The poet William Stafford set himself the task of writing a poem a day. When someone asked him what he would do when his poem-of-the-day wasn't very good, he replied "I simply lower my standards." In order to increase output, the bar here is set at a low level - the point of this is to have some fun with current events and politics. I welcome contributions and comments. Now you can also follow Doggerelo on Twitter (@doggerelo). Because of continuing medical problems, I'm no longer able to post a poem-a-day. I'll continue to post poems, but at a reduced frequency, so please stay tuned.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Greece Agonistes

Greece today seems paralyzed by uncertainty, discord and fear.  

The Greeks said no to Germany’s plan
To make them pay off their debt
When austerity came, a depression began
With poverty now they’re beset.

The parties in Greece can no longer agree
Which is the best path to follow
Some say they must stick with austerity
Although now that rings pretty hollow.

Others say no, we must chart our own path
Even if that means defaulting
But bankers will act with predictable wrath
Their credit they’ll be assaulting.

No parties can form a strong coalition
No government comes of this stew.
It seems like the Greeks have to make an admission
That no one knows what to do.

If Greece leaves the Euro zone what happens then?
No one knows how the zone will react.
In place of the Euro, they’ll have drachmas again
But their value will surely contract.

The outlook in Greece is really not good
The future looks pretty bleak
All the options are bad and not understood
It’s disheartening now to be Greek.

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