Promises, Promises (Poetry)

All the things they promised us —
if only we were good
kind and thoughtful — lived our lives
the way they said we should

So we kept their rules and by and large
stayed pretty much in line
our Ps and Qs were minded as
we grew and bided time

With standards carefully preserved
conscience kept a hold
on decency and playing fair —
those concepts we’d been told

would see us through and mark us out
as honest types and true
to those old values we’d been taught —
the mantra we all knew ...

Except those values lost their worth —
the world threw them away —
good manners, kindness, truth and trust
don’t mean that much today

The thief and liar profits more
than the decent working man
who clings to what he thinks is right
gets on as best he can

Those promises forgotten now
lie boxed like rusting tools
it’s dog eat dog — no pity shown
and no one knows the rules