Please, disregard the smell... You get used to it! "Good evening! More restrictive laws have recently taken effect, as have less restrictive standards... Community trust continues to climb... Now, in other news... Locals report rats and maggots have tainted your meat... Not to worry, though, the meat is still safe to consume!" The rent ate Monday whole Your key still fits the door You lost your job in spring "But it's been worse before!" The halls smell like old bleach The walls keep losing heat We left all sides unattended And the Rats continued to feast! They came with polished shoes And sweet promises to pitch A honey glazed month-old roast But beneath hides a fetid stench! We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Bleach in the halls, Fumes from the stove We got used to the smell (used to the smell) It got in the walls It got in our clothes We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Wet coats, hot copper, Radiators over mold! We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Now it sits in the air Like it owns the building… The Anchor says your neighbors are calm A few complaints, a few arrests Air quality is still under review He calls distraction progress, Recites headlines like threats With no facts left underneath Suits are grinning from their towers Grease dripping from their teeth! The old wounds made a door The new hands found the latch Maggots fed on what was broken Then Rats sold its bones for cash We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Maggots in the meat, Flies on the glass We got used to the smell (used to the smell) It's in the alley It's down the drains We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Burnt dumpsters, wet gutters, Something died in the parking lot! We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Now it sits in the air Like it owns the block… "Yesterday's incident is more accurately described as a brief physical arrest. The subject was never in critical condition. He's fine. Moving on." "Community leaders are advised to remain patient during these ongoing crises... Remember, patience is a civic virtue... and frankly, some of you could stand to practice it." "Officials now confirm no broader pattern has been identified. Three incidents on one street in one week is not a pattern, it's an unfortunate coincidence. Let It Go!" Your friends stopped taking calls Your neighbor keeps their shades down The family you once loved Won't speak your name in town Stench hangs round every corner Our Parks have fallen to the brood But we still claim our dignity Swallowing what the Rats chewed! We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Flames on the river, Toxins in the rain We got used to the smell (used to the smell) It covers the rooftops It's under the bridge We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Landfill runoff, smoke choked skies The graveyard's flooded again! We got used to the smell (used to the smell) Now it sits in the air Like it owns the whole town… 7:12, Mason Street, Eleven people wait for the bus, 7:15, a bottle breaks, Nobody looks up, 7:18, a mother says wait, Her child runs, A horn honks, A sickening thud, The bus arrives. 7:23, The curb is wet, The paramedic kneels, The mother is looking for her keys, 7:26, An old man stands, His coat covered in vomit, He's crying, He's laughing, He's pointing at the curb, LOOK AT THAT! THAT'S LIFE FOLKS! Ten people shrug, The bus leaves 7:41, Somebody hoses the curb, 7:59, Business resumes as usual. "Another coincidental tragedy occurred on Mason Street, tonight. Clean-up has improved as service resumes on schedule. Must be all the practice! ...ahem... This is the fourth fatality this week. Still not a pattern. Nothing can be done. It's just going to happen again, and again, and... That's the News." Warning, the Smell gets worse... “Oh... It's not that bad,” “You learn to breathe through it..." Or... you don't! This… is the New Normal… [Abrupt End]
