Troika

Touched by the golden hand
I Would do anything, to gain the gift
Again; to chance the noble cause
It is my home, which has never been
The marginalized and the out
Cast, cannot be seen in their
Day; toiling at the fray
Building worlds to love
And to need; but there
Is no compensation, not
For us at least

How quickly we love their art
And cast them all aside: the artists
And their maps of tomorrow
It is a despicable act that
Is committed at the table
There is no defense for the artist
Against the apathy of those of means
Who could change the law
With the wave of a pen
Who could provide a living wage
To the poets and the prophets
The ones who show us where
To go, and what is true
I have no den to call my own
But still, I'd do it all again

I am an Artist
It is in my blood
I can do no other task
And keep my sanity intact
But this is not understood, by society
At large; I should get a real job
Go to work in the factory
Or on the barge
This would please us and
We could forget about you
Helping the tycoons line their pockets
Another slave not unionized; to help
The entrepreneurs build their pyramids

Where are the guardians
And who looks out for us
How can it be that change is hard
When conscience is snuffed out
Denial kills better angels
These are our values
Peace, Equity, Virtue, and Love
I shall not rest until the balance is restored
It has never been, but that does not mean
It cannot be, permanently
What's spoken must be true
For these values to take root
And what's right is necessary
We must not forsake
Our obligation

I know the struggle is so hard, and
At times it feels like progress is so
Slow; but we continue down the
Road, with our heads held high
Following Lady Justice
Never saying our goodbyes
To the dream that we share
And articulate
The day will come of our fate, and
Faith in the cause shall be redeemed
The seeds have been planted and
Are constantly maintained
For the harvest to come is to be shared by all
It's very simple: they take whatever they can
From you, and say that there's nothing that
You can do; about the rule of law, which
Enables them to plunder
Holding hostage our precious families
To industry and capital

Every minute, of every hour
Every second, and every moment
Is a chance that we have
To topple their structures
And build a new world
The revolution is looming
Watch, as our banners unfurl

Who knows what power lies within
Awakened masses and ready to begin
To rally the cause a threat
Will come; to vested interests
We'll say, "So long!"

The artists who are leading the way
Deserve fair pay and don't sink down
To that level where the lies are found
To steal from the poor and wear
A crown; to ask for more, as
Though we're bound
We won't give in
We won't back down

The weather is changing now
Our season has come
The damage done cannot be reversed
But we'll dispel the age-old curse
And with it there will be no doubt
For who's in and who is out, shall
Set the tone, and cast throughout