
  'Poetic Injustice' - a collection of poems about
  the invasion of Iraq - is at http://www.ReedandWrite.com
  
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