A Pantoum Poem Inspired by Detroit's Bankruptcy

Debt Reckoning

by Rachel Hoyt

image by akeeris via freedigitalphotos.net

Later has become now.

Debt dominoes are falling.

"I can't," must become, "How?"

"I won't," just sounds appalling.

Debt dominoes are falling.

Where will the pattern stop?

"It won't," sounds so appalling.

Why must all the dominoes drop?

Where will the pattern stop?

We could be saved by a gap.

Must all of the dominoes drop?

We may have built our own trap.

We could be saved by a gap.

We must pull out some dominoes.

We may have built our own trap.

Not thinking of tomorrow shows.

We must pull out some dominoes.

"I can't," must become, "How?"

Not thinking of tomorrow shows.

Later has become now.

 

© 2013 Rachel Hoyt. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

When a once great city files for bankruptcy,

I can't help but wonder who seeks solvency?

 

Technorati Tags: Bankrupt, Bankruptcy, Debt, Rhyme, Poem, Poetry

Thursday Thoughts - On Sadness and Spending

Penny Diamond

by Rachel Hoyt

 

image by ponsulak via freedigitalphotos.net

 

Penny Diamond lives conflicted,

as her name surely implies.

Her moniker predicted

she'd depict all of those lies

advertising has inflicted

on innocent minds, ears, and eyes -

an identity afflicted

by the joy money can buy.

Penny Diamond sees a ring pop

and heads to buy shiny jewelry.

She feels the need to get a mop,

so she calls the cleaning lady.

Penny watches a bunny hop,

then needs something new and furry.

She smells Big E's Bacon Foods Shop

and finds four courses more worthy.

Penny is not too peculiar,

nor a diamond in the rough,

but her name implies she's ruler

of those ignoring bought joy's bluff.

Penny's parent's hoped they'd fool her,

but they too couldn't buy enough

to make poor Penny cooler

and fulfilled by frivolous stuff.

 

© 2012 Rachel Hoyt. All rights reserved

 

 

 

A study has shown being sad can be quite expensive,

so if the season gets you down, while shopping, be pensive.

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Creative, Judge, Sentencing, Rhyme, Poetry

 

Read more rhymes by Rachel at her column, Clickety Clack -

poetic news about Santa Barbarians talking back.

Scary Thug Loan Free

Image by Idea Go via freedigitalphoto.net

When little, my dad taught me to budget.

As I got older, I learned how to fudge it.

Compromise led to mass credit card debt,

then high interest caused a cycle of regret.

I could almost feel the money lose its power

as the charges for interest began to tower.

To dig myself out, I had to think more like my dad.

His lessons are working now and that makes me glad.

So while I'm mostly seen as politically lib'ral,

I'm pretty conservative about all things fiscal...

which is why I was glad for the recent budget upset.
I hope Obama taught them a lesson they won't forget.
Politicians can't really expect us not to emulate
the spending habits that they've projected to us of late.
If they can't make tough choices then why should we?
They certainly don't think our spending should flow free.
Sure, I'd argue with you over which items should be cut
but at some point we must dig ourselves out of that rut.
Saying yes to bits of everything doesn't help anyone.
Buying more than you can afford, in the end, isn't fun.

Even with all the budgets that were slashed
these issues won't become a thing of the past.
America is fast approaching the federal debt limit.
Something drastic must be done in order to thin it.
If we want a government menu better than pork and beans,
we must start by learning how to live within our means.
Too bad there's no free budget planner for companies
that could make analyzing our spending habits a breeze.
We must build more than blood and sweat equity
to ensure that we remain scary thug loan free.

© Rachel Hoyt 2011.  All rights reserved.


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Technorati Tags: Entertainment, Blogging, Budget, Humor, Government, Poetry