O Status Quo!

We attend the philharmonic,

Intent on the maestro's beat;

We sit unmoved, platonic,

We belong to the elite.

We dwell in blithe suburbia

Where symbols point to status.

We go in debt for any fad

That keeps the neighbors looking at us.

We are wild about this culture thing.

We buy a book a week;

We bandy titles with the best

Of the literary clique.

But we've had enough of status,

We plan to let it go.

We are heading back to the contryside

And peaceful status quo.

(First published in Along the Lane: Dedicated to the memory of Thomas William Larsen, who lost his life in World War II)