Daylight Robbery

written quite a few years ago but feels even more relevant today.

Daylight robbery,

that's what they done to me

and daylight isn’t all they took,

they took the words right out of my mouth,

the thoughts right out of my head,

keep telling me I'll be free

only when I give up my liberty.

They take the breath from my body,

the sound from my ear, they interfere!

They even change the brain waves in my brain

and keep drumming it in again and again

jingle, jingle, that old refrain,

till I look just the same,

but I may really be one of them so watch out.

 

They keep telling me how lucky I am

as they take the water from the palm of my hand,

sweeten and colour and put it in a can

and sell it back to me.

 

They took the ground from under my feet,

put a fence around it and shut me out;

they took the sky from over my head

and gave me a picture instead.

They stole my heart,

said you're better off without it,

won't tell me where they put it

say if I don't shut up they'll squeeze it,

then I'll really know what hurts.

They like breaking and entering,

that's why they get you for doing the same,

tell you there is no redress,

this is progress!?

 

They're changing the climate with your willing assistance

eating up the world with little resistance.

You better wake up before it’s too late

or the daylight robbers will get the lot.

They get their lawyers to keep you from suing them,

and the crimes they commit they keep on doing them,

and you poor canary, you sing along with them.

You wait till the day dawns

when they sell you back to yourself

but new and improved, and you buy that one.

 

First they take away memory

and then they rewrite history;

you be sure you can't believe your eyes,

and if you don't quite feel yourself,

that's because you're not.

 

They want your compliance

not your defiance,

and if you don't shut yourself up,

they'll do it for you,

take special powers to keep you quiet;

now any spontaneity they call a riot -

shh, just keep watching the war on tv,

the war they say they're fighting for you and me;

wake up, wise up, read between the lines;

When they say you're out of your mind

be sure you're getting near the truth;

use your madness as your sleuth;

what you got to practice is resistance

in that resistance you need persistence,

persistence, resistance, persistence, resistance...

Reviews

[JR]

This packs an emotional punch. From the technical side, I really enjoy the pace... your lines are clipped right where they should be, and each line leads into the next naturally, word choice and imagery is excellent. Incidental rhyme is best rhyme lol. Thematically, its interesting to see how reality can be bent in this day and age, and I've also thought a lot about the canary in the coal mine... I'm betting he's not doing so hot. We all need persistent resistance, or we'll just slip into it. I read a lot of poems on here and this is the first one in a long time to make me sit back and take a deep breath.

[emmajoygreen]

Your words, start to finish, SING with meter, each and every stanza a mix of tongue cheek with and truth.

Will return to read it again.. plus, discover more of your skill, I leave part smiling and frowning, need learn more!