Val's Refreshing Optimism

Alternate title: Paraphrased Pieces of Sidewalk Berg-versations...

'Reagan set the stage, with a cast of characters for the age.
And Bush paved the way, for the 'morrow's police state day.'

'They're clipping coupons 'till the end my friends,
These prophets of profit, kings of Kings.
And we're at the bottom, of a heavy pyramid,
Free as slaves, we slaves to freedom.'

"You guys got a cigarette?" 'We've heard that five times tonight,
Move along, move along, we've more important things to do here'
he says with disdain. But this is all in my head, and of course his words are much different.
It's the attitude, the knowingness that's important, and of that, he is full.
He sees, and hears, and reads it all,
And there's nothing left but for him to let you in on the secrets
That clog up his brain with such inside use(information)lessness staggeringly depressing,
the End is surely near.
'So back in'79' he backs it all with specific
Details that make your heart hurt and your skin clammy and your
Brain says "No. Don't think about..." and you latch onto something that will help you
Remember that you believe in the future, the future is just
Like everything is now, I like believing the world is
'Not safe at all to..." I go inside for another beer away from this sidewalk prophet of doom,
but I know he is still out there, still outside chain-smoking his Dorals, still talking about the
Rockefellers and Bernanke and Jimmy Carter and the Chinese and oil and that
I'm missing precious pieces of the puzzle that he sees clearly, that he's painstakingly assembled.
And it's 1:30 AM on a Thursday, and he's wound like a top, this man thirty years my senior who I imagine must never, ever, ever sleep...
But I am exhausted, and his words have worn me down.