there is limited electricity
and contaminated water
there is no food
and there are new newspapers

the news is different
oh sure there is still Peanuts
and the horoscopes often promise sex
but the news itself is different

now drafted by the apparatus of the state
the news is peculiar
it leaves a taste in one's mouth
much like the water does these days

like it is written by machinery
or by writers locked in separate
cells unable to kiss verify factcheck
or even proof their own copy

but at least the newspapers are free now
and the crossword puzzles are challenging
with words like "Freedom" and "Democracy"
and clues like "the cry of the martyr"