If (Only) Obama Were a Socialist

If Obama were a Socialist, maybe he'd make the most of his
power and appropriate
a better world for all
not sell out to the bankers for a momentary favor
or mandate things so cankerous as dictates of an Emperor
whose blatant lust for legacy
overrides the call
for a society less self-serving, respect for those deserving
some dignity
'tis of thee
only some of us recall

But if even he were conditioned in Hegelian tradition and
could synthesize his positions
in aid of Marx's cause
he could make no supposition on how he hasn't the ambition to
back the one-percenter coalitions
and pass all of their laws


If Obama were a Communist, maybe he'd stop bombing this
world in-to a bloody mist
and send away the drones

He'd take the tortured "terrorists", manacles on hands and wrists
release them from his iron fist
and leave well enough alone

And then he'd - all on top of this - shun the military-industrialist
embrace his inner pacifist
and throw us all a bone

But he's certainly no humanist, has no respect for habeas
and his business
consists
of a kill list
asses kissed
chance missed
Constitution 'twist
and that's just
the gist of it


If Obama were a Panther, maybe he'd have an answer
for the cancer on America
that carves away our soul
y'know we can't have equality with hierarchy to the T
just can't say "it's fine with me" - "a post-racial society"
as if emancipation, litigation
and (certainly not) desegregation
actually achieved the goal
no - a proper functionality was never a reality
when poverty's compulsory, oligarchy's running free
terribly destructively
and all we teach our children
is power and control

The facade of democracy covers corporatocracy
we've a monopoly of parties with money as their policy
and from everything that I can see, our participatory self-robbery
is running down the rickshaw
and shining up the gold


If (only) Obama were a Socialist, everything might not be amiss
it'd certainly be nice to exist
in a world where that were true

But since reality's a travesty, and he's as capitalist as can be
you're going to have to excuse me
while I find another view