Opening of the 112th Congress

By Tony Brown

We all know where this is going

Right down to the contentious opening volley
and the tensing of sword hands
Right down to the bloodied noses
and the swing and miss journalism
What do they want to sell us
between the stage shows
and the sham of battle

We know they've sold us out
but we won't even mind all that much

as long as we get ours
Oh we're watching the news
and shaking our heads at them
Deep down we know marketing when we see it

and though it's nothing we care for that much
it's a hell of a lot better than no country at all
Speaker gavels the chamber to order
This is gonna be good

They're going to read sacred texts
and unicorns are gonna appear

And they love to sell unicorns
and jabberwocks a-burbling near nonsense

Anything mythic, really
and boy do we love to shop.

Originally published January 14, 2010 by New Verse News