america the beautiful

it’s recommended that you go to see a doctor,

at least once a year,

that you go to see a dentist, an optometrist

that this list of medical set ups,

of co-payments or out-of-pocket expenses

grows steadily, like inflation,

with the years

depending, of course, on family history,

on your drug & alcohol intake,

on your gender, poor eating habits,

& what you have been exposed to

knowingly or behind your back by the FDA

it’s recommended by physicians, specialists,

& pharmaceutical companies

that care primarily about finding something wrong

with you,

about getting you sick & making sure

that you stay that way:

this being the cash cow,

how they make their capital

the opposite is recommended, however,

by insurance companies:

for they, too, would like to get rich

at your expense

as long as you get deducted the monthly premium,

it’s in their best interest if you missed

medical appointments,

if you don’t bother to schedule them,

in the first place

it means more bang for the buck

that they are stealing from you,

or less they have to share with healthcare providers:

whom they disdain,

they are in competition with

it’s recommended that you drink some more,

that you knock yourself out

c. a. campos, 2011