I saw the revolution in black & white
me, tucked between
mama and daddy on the couch
I got up to change the channel
blood splattered across our staticky screen
with abstract pictures of America’s dream
gunshots ricochet through our audio speakers
chants and screams rattling the TV antenna
glass shattered
cities burned in multi-shades of gray
fear slashed the sound of the old steam heater
black folks marching for justice
white folks protesting war
hippies getting high on acid love
and factory workers striking between episodes
of Three stooges and Gunsmoke

I saw the revolution on the evening news
opportunity calling from the courts
me, going off to college and work
mama and daddy investing in real estate
prosperity focusing sharper images on our color TV
live coverage of the race to middle class
prestige by Citibank brought to us in
surround sound offering of credit cards
and high interest rates
diversity broadcast via satellite
adjusting contrast in neilson ratings
black folks moving to suburbs
white women sitting in board rooms
hippie ceo’s running for governor
and corporations downsized between episodes
of The Jefferson’s and 60 Minutes

I heard the revolution crying the blues
talkin’ bout folks not needing it no more
me, doing 20 years in the federal building
mama fired 3 months before retiring
daddy dead 30 days before collecting social security
the right to vote got canceled
boycotts and protest rallies
undercounting ballots on commercial-free cable
struggling with bear and bull markets
marching in the dow jones power demonstration
channel surfing on high resolution screens
descrambling justice on pay-per-view TV
black folks joining republicans
teenagers joining millionaires
hippies relaxing in the Caribbean on
compounded wealth

technologies overthrowing democracy
while the feds got a link to our genetic blueprints
but nobodies paying attention to
the revolution anymore
it died with the birth of remote control