So the poem was inspired by Trump’s Tariffs (1)
Goods have moved since the dawn of man
As far horizons beckoned and trade routes began
Traders travelled across the globe
Following the winds by sea and guided by stars
Crossing deserts and mountains from near and afar
The Silk Road, the Salt Road, the Amber Route, the Spice Route
The Maritime Highways and Indian cotton trade
Where ancient travellers carried cargo in golden cascades
From west to east, from north to south,
From east to west, from south to north
There was nowhere long gone civilizations didn’t travel forth
What a stroke of genius thought of by the ancient elite
That taxing trade with tariffs gave to imperial might
Funding armies and building monarchial wealth
Not much trickled down to farmer or worker or slave
For both then and now the common man bore the weight
When tariffs were imposed and citizens were used as compliant bait
(1) I suppose it is reasonable to assume that imposition of tariffs by arbitrary rule caused the beginning of smuggling.