the bank that tells us what to do

the bank that tells us what to do
the bank’s very name tells us what to do.
it has us chasing a new car, chasing a house, chasing investment income, chasing material dreams,
all sorts.
we have been pre-approved, probably
since before we were born,
so as we drive past the blue-logoed branches,
each logo is a reminder
of our duty to pursue,
our mandate to be never content.
therefore, having money in our checking account,
and having bought that car
with help from the automotive loan personnel
or algorithm thereof,
the blue-logoed bank diminishes our wealth
each month
painlessly as possible
with an automatic withdrawal.
.
long ago chase manhattan bank
and the j. p. morgan company
found it more suitable to collide and collude
than compete.
.
jupiter pierpont morgan died more than a hundred years ago
but his acquisitive soul lives on
and we scamper at his whim.