Fibbing the Numbers by Ruth Handel

Fibbing The Numbers

Sky
high
finance,
game of chance
dice carelessly tossed.
Bankers prospered, predicted no loss,
played voodoo economics as a matter of course.

To
us
no fuss -
They spoke lies.
Most believed them wise
and ate their bread of affliction,
sub prime exotics spiced with comfortable fiction.

It
was
purely
jabberwock,
credit default swaps,
buttoned-down wizards selling schlock,
slicing loans, mincemeat no one owned, hyped as solid rock.

Wise
guys -
Their scheme
‘twas brillig.
Few of us willing
to check convoluted billing.
Investments teetered about while they made a killing.

The
crash
alas
awakened
deregulation
nation to financial weapons’
massive destruction, jobs, homes, 401K’s fall broken.

Shame
not
their game -
They hedged their
pomegranate lives,
sometimes appeared to sympathize.
Without tears they pocketed their bonuses, large size.

Each
hand
washing -
Fraud’s the feed.
The globe’s for gorging,
a ride of greed, the walrus trick.
Reform imperfectly storms. Gravy’s spread super thick.

Author bio:

Ruth Handel has been published in several journals and anthologies. Finishing Line Press published her chapbook, Reading the White Space, last May. She teaches poetry workshops to community groups and psychiatric patients. She also manages a volunteer organization, the Poetry Caravan, that brings poetry to the community through readings and workshops in prison, hospitals, shelters, senior centers.