“Me First” Neither a New Idea Nor a Clever One

The nation, not just by some rubes,
Has been cast tumbling down the tubes— 
Where virtue once had stood erect
The rule of law and trust is wrecked.

No, they were not the “working poor”
Who opted to subvert the core
Of these ideals “American”
Extending to the race of man.

Just at a time when all the world
Demands we ask why we have quarreled— 
Admitting wrongs egregiously
Committed in our history— 

This very set, not told in Reuters,
Who have been worst of the exploiters,
Embraces a philosophy
That cheers, “Me first, and only me.”

“America the first and only”
A strategy to make us lonely,
Their “me” describing a precise
Segment (and wealthy) but not nice.

You—even those who claim Lord Christ— 
Let it be known, you parsed and sliced
The norms of ethics to support
Mongers with whom you do cavort.

You are not kindly gentlefolk,
But sins and malice wrapped in bulk
Like “parcels of vain strivings tied”:
As God’s-eye view assesses pride.