The mayor of Bogotá once said, "An advanced city is not one Where the poor own a car, but one Where the rich use public transport." I think of that quote every time I hear the phrase, "pay your own way," Or the odd, antique word "bootstrap". Prosperity as window-shade, Activated by a quick tug— Giving credit to the wrist-flick Rather than complex mechanics That make the process possible— Offers a convenient fiction, Covers a multitude of sins. When any public good is deemed "Wasteful" and every private waste Just "the cost of doing business," What spirit will wake us to see That glory and wealth are fleeting, "All flourishing is mutual,"* And no one gains by suffering?
*Robin Wall Kimmerer
