A man in a black t-shirt with his large belly protruding from the bottom
leans against a cane wearing dirty pants that smell as repugnance is upon them.
A tired woman with her black eyes shot red wanders past a towering marble post.
The check in her hand is enough to turn on her heat and purchase some toast.
From the third floor open window a baby has been crying for hours.
The raspy wails point out the weaknesses of this community and all its powers.

The busses still bus, and the machine still cranks, the tills still ring
and Wall Street yells thanks- for the bail out, thanks for your tax,
thanks for the credit cards you ran up to the max!

The children can starve. The elderly can wander.The people with direction
have no time to ponder, the use of their funds, or its public allocation,
when a dollar and a quarter pay for a pepsi and a vending machine selection.
The children can starve. The elderly can wander. The people with direction
have no time to ponder, the use of their funds, or its public allocation,
when five hundred bucks buys a weekend vacation--
Without room service of course!

Isn't it nice to have choice? We can choose between cable and direct tvs.
We can choose adaptive cruise or assisted rear parking in a brand new Mercedes.
But what about when the only choices are food on the table, or electric invoices?

Who is ready to be responsible,to take ownership for that which we are culpable?
For every single selfish act we lose an opportunity to redact-
the statement that our lifestyle is correct- Just look at the treatment
people receive within our borders! Look at our rich, marvel the hoarders
of thousands, and millions, and billions galore!
Just don't look at the pan handlers in front of the grocery store.
Ignore the begging, the dirty, the poor, ignore the rats in the subway,
and the piss on the public housing door.

What's more, ignore the facts, there are no cracks, on the public trade floor.