Green Shoots of Recovery

Be sure to get yourself
a good night’s sleep,
but I’m sure you’ll be counting FTSE shares
instead of sheep.

You keep a keen eye on the stock exchange
just so you can pass the buck,
lying through your teeth about Libor rates
with your hands covered in muck.

Be sure to clutch K2 schemes,
hold them firmly to your chest,
on an island in the Bahamas where
you can accrue interest.

It may escape your attention,
but there’s an I.O.U. you owe,
yet you’re far too busy sipping Pinot Grigio
in a yacht on the tidal flow.

Be sure to vote for your MP,
staying blind to all expenses,
as they cut O2 from lifelines
like a boa strangles senses.

In the meantime, a benefit claimant
finds it tough to make ends meet
he tries bringing home the bacon to feed his kids,
but is outed as a benefit cheat.

We are told that these
are the green shoots of recovery,
as if it must befit our needs.
But there’s little use in ‘green shoots’
if no sooner do they take root, they’re plucked
from the soil, like dirty weeds.