Le Crunch

Vultures are circling
Dark clouds overhead
As if borne on the spiraling
Charges for bread
They’re drawn by the nervousness
Fear and mistrust
That comes when the cycle
Turns boom-time to bust
The outlook is gloomy
Shows difficult times
‘Neath an ominous shadow
In shape Twenty-Nine.
Markets get jumpy
High-fliers sweat
Banks tighten purse strings
Their borrowers fret
As interest rates bite those
Who struggle to pay
Repo-men gather
Like wolves stalking prey
Share values tumble
Oil prices rise
Businesses flounder
In the poisonous tide
Job-cuts are widespread
Services dumped
All fallen victim
To the deepening slump
Inflation keeps climbing
Life savings soon spent
Whilst strikes simply add to
The mass discontent
“Crisis? What crisis?”
Our leaders will wail
Whilst one after t'other
Their remedies fail
When society searches
For someone to frame
Scapegoats are hunted:
The vulnerable blamed

So start digging trenches
Re-double the guard
Turn down the heating
Cut up your cards
Cancel those holidays
Garage that car
Stop ordering take-outs
Quit going to bars
Count out kept silver
From the old shrapnel jar
Just stock basic foodstuffs
As if expecting to starve
Prepare for the worst that
Recession might bring
Because we might wait some time
For the pendulum’s swing

©Ahealy 2008

STORY