ELLEN ZIONTS

A poem inspired by the Simon & Garfunkel song “America,” which Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is using for his campaign:

The snow is fallin’

and finally a day to think.

No babies cryin’,

no dishes in the sink.

CNN is talkin’ about the campaign;

the pundits are forecasting more of the same.

What we need is a song

to show us the right from wrong.

Bernie’s looking for America and so am I.

We need to know the reason why.

Your mom can’t retire and babysit.

Your brother’s overeducated and no jobs fit.

Your uncle has no union pension plan;

they took his company, sent his work to Japan.

Sister reports the news

and news as entertainment slants the views.

The fair and balanced she learned in school

are seen as fodder for the fools.

The vote has been stolen by special interests.

The Congress panders for more of the same.

Working not for us but for personal gain.

Promises collect dust on their wall of shame.

Internet billionaires stole the music rights,

the writers’ intellectual property,

and gave away their songs for free.

No one takes responsibility.

Babies are poisoned by lead to save a buck.

If you’re poor in Flint, you’re out of luck.

We fight in foreign lands trying to bomb out ancient ideology

where there still is no word for democracy.

And while we fund the war machine

and wail against theocracy,

the rich gamed our democracy.

Black votes don’t matter if there is redistricting

and black lives won’t either if they can’t vote and fix this thing.

Bernie, let’s look for America,

’cause what was lost needs to be found.

You can fool some of the people

some of the time but we’re on to you.

So hear this rhyme.

The music and Wodstock ended a war

and we’re not going elect you anymore.

Congress, you need to compromise;

go to work or we’ll send you home on the Simon and Garfunkel bus.

And then you too can look at America,

the one the one you are trying to take from us.

The writer lives in Cherry Hill.