Absent Goods - edit

[dukealien]

Absent Goods


I used to wonder, hypothetically,
how it must be to live, a Communist,
or as a Russian proletarian
today, accustomed to the empty shelves
of stores where all was scarcity and dust.

Last week I found out from experience
of visiting my local grocery
where much was missing, racks nude, shelves unstocked
because of snow and ice:  trucks had not come.

I only found a little gourmet food
for proletarians had been there first
and bought the rest to feed their families
back home on frozen, white-encrusted streets.

original version;

I used to wonder, hypothetically,
how it must be to live, a Communist,
or as a Russian proletarian
today, accustomed to the empty shelves
of stores where all was scarcity and dust.

Last week I found out from experience
of visiting my local grocery
where much was missing, racks nude, shelves unstocked
because of snow and ice:  trucks had not come.

I had to buy expensive, gourmet cheese
for proletarians had got there first
and bought the budget stuff right to the walls.

[busker]

The set up was nice, but the ending wasn't really a twist.
The proles buying the gourmet stuff would've been a nice irony.

I don't think the Russians are doing that badly. They have everything they need from the country that actually makes everything.

[wasellajam]

ha

Arctic Panic

The local Trader Joe's
emptied freezer cases
held only my sister's favorite
vegetarian Indian entrees,
expect it will be discontinued.

A vegetarian living
in a meat-loving town
found the refrigerated cases empty
except for tofu and soy sausage.
She had everything she needed.

[dukealien]

ha

Arctic Panic

The local Trader Joe's
emptied freezer cases
held only my sister's favorite
vegetarian Indian entrees,
expect it will be discontinued.

A vegetarian living
in a meat-loving town
found the refrigerated cases empty
except for tofu and soy sausage.
She had everything she needed.

Good one - the reverse image of missing stuff!

[dukealien]

edit;

I used to wonder, hypothetically,
how it must be to live, a Communist,
or as a Russian proletarian
today, accustomed to the empty shelves
of stores where all was scarcity and dust.

Last week I found out from experience
of visiting my local grocery
where much was missing, racks nude, shelves unstocked
because of snow and ice:  trucks had not come.

I only found a little gourmet food
for proletarians had been there first
and bought the rest to feed their families
back home on frozen, white-encrusted streets.

---

Last stanza edited for a little more image/drama(?) and a vague connection via weather.

The set up was nice, but the ending wasn't really a twist.
The proles buying the gourmet stuff would've been a nice irony.

I don't think the Russians are doing that badly. They have everything they need from the country that actually makes everything.

Your last line is  eloquently ambiguous - is the country that makes everything China (which supplies Russia, for a price) or Russia itself if only it had a mechanism to decide what was actually needed/wanted among all its potential, and distribute it?  Hard crony capitalism (oligarchy) isn't working much better for them  than totalitarian cronyism (Communism as practiced) did.

[busker]

Your last line is  eloquently ambiguous - is the country that makes everything China (which supplies Russia, for a price) or Russia itself if only it had a mechanism to decide what was actually needed/wanted among all its potential, and distribute it?  Hard crony capitalism (oligarchy) isn't working much better for them  than totalitarian cronyism (Communism as practiced) did.

'Crony capitalism' is what characterises America today, and indeed, has characterised America all the way back the era of the robber barons. 
Regarding China - I'd say the system is working brilliantly for them. Shanghai beats any American city, hands down - except New York. China's top 10 cities leave the west in the dust.

America's dominance is entirely on account of the US dollar being the reserve currency, a practice whose end is quite foreseeable. The rest of its economy is part petro state and part hype bubble, whereas China not only matches America in tech (Deepseek, Unitree, CATL, BYD) but comprehensively bests it everywhere in the supply chain.

[dukealien]

Your last line is  eloquently ambiguous - is the country that makes everything China (which supplies Russia, for a price) or Russia itself if only it had a mechanism to decide what was actually needed/wanted among all its potential, and distribute it?  Hard crony capitalism (oligarchy) isn't working much better for them  than totalitarian cronyism (Communism as practiced) did.

'Crony capitalism' is what characterises America today, and indeed, has characterised America all the way back the era of the robber barons. 
Regarding China - I'd say the system is working brilliantly for them. Shanghai beats any American city, hands down - except New York. China's top 10 cities leave the west in the dust.

America's dominance is entirely on account of the US dollar being the reserve currency, a practice whose end is quite foreseeable. The rest of its economy is part petro state and part hype bubble, whereas China not only matches America in tech (Deepseek, Unitree, CATL, BYD) but comprehensively bests it everywhere in the supply chain.

Thank you for clarifying that.