Privatise The Air Pt. 2

The vast industrial complex sprawled over many thousand acres trailing
Off into the grey horizon. Smoke billowed out of huge chimneys which
Towered over a grim landscape. Bleakness was in abundance. Fragments
Of charred wood that were once trees were scattered here and there
And could be seen through folds of lead-grey smog which constantly
Shifted and mingled with dull concrete. Against the relentless drone
Of machinery, metal on metal, you could hear the sounds of coughing
And choking. These foul eruptions came from groups of shabbily
Dressed people who sat huddled around small fires. Winos, junkies
The unemployed, the people at the bottom. The air here was cheap
Tax deductible, a kind concession given by both the government and
The corporation. Here the unwanted sucked the air and fumed
Singularly. It was hard to get something for nothing these days
Here they were far removed from laws and gadgets which dictated the
Daily intake of air. A simple equation of person over air. Cost
Effective. Measured down to the last cubic metre. Even to the
Differential at night-time intake. Use it sparingly. Conserve it
Save it up for when you can suck it in like a millionaire. Shares
Were selling. Business was booming. Life was something prized with
The corporation air. Air for the highest bidder. A handsome reward
For timorous flunkies of the state. Meanwhile the so-called low-
Life with gas masks in hand stepped out in the haze, the hazy gloom
For a twice-monthly handout, grateful to the bastards in high office
In the area surrounding the complex there were no rich green pastures
Where the methane level was lowest. Here sulphur ate into the lungs
Like the most noxious of pests. The rural existence seemed several
Generations away, as aloof and mysterious as a dream. The poisons
Were used up by the helpless many, knowing full well that they could
Only wish to be in the running. The trees had long since given up and
Died. The stuff was pumped out and taken in. The corporation was
Doing well. On the day of the big sell off switchboards were jammed
Greedy panicked people flooded in and fought in smooth and
Well ventilated establishments. Idiots of all classes motivated
By hype and avarice. The beast becoming one with the calculator
The docile becoming bully and thief. All at one time. The
Clever and astute among the population had already anticipated
The current lunacy and had already taken appropriate measures
Laughing cynically like reprieved mass murderers and mentally
Fondling their share certificates with the lust of fools