Karl’s Labor's Lost - edit2

[dukealien]

Karl’s Labor’s Lost


Pumped oil and later gasoline
(its distillate) excused us from
a Marxist coup d’etat for it
dispensed with stokers, men who threw
crushed coal on fires for others whom
they couldn’t help but envy.  Their
brute muscle-power was employed
for pennies as if stokers owned
no minds resentment might inflame.

Instead, petroleum flowed far
from fields that paid their drillers well
through pipes to far refineries
or into ships that burned it neat–
no sweating stokers to resent
their exploitation, or dark pits
of sullen miners primed to strike.
When stokers’ sons earned motorcars,
their envy failed and Marx retired.

edit1;

Fuel-oil and later gasoline
(its distillate) excused us from
a Marxist coup d’etat for they
required no stokers, men to throw
black coal on fires for others whom
they couldn’t help but envy for
brute muscle power they employed
for pennies as if stokers had
no minds resentment could consume.

Instead, petroleum ran slick
from fields which paid their drillers well
through pipes to far refineries
or into ships that burned it neat–
no sweating stokers to resent
their exploitation, or dark pits
of sullen miners primed to strike.
When stokers’ sons drove motorcars
their envy failed, and Marx retired.

original version;

Karl’s Demise


Fuel-oil and later gasoline
(its distillate) redeemed us from
a Marxist overthrow for they
required no stokers, men to throw
black coal on fires for others whom
they couldn’t help but envy for
brute muscle power they employed
for pennies as if stokers had
no minds resentment could consume.

In place of coal, rock-oil ran slick
from fields which paid their drillers well
through pipes to far refineries
or into ships that burned it neat–
no wretched stokers to resent
their exploitation, or dark pits
of sullen miners primed to strike.
When stokers’ sons drove motorcars
their envy failed, and Marx expired.

Alternate title:  "Oil, Fool!"