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THE CURATED STATE

They said the spending served the people,

yet the debt climbed year by year;

billions borrowed in our name

while criticism grew unclear.

 

Funds flowed outward through the system

to agencies, boards, and chosen hands;

consultants multiplied like weather

across the desk of Labour's plans.

 

And somewhere in the quiet machinery

a lesson slowly settled in:

those who echoed approved opinions

always found them welcomed in.

 

The taxpayer kept paying bills

for programmes we could not explain;

meanwhile roads, hospitals, and households

groaned beneath the growing strain.

 

Then came the language of “alignment,”

of narratives that must be “safe”;

and many wondered if rationale

still survived within the state.

 

No tanks rolled through the city squares.

No uniforms appeared at doors.

Just grants, incentives, panels, contracts

slid controlled through corridors.

 

Now, months before the new election,

the old machinery hums once more;

promise blooms beside the flagstone

though we all still doubt the score.

 

And ordinary people ask a question

governments dislike the most:

if all this spending builds such strength,

How come so many feel so broke?

 

[email protected]

25 May 2026

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Written by
marshal-gebbie
81 / M / Australian
Published
May 25
Lines·Words
34·182
Notes

This poem reflects concern about the expansion of government-funded influence networks, rising public debt, and the growing alignment between political messaging, institutional funding, and sections of New Zealand’s media landscape.

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