J.R. Acosta’s Riposte to J.R.R. Tolkien's Epigraph to The Lord of The Rings

Three Rings for the Pseudo-Platonic Politicians under the sky,

            Watch Wall Street’s follies, the sucking maelstrom of the

Military-Industrial Complex, and the spigot of Taxation Failure

Seven for the Cultural-lords in their halls of stone,

            Ponder gay rights, abortion haters, hate, greed, avarice,

mistaken pride, and the jaded train of expectations

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

            Too much, too lofty, never enough but usually just fine.

Snowstorm nights:  unexpected babies, arugula boxes for the rich,

dusted-off DVDs, calls to Mom & that long-unsought cousin.  A

dive into your dust-covered book, and reminiscing far afield.

One for Jester Lord Jose on his throne, a paper sun,

            Picture another space and time, where the One Ring confounds

and solves them all, where it all makes sense

In the Post-Industrial Land where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,

In the Land of Complexity where the Shadows lie.