All Gone

All Gone

the roller rinks
the drive-in theaters
the arcades
the big top tents
the spook houses
have all
burned down
leaving us
with churches
with arid sermons
and collection baskets
that are never
ever
full 
enough

gone
are uncle al
and captain windy
bozo the clown
and captain kangaroo
leaving us
in inescapable traffic
with inescapable
commercials
on the radio
or leaving us
stuck
somewhere
in a waiting room
where your name
or number's
never called
soon enough

absent
the globetrotters
coming to town
we're left
with strip joints
with a cover charge
plus $18 cocktails
and $20 lap dances
plus tips

we're left
with stadiums
and arenas
with $200 tickets
with $14 beers
and $40 parking
watching
performers
and athletes
make 20 times more
in a few hours
than we make
all year

we're left
with circle jerk
protests
and political rallies
selling
false hope 
and overpriced
bootleg
merchandise
for the candidate
or cause
we know
will never
save
the day

we're left
with nursing homes
with 
beds
for $250 
a night
which don't 
even include
an immediate change
of the diaper
or the sheets
when
we shit
the bed

you can slip
a noose
around your neck
or drown yourself
in spirits 
or force
a bullet 
through 
your brain
from the dismay
of knowing
all the funhouses
are gone

or
you can accept
with curiosity
and a bit
of solemn wonder
why
they all
burned down
and resign
to the glamor
and disgust
of all
that have
taken
their place