Another poetic gem from TMV’s favorite poet, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall Street Poet:
A Wall Street giant reported losses of $8 billion in the third quarter of this year. Its CEO lost his job, but got a reported $161 million severance package on the way out the door. What’s wrong with this picture?
Pain At The Bottom, Cream At The Top
Profits may tumble, good jobs disappear
Foreclosures may soar in a climate of fear
But somehow they thrive, those who know how to rig it
Finessing the levers and jiggling the spigot.
In good times and bad times
The games never stop
Pain sinks to the bottom
Cream stays at the top.
When times they are fat, ‘mid great acclamation
The Corporate Elect take a huge extra ration
When times get much leaner they whine and they snivel
Their egos get bruised but their perks never shrivel.
In good times and bad times
The games never stop
Pain sinks to the bottom
Cream stays at the top.
Most folks who are pushed out the company door
Fear their standard of living will fall through the floor
But sev’rance for those in a CEO role
Make execs who are severed most wonderfully whole.
In good times and bad times
The games never stop
Pain sinks to the bottom
Cream stays at the top.
It’s a comfortable myth that we share the same boat
That we all work together so all stay afloat
In truth this great vessel’s a multiple decker
And being the captain’s a great hurt deflecter.
In good times and bad times
The games never stop
Pain sinks to the bottom
Cream stays at the top.
Copyright 2007 Michael Silverstein
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.