A Modest Proposal

the burden of poverty
lies on outraged riches
Oh, the woe afflicted
by those screaming babes

let still their hunger
what is a child
but mere small cattle
and so value them

there is no dignity
in rags and squalor
no value in subsistence
to the upstanding man

let flesh be served
tender, supple and young
as hearty stew or
smothered in thick gravy

for the greater nourishment
and benefit to the publick
to suck the rich marrow
from crooked little femurs

tears billowing down cheeks
welcome relief for dessert
the cries of proud parents
have never tasted so sweet