Top Dogs

By Cliff Lake

 

Top Dogs

 

Who puts themselves above us,

Or at least out of reach?

Who delivers potent lessons,

But will not practice what they preach?

Who demands your willing sacrifice,

That they covertly leech?

Listen for the victim’s voice,

That from on high does screech.

 

How long must you climb

To where the depths of sin are found?

How low must you go

To where you are duly crowned?

How high do you fly

Before you run aground?

Oh, it’s a long way down to

Where the men at the top are found.

 

These masters and commanders

Expect the most of you.

The more that you accomplish,

The less that they must do.

They move on down the line,

While you wait in the queue,

And follow all the laws they give you,

The ones that they eschew.

 

How long must they climb

To where the depths of sin are found?

How low must they go

To where they are duly crowned?

How high do they fly

Before they run aground?

Yes, it’s a long way down to

Where the men at the top are found.

 

So be a model citizen,

And go to work each day.

And support your local billionaire,

And the golf that he must play.

It’s so fine to break your back,

While in the balance you are weighed

By their lack of moral compass

While they don’t do what they say.

 

How long must they climb

To where the depths of sin are found?

How low must they go

To where they are duly crowned?

How high do they fly

Before they run aground?

Yes, it’s a long way down to

Where the men at the top are found.

 

Cliff Lake 2/18/2026

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2026

Location: Washington, DC, USA

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