America, 2003
(with apologies to Dr. Seuss)
 

The Whos down in Whoville liked people a lot,
But the Grinch in the White House most certainly did not.
H
e didn't arrive there by the will of the Whos,
B
ut stole the election that he really did lose.

Vowed to “rule from the middle,” then installed his regime.
Did this really happen, or is it just a bad dream?)

He didn't listen to voters, just his friends he was pleasin'
N
ow, please don't ask why, who knows what's the reason.
I
t could be his heart wasn't working just right.
I
t could be, perhaps, that he wasn't too bright.
B
ut I think that the most likely reason of all,
Is that both brain and heart were two sizes too small.
I
n times of great turmoil, this was bad news,
T
o have a government that ignores its Whos.

But the Whos shrugged their shoulders, went on with their work,
T
heir duties as citizens so casually did shirk.
T
hey shopped at the mall and watched their T.V.
T
hey drove a gas-guzzling big S.U.V.,
O
blivious to what was going on in D.C.,
I
gnoring the threats to democracy.
T
hey read the same papers that ran the same leads,
R
eporting what only served corporate needs.
(For the policies affecting the lives of all nations
w
ere made by the giant U.S. Corporations.)
B
ig business grew fatter, fed by its own greed,
A
nd by people who shopped for the things they didn't need.

But amidst all the apathy came signs of unrest,
The Whos came to see we were fouling our nest.
A
nd the people who cared for the ideals of this nation
B
egan to discuss and exchange information:
T
he things they couldn't read, in the corporate-owned news,
O
f FTAA meetings and CIA coups,
O
f drilling for oil and restricting rights.
T
hey published some books, created Websites,
Began to write letters, and use their e-mail
(
Though Homeland Security might send them to jail!)

What began as a whisper soon grew to a roar,
T
hese things going on they could no longer ignore.
T
hey started to rise up and reach out to all
L
et their voices be heard, they rose to the call,
T
o vote, to petition, to gather, dissent,
T
o question the policies of the “President.”

As greed gained in power and power knew no shame
T
he Whos came together, sang “Not in our name!”
O
ne by one from their sleep and their slumber they woke
T
he old and the young, all kinds of folk,
T
he black, brown and white, the gay, bi- and straight,
A
ll united to sing, “Feed our hope, not our hate!
S
top stockpiling weapons and aiming for war!
S
top feeding the rich, start feeding the poor!
S
top storming the deserts to fuel SUV's!
S
top telling us lies on the mainstream T.V.'s!
S
top treating our children as a market to sack!
S
top feeding them Barney, Barbie and Big Mac!
S
top trying to addict them to lifelong consuming,
I
n a time when severe global warming is looming!
S
top sanctions that are killing the kids in Iraq!
S
tart dealing with ours that are strung out on crack!”

A mighty sound started to rise and to grow,
"
The old way of thinking simply must go!
E
nough of God versus Allah, Muslim vs. Jew.
W
ith what lies ahead, it simply won't do.
N
o American dream that cares only for wealth
I
gnoring the need for community health
T
he rivers and forests are demanding their pay,
I
f we're to survive, we must walk a new way.
No more excessive and mindless consumption
Let's sharpen our minds and garner our gumption.
F
or the ideas are simple, but the practice is hard,
A
nd not to be won by a poem on a card.
I
t needs the ideas and the acts of each Who,
S
o let's get together and plan what to do!”

And so they all gathered from all 'round the Earth
And from it all came a miraculous birth.
The hearts and the minds of the Whos they did g
row,
T
hree sizes to fit what they felt and they know.
W
hile the Grinches they shrank from their hate and their greed,
B
earing the weight of their every foul deed.

From that day onward the standard of wealth,
W
as whatever fed the Whos spiritual health.
T
hey gathered together to revel and feast,
A
nd thanked all who worked to conquer their beast.
F
or although our story pits Grinches 'gainst Whos,
T
he true battle lies in what we daily choose.
F
or inside each Grinch is a tiny small Who,
A
nd inside each Who is a tiny Grinch too.
O
ne thrives on love and one thrives on greed.
W
ho will win out? It depends who you feed!

    Author: Unknown