THE VISION OF THE MARTYR FRED · AS EXPURGATED FOR THE
CENTRALIANS
Nothing is ever anyone’s fault
Chapter 12
In Paradise,
2In the shining jewel of Harry’s crown where you presently reside,
3aNothing that happens can ever be anyone’s fault,
4Even if the bridges are crumbling to rust,
5And the ghettoes are grimmer, darker, and more dangerous all the time,
6And the river is dying,
7And the chemical sunsets are getting more and more hallucinogenic,
8And the school system is so rotten that even its core is a slimy decomposing blob of putrefaction,
9And the corporations are run by cold-blooded bean counters who despise everyone and everything but money,
10And the politicians are stupid thieving liars who wouldn’t recognize a vision if they were blinded by one,
11And the rich are getting richer and meaner all the time,
12And the poor are getting poorer and meaner all the time,
13And the ones in between are just getting meaner and meaner and meaner,
14All the time,
15bAnd absolutely everybody everywhere is living strictly for today,
16This minute,
17And the Future consists of tonight, tomorrow, and a few odd-points in the months to come,
18Because any other Vision of the Future might require some thought,
19Which nobody will want to risk,
20Until you come of age, of course,
21And inherit everything,
22And take charge of Paradise,
23And get to do things the way you want to.
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Chapter 12 / 29