Five Years
(With apologies to David Bowie)

Pushing through the gaping hole, so many workers choking
Time enough to wipe the tears, and to even give up smoking
Anchors from Katrina (now soft hearted and soft spoken)
Offer up their platitudes, a paltry little token

We heard horror and glory, glamorized on TV
We heard lies and excuses and we watched ABC
Our cynicism stretched so taut, no sweet sentiment this season
No action, nor reaction, no rhyme and no reason
The consumption enablers selling anything that goes
As they milk fading tragedies to stuff up their nose
And rape our confusion to cover the blows.

Children left orphaned are fed political feces
Given greed masked as kindness, we humanitarian species
So soon they’ll be old enough to send off for the killing
Returning home in their coffins as the blood keeps on spilling

I found myself trapped in a mindless haze, lost in fantasy, fact and fiction
Wasted on promises, gorging lies by the package...my insatiable addictions.
There was fake all around and I groped for compassion
There was none, it was gone, like the towers once crashing
The taste, the waste, the inevitable so soon
The bitterest of products to the ugliest tune.

It’s been five years, nothing has changed
Five years, just more deranged
It’s been five years, so much damage has been done
Five years, and yet nobody’s won.

It’s been five years, so boldfaced we lied
Five years of reality denied
It’s been five years, now the world wants to trade
Five years, now there’s money to be made.

It’s been five years, destruction and terror
Five years our response a deadly error
It’s been five years, this will never end
Five years, there’s still money to spend.