Golden Shovels

Each of them had one A golden shovel To sweep away the detritus Of life’s lingering keepsakes Scratching the gold-plated spears Dodging deaths deadline Struggling to be remembered Ecologically egotistical entrepreneurs Pictures, suitable for framing Polished, souvenir hard hats Sign waving sycophants Applauding the arrogance Of progressive platitudes. An old woman weeps The shadow of her home gone The echoes of her life fading A Teddy bear lays crushed Beneath an unseen future.