Kubla Kahn
(In the style of Samuel Coleridge)

In two thousand six did Kubla Kahn
A stately mall complex decree,
Beside a road with traffic great,
'T'would be the biggest in the state,
A shopping joy for all to see.

And filling up this mega mall
Would be top merchants wall to wall;
One anchor Macy's, the other Sachs,
Few discount goods upon those racks,
A place to spend, to eat, relax

For months financing never slowed,
A river of hot money flowed;
Investors thought, this deal's safe,
It bore a triple-A loan rate,
How could you lose on real estate?

Then from afar Kubla did hear,
"Recession's coming, beware! beware!"
He shrugged it off, but then, 'twas here.
Investment he could once entice,
The cheap loans on which he'd long fed,
Dried up and he was filled with dread,
'Cause bankrupcy's no paradise.

*****

©2010 Michael Silverstein

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