They Want Us Dead [poem]

they want us as slaves
and if we won’t be slaves
they want us dead

we grew their crops
it was not enough
we built their roads
it was not enough
we sailed their ships
it was not enough
we fought
and bled
and died
for their sins
and still
it was not
enough

all they ever cared about
was their power
their wealth
their profit
their luxury

all they ever asked about us was
“how much can they do for us”
“how much can they make for us?”
“how much can they pay us
just to exist?”

how much wealth
do they expect
us to pour
into their already
obscenely swollen coffers?

now with AI and
automation and
robotics
they need
fewer
and
fewer
of us

so what shall they do?

well…obviously…kill us off

oh, they’ll spare a few
the ”nice” ones
the “dependable” ones
to either run the machines
or (more likely)
to stand
and serve
and suffer
their massive
god-like
egos

there’s not enough work
to keep all of us busy
not enough work
to justify most of us
existing
so they will
gradually
whittle
us down

ultimately,
they want us
dead
while endlessly
envying
them

the train to Auschwitz
has left the station

© Buzz Dixon