Prosperity

Fumes of smoke stacks darken the skies,
hanging like death shrouds over the city.

Industry owner looks down from mansion at his empire, sipping his cocktail
while casually perusing the secret report
about the number of those who died
from what his business poured into the air,
which he bribed officials to claim was safe.

Grateful, nobody notices the toxic wastes dumped into river,
causing so many lives to be extinguished early.

Glancing over at the cemetery sprawling greens,
mind making mental note,
to find out how many plots are still available,
always pays to know how many more can be sacrificed
before he will have spend money to make his plant
finally conform to laws, he has only had to obey with lip service.