Four days later, I posted a revised poem that was close to what I hope is the final version shown here. (See “A Labor Day Lament, Version 2,” comments on which were influential in developing the final division.) That second version—I actually went through some intermediate edits I did not bother to save—mostly benefitted from minor changes. It introduced the line “Where the hell did you go wrong?” as the last line of the refrain. I had mixed feelings about this change and, with some encouragement, I reverted to a version of the previous ending of the refrain.

I would like to see the poem set to music, but I fear the meter is irregular enough to make setting it to music a difficult task.

I should, of course, say something about the content of the poem. The poem is not about Labor Day, or even labor, in general. It is very much about the political climate in the United States today. The references are all to recent events and circumstances, which news junkies can quickly identify. There are two significant older references in the poem. “A new order of the ages” is a translation of the motto “Annuit cœptis” on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States. The last line of the penultimate stanza is an allusion to the famous 1931 labor song by Florence Reece, “Which Side Are You On?” Because the poem is so time-specific, I decided to change the title from “A Labor Day Lament” to the present “Labor Day Lament, 2011.” I hope this is the last Labor Day lament I will have to write, but I am not optimistic.

I would like to dedicate this poem to Charles (Chuck) Little, late husband of my friend Jane, who helped me whip the poem into shape.

The version of the poem shown above was completed on September 15, 2011.

— LED, 9/15/2011