The Other World

The other world is stone –
machinery ear plugs offices high up.
A lover burns herself.
A man counts his mistress in numbers.

The other world is assets – clubs, boardrooms.
Fat cats nine lives milk in a dish a helicopter at dawn.

The other world is faces – landscaped, bronzed Florida.
Consume them. Spit bones. Sell cars.

The other world is Who’s Who – Marie Antoinette newsprint.
Tax cuts for the rich. Paper cuts for the poor.

The other world is wine glass – martinis bathrooms private.
Gods look down. People— fire ants. Fire them.

The other world is gold teeth – corporate box condescension.
We – poor in substance yet rich in ideas.

The other world is old money – tortoise, heir.
If only – damn my luck. My father – exposed.

The other world is silence –
say nothing or the cretins will hear.
Mother cries for children.
Tears today, drown tomorrow.

By: John Grey

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in Shift, River And South and Flights. Latest books, “Bittersweet”, “Subject Matters” and “Between Two Fires” are available through Amazon. Work upcoming in Rush, Writer’s Block and Trampoline.