Words Did It All

 

 

Many an argument was won

Yet, nothing was ever changed

And, if anything at all,

Only deck chairs were rearranged.

 

Same deck! Same chairs!

Though with guaranteed satisfaction!

But when the proverbial dust had settled

There was little or no action.

 

Like that no-change budget

That came ‘round ‘eighty-seven’,

Previous gains were radically eroded

But the no-change was like leaven.

 

No-change was just the term

To satisfy the uninformed

But no-change was a clever ruse

To bring back the old norm.

 

Yes! Words had done it all

And the people were satisfied

But alas! ‘Words’ was all it was;

The real purpose was denied.

 

My thoughts were once required

Regarding a Minister’s presentation,

“Bare talk!” I replied in sincerity;

That was my summation!

 

But given the Minister’s nature

She pressed me hard to explain

Upon which I suggested to her

We are at this point again.

 

 

The point of hearing words

And being emotionally carried away,

But concerning such implementation

We never see the light of day.

 

Back then I had been teaching

For twenty years plus four

And I had come to this very point

Often times before.

 

For many, ‘words’ does it all

Especially with the theatrics,

Yes! When these two are working well

The people are easily tricked.

 

Elections are platform based

‘Tis there that they are mostly won

With suave and romantic rhetoric!

‘Words’!  And the work is done!

 

Words and window dressing

Can go a very long way

Where promise is a fool’s comfort

Or any storm-swept day.

 

Integrity legislation is in place

But only in words, I perceive,

For with consecutive Governments,

Words are all we have received.

 

Just like so many promises

That prior to governing were made

But little or no action subsequently

To enact the necessary upgrade.

 

He is a sucker for punishment

Who gets suck in all the time

And who, time and time again,

Operates from a mindless mind.

 

Mindless, the opposite of mindful,

Is the nature of the mind, I mean

And who because of such mindlessness,

Acts out the very same scene.

 

It may be five years duration

Or just three years and one-half

When the five-year obligation was aborted

And it was on to a new draft.

 

Little was actually accomplished

Regarding the promised upgrade

But into Election Harbour we pulled

And that was only to set sail.

  

Armed with a Republic notion

And coupled with erudite words,

A fresh old mandate was exacted

Though to many it was absurd.

 

But the PM’s ways are past finding out

And higher than anyone’s thoughts

And her words are very soothing

Even to the very distraught.

 

 

There is power in our words

Though they actually get nothing done

But history has generally shown

It is talkers that have won.

 

Oh, that we could have some shakers,

To shake off the moral decline

And some true political movers

To move us back up this incline.

 

But alas, ‘tis words we put trust in

Constantly to our detriment,

And in light of poor track records

We summon good intent.

 

Good intent is but thoughts

Expressed in sugar coated words

That do nothing to ameliorate

The damage already incurred.

 

Finally, I draw to your intention

The implied irony of this theme

And the notion that words can do it all

Should die with the sleeper’s dream.

 

For it is a fool that sleeps

That believes his dream was real

And such is a fool that trusts in words

Even when such promises fail.

 

Stewart Russell © November 10, 2022