The following is part of the 2019 May Poetry Feature at C4SS.  

Sometimes things need fixing;
The cogs are all mucked up,
Founded on an outdated design,
Money thrown to keep ’em spinning.

Flaws get lost in rhetoric, and —
Distracted by chauvinist conflict —
We don’t realize that it just keeps breaking,
Gears ground to rust as bones to dust.

Sometimes things need fixing
And sometimes shit’s just fucked.
Sometimes you bring in someone for repairs,
And sometimes you scrap the parts for spares.

But old machines don’t break easy,
And apathy cuts both ways,
So stay angry, fam!
One cog can’t change much…

But many, many can.