Pink triangle, red ribbon
AIDS activists placed coffins
around the White House
two decades after freaks
and hippies exorcised
the Pentagon
Three decades before
17 minutes of silence
in Parkland
Smells linger
Tear gas
Gunshots
Burnt matches
Crusty denim
Blood
Government lies
once were based
on reality
Like getting robbed
by a junkie
You hate that he did it
But understand why
Today shadows
manipulate
the ventriloquists
Puppets pull strings
Pinocchio hangs himself
Like Alice
Who thinks she knows
People talking about
how it was
Fond memories
Extermination
Colonialization
Slavery
Holocausts
Viet Nam
CIA
Epidemics
Assassinations
Starvation
Elimination
Nostalgia is just another lie
Designed to convince us
that we used to be
so happy
Pancakes and aprons
for breakfast
Rebellion for dessert
Life was always fucked
It brought us here
To the worst regime yet
But it’s not new
It’s just that the shadows
are center stage
Hula hoops
and strobe lights
Cigarette girls
and puppets
We pay our admission
to the show
that never ends.