You promised pastures 

and pack animals but gave

police states and pain

Picture this: a pic

of a painting digitized,

shrunk, and tweaked to death  

It was the year when 

everything broke from either 

neglect or misuse 

Behind the photo

lies lies like the Wizard of 

Oz's swept back veil

 

Peel back the gilding 

from their ballrooms and blather

and find putrid truth 

No bread, but plenty

of circus antics for the 

masses to devour 

Braided lives remain 

entwined beyond human time

in eternal flow