The Trackless Path

What if we decentralized our corporations

Not because of government mandates, 

But because we want less headaches.

And what if each factory worker went home

And operated a cottage industry 

That cooperated with a central idea - a central brand.

What if we shared the brand.

I did that once. I cooperated with a friend.

I manufactured certain products. He manufactured others.

And we shared the same brand.

In the end, we both made more money 

And had less headaches.

What if the higher-ups

Gave the enterprise away to the lower-downs?

And what if the lower downs 

Decided, out of gratitude,

How much to pay the higher-ups?

Not a rule. Not a law. But a personal policy

On the part of those who have

To be the servants of all

And a personal policy 

On the part of the have-nots

To not forget to feed the ones who gave their all.

What if we chose to trade instead of sell?

What if we renounced the corporation?

What if we found a way 

To do business with 

Actual others.

What if we could stop wanting what they offer?

What if we could walk away from papers?

What if we could say no to the hoops

They dangle before us enticingly?

What if we could do without money,

At least for the most part?

What if we could trade?

What if I never touched the things that flow through me?

What if they skipped me altogether

And landed in the laps

Of those I love?

What if I were to step out of the system?