The brokers’ phones are jingling,
The little guy is back,
Though battered by three long, cruel years
He’ll take another whack.

He knows that unemployment’s up,
That fed debt is a’soaring,
Our import-export balance sheet
Is skewed beyond restoring.

This little guy is well informed,
He reads the Wall Street Press,
He’s up on all the troub’ling news,
The signs of deep distress.

So why’s he once more buying stock?
He’s no untutored sap.
He knows the warning signs could mean
This is a new bear trap.

The answer is he’s hoping,
His fortunes to retool.
He plans to bail out in time
And stiff a bigger fool.

**********

© Michael Silverstein