Sunday, June 5, 2011

Giving The Finger To The Invisible Hand

Happy Birthday Adam Smith Inventor of the Invisible Hand
Of the market I wouldn’t know an Invisible Hand if it was reaching
Up my ass there is no supply and demand
In poetry no invisible hands all the hands are real and so
Are the fingers and thumbs
The Dainty Thumb of the Poetry Market
Commingles with the Fingers of Controversy
Which expand into Cyclones Of Perfect Dereliction
And wash over the body like a tide
Of guitar strings vibrating with Keith Richards’s
Open G Tuning you get my drift
Don’t you I mean there is no selfishness in the world
As selfish as poetry which wants everyone’s
Full unabated attention and is never invisible
But naked yes totally naked
Poetry wants you to take your clothes off
And make love to a squeaky toy
The door is open go ahead walk outside
If you see an Invisible Hand run before it grabs hold of you and
         eats
Your head off although since the Invisible Hand is, you know,
         invisible
It is more likely you will feel the effect
Of the invisible hand as someone on Wall Street
Taking away your Medicare or Social Security
This is what Invisible Hands do they rob they steal they pilfer they
         filch
Take the elevator to the top floor
Of any building and look down at all the cars and people
What Invisible Hand is causing these things to happen
Are we puppets no we are not puppets there is no Invisible Hand
In Obama’s pocket just your money
And Tim Geithner and Larry Summers and Hilary
Clinton enjoying the many wonderful things they have bought
         with our money
Premised on the fable of an Invisible Hand which Adam
Smith never really intended what he meant was any individual
         action
That has unintended consequences particularly those that arise
Serendipitously and that leave in their wake little ripples
Of benevolence washing the arid shores of our existence
Which is silly I know but not as silly
As the presumed consequences of poetry which is an Invisible
         Finger
Raised to the Rats of Wall Street
As if Wall Street
Gave a Flying Fuck

No comments: