Skip to main content

21ST-CENTURY POETRY Folding Green by Julian Bishop

When the hedgies moved in, they dumped old bonds,
went long on conglomerates, short on anything in rows,
anything skittish, scuttling or moving in a sideways trend.

In came the runners of funds, the pumpers and dumpers,
fixers and riggers until fly-by-night capital took fright.
Out flew the featherbedded assets, flippers, floaters,

assorted gold bugs, lame ducks all sold down the river
by passive investors until lifetime creepers shifted
operations offshore. Too many gambles on futures,

murky safe havens were left high and dry. Fish turned
phishers, pikes became pikers, hawks swished into doves.
One lone shark stayed the same. The banks collapsed,
 
swathes of distressed assets no longer recession-proof.  
All that remained: an empty liquidity trap, a downward
butterfly curve. Naturally the vulture funds swooped —

sudden spikes in trading as they plumped for cattle
and live hogs. Browse through the FT and you’ll find
every stock always plunges again by the closing bell.

Julian Bishop is a former BBC and ITN journalist and a member of Poets for the Planet. 21st-century Poetry is edited by Andy Croft, email [email protected]

 

 

OWNED BY OUR READERS

We're a reader-owned co-operative, which means you can become part of the paper too by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society.

 

 

Become a supporter

Fighting fund

You've Raised:£ 13,288
We need:£ 4,712
3 Days remaining
Donate today