Ode to the NEA

The following piece of humorous verse was written in ancient times, i.e., in the 1990s. It was published in a zine titled "S.L.U.G.fest." Last year, I sent this to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Although I did receive a letter from the NEA with information about their writing fellowships, I haven't yet received such a fellowship or the accompanying money.

If I covered my body with honey
And screamed that I'm oppressed,
Would you gve me a whole lot of money
And tell me you're impressed?

If I wrote a grim play about AIDs
In which the whole cast died,
Would you pay for my Mexican maids
And my mansion on the West Side?

If I made a maudlin movie
About the Holocaust,
Would you think it was real groovy
And help defray the cost?

If I wrote some lesbian porno
Just like some Sapphic slut,
Would you quote someone like Adorno
To justify my smut?

If I blew up New York City
And called it "performance art,"
Would you think I was quite witty
And want to whiff my next fart?