Book 42

Page 40

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Little boxes of the welfare system

 

/ a parody on the song, “Little boxes on the hill side.” Written by Malvina Reynolds © Written by Dominic John Gill 1963

http://holyjoe.net/poetry/reynolds.htm

 

Little boxes

on the political hill side.

Little boxes

made of cat-a-gories.

Little boxes

for the bureaucrats,

little boxes

for the political game.

 

There’s a;

unemployed benefits one,

and a sickness benefits one,

and a mentally ill one,

and an elderly one.

For everyone

must fit into boxes,

and they’re all for the political game.

 

There’s a;

‘under training one,’

and a parenting one,

and an invalid one,

and a dependant one.

For everyone

must fit into boxes,

and they’re all for the political game.

 

But there;

ain’t one

“just for nothing” one.

Just for simply being, an alive one.

For everyone

must fit into boxes,

and they’re all for the political game.

 

And there’s a;

green one,

and a yellow one,

but whatever one,

there is a ‘type of one,’

in a category, /

within a concept,

and it’s all for the political game.

 

So if you ain't one,

you better find one.

For everyone’s,

got to be a one.

For everyone

must fit into boxes,

and they’re all for the political game.

 

© Written by Dominic John Gill 30/April/2003 www.poetry.net.au  dominicj7@poetry.net.au