Poetry

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By

deb y felio

Say

say it’s a charity

a worthy foundation

for lesser kids

and their education

say it’s a donation

from the goodness of your heart

hoping opportunities

for others to impart

say it’s only you making a small start

to give back to your community

some of what’s been given to you

with impact for eternity

say it’s for complete immunity

there is no way to fail

Every child is bought a place

acceptance is in the mail

say it’s evolution on the grandest scale

admittance for the rich

the price paid for those who can

afford this crooked pitch

say anything, beware the snitch

is playing for the other team

your calls are now recorded

soon to vanquish any dream

say nothing now, you’ve gone live stream

the news has now exposed you

for the scam you did, the scum you are

look around there’s quite a queue

say you only paid what was due

to have your dear child supported

for what they couldn’t do themselves

and now it’s all been thwarted

say anything and it will be reported

into the courts imbued

with judgement and authority

to rule you completely screwed

say isn’t it strange and completely crude

how you thought this thief and liar could be trusted

to protect you in this dirty scheme

and now you all are busted!

Thanks for the Education

Dedicated to William Singer and the parents, coaches, university administrators, admissions personnel, physicians, ACT testing centers, administrators and proctors, Georgetown, YALE, USC, Stanford, UCLA, University of Texas – Austin, WakeForest, University of San Diego.

Thank you very much!

Thank you for denigrating and casting doubt on the legitimate efforts and accomplishments of every student who entered university life honestly and by their own hard work.

Thank you for proving how far you will go to destroy fair playing fields.

Thank you for modeling another level of entitlement and corruption for your fans, your children, your students, your families, and your supporters.

Thank you for once again promoting athleticism in any form – even imaginary – as an elevated position.

Thank you for reminding any who had forgotten, the elevated level of corruption in athletics.

Thank you for showing in so many ways how a big name, big success and big reputations have so little to do with honesty, integrity and anything your PR might say you stand for.

Thank you for so carefully constructing a public persona to hide your personal deprivations and selfish pursuits.

Thank you for creating and propagating another generation of those believing there can always be someone to “fix it” when the effort required just couldn’t be achieved due to other indulgences requiring time and attention.

Thank you for creating another generation of poorly attached children who will seek self serving relationships, substance use and abuse or illegal activities such as college administration or coaching to provide some needed remedy for the holes left by the absence of meaningful self actualization and competency.

Thank you for showing these children your lack of belief that they were innately worthy.

Thank you for your obvious doubting their ability to compete and succeed at whatever level they found themselves.

Thank you for showing you never outgrow your own insecurities, and achievement doesn’t replace the lack of a moral compass.

Thank you for perpetrating the belief in a false self as the only acceptable self.

Thank you for disguising money laundering as charity funds and participating in racketeering, thus identifying yourselves as the real criminals you are.

Thank you for doing so much for the next generation.

May your future years be spent in an entirely different gated community.

With thanks,

The other 99%

deb y felio

deb y felio is a witness poet and essayist living in Boulder CO, USA. She recently retired as a child and family therapist. After years of helping others find their voices and tell their stories for healing, she is now finding hers and using it to create commentary on historic and current events. Her work can be found in many online literary journals.