1984

The clock strikes 13

The world’s modern

But not green

What’s seeing is unseen.

 

The world’s just a dome

Where you’re always alone

The future, the past

Are together at last

In a shape-shifting present

Where yesterday’s

Tomorrow,

Both enemies,

And borrow

Sharing pens, swapping papers

And cheating their makers.

 

Pastures aren’t new

Just a queue to a zoo

Of scripted, blind creatures

No substance or features

The eye can rely on

Nor prove their existence.

 

Poisonous tethers

Are life’s little pleasures

Obscene and illegal

And momentary

Do not pick one up

Do not bring it back

Don’t make it a habit

And don’t even blab it

Not even to your children

Least your friends or your brethren

For the dome is the world

And the world is an office

Inter-connected

By networks of gossip.

Ask it no questions

It tells you no lies

Use only your eyes -

Be accepted.

 

Talk about nothing

Follow the crowd

Do not trust your neighbour

And don’t think aloud.

Be fed by machines

news, food and culture

Toxic to the vulture

That picks at the bones

Damaging to the lens

That examines too close

Fatal to the man who discovers

Too much

And knows his life

Is not real.

 

You’re permitted no memories

Not even your mother

Stands-up to Big Brother

For He is your lover

Your mentor, your guide

Your escort and consort

He is your Father

He sees you , He feeds you

He bleeds you

And breaks you.

 

He spells-out your sentence

By moulding your grammar

And channels your resentment

To a target you clamour

For blindness of hatred

Two minutes are slated

A frenzy then sated

And it’s back to the slammer.

 

Then all is the same again

Today is tomorrow

From yesterday borrowed

Nothing has changed

Black is white

Wrong is right

Same war and same foe

Though a short time ago

Its face had been different

Your mind now receives

What your eyes do not see

And may well disagree

But your soul has been sold

And what you are told

Is what you must know:

It is so.

 

To think straight

In a sense

Is an electric fence

Which fends-in unreality

And debars actuality

For that is a sin

And should you begin

Such a misguided venture

To follow that path

The clear aftermath

Of seeking discovery

And exploring alone

Is to stand on the tail

Of the Host-Devil’s body

Which will turn round

And bite you

And for all you may fight

You

Can never win

 

For you shout in the dark

And no one will come

And no one will like you

Nor thank you for showing

The fear that pervades them

Of breaking the mould

For what they’ve been told

And to what they’ve been sold.

 

For the whole world is mad

With constraint and normality

Imprisoned mentality

What they know:

It is so.

 

For you are the human

In a lifetime of vampires

That stalk, cloaked, each street

With the masses, the meat

That pack around campfires

And claim themselves Citizen

You may wish to be rid of them

But they’ll rid of you

 

For you are the dead

To them

They are the living

You’re the misgiving

Upon whom they’ll tread

You’re surrounded, confounded

Reform! and conform!

You are part of the body

The whole of the norm

Ours is your mind

And yours is our soul

We as one

Build the mantle

To which you are led

Where your mind will be white-washed

And your soul will be bled

And here comes a chopper

To chop off your head!

Reviews

[alesuriko]

Beautiful satire. I adore this so much. Great social statement... absolutely brilliant. I do have to say though, the end of the "To think straight" stanza... really didn't flow, especially compared to the rest of the poem. But this is truly an amazing poem with such great wording, vivid and explicit imagery, and such great references. Like the end, good Alice reference even if it wasn't purposeful. Also the lines "Reform! and conform! / You are part of the body / The whole of the norm" really reminded me of "V for Vendetta," with how England is the body, the eyes, the ears, the mouth, etc. Wonderfully written poem, extremely expressive and so blunt and hard hitting. You opened this poem so well by using 13. It gave the setting and atmosphere such life that ran throughout the rest of the poem without flaw. The rhyme and rhythm is also wonderful. Well done.

I'd also just like to add that my favorite stanzas were the fourth stanza "Poisonous tethers / Are life’s little pleasures" and the last stanza. Really great to read!

[The Analog Kid]

I stumbled upon this dystopian gem and had to comment. This chugs along to doom in a spoken word kind of way. For me, it really picked up the cadence in the fifth stanza.

Just finished "Animal Farm and 1984" a couple of months ago. I like the end of "1984" because there was no escape just like your poem. I can imagine Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" playing in the background....

[Lorraine]

Your sense of rhythm is outstanding. However, the rhymes seem rather forced and because of that, it lacks the poetic feel and sounds more like a nursery rhyme. I suggest using other words to get your point across and instead of trying to hard to rhyme perfectly, I suggest you don't. Look for near-rhymes or use an inner rhyme scheme for your future works or if ever you decide to revise this piece. Even so, it makes an interesting read.

Keep Writing. ^___^

[Sweet_pale_cacophony]

Bows down to author..you are an excellent poet Devon,and there are no doubts on that..no debate.This is so very fast paced,almost like those politically intriguing raps of Eminem..(i am sorry,if that sounded silly)..but this had that kind of rhythm and strength of words to it.Such powerful words and a theme so strong that i am completely blown,in awe..You could have gone off track here and become monotonous due to the length,but you don't..you have written this poem very very well.
I like two phrases here which i kind of linked though they did not follow each other..The world’s just a dome
Where you’re always alone
The future, the past
Are together at last
In a shape-shifting present
and
For the dome is the world
And the world is an office
Inter-connected
By networks of gossip....I especially like 'world is an office interconnected by networks of gossip'...:)
I also liked Follow the crowd
Do not trust your neighbour
And don’t think aloud.
Be fed by machines
news, food and culture..'follow the crowd',that is the norm,ain't it.

But your soul has been sold
And what you are told
Is what you must know:
It is so...'souls have been sold' indeed..in fact there is no soul,it is simply the face and speech,even if you present both in a deceiving manner they still would be accepted..ain't it so?..we do not want the soul,emotions,virtues etc to be mentioned cause that would break the comforts of the mechanized schedule we have fallen into.
I applaud for the stanza..
To think straight
In a sense Is an electric fence
Which fends-in unreality And debars actuality
For that is a sin
And should you begin
Such a misguided venture
To follow that path
The clear aftermath
Of seeking discovery
And exploring alone
Is to stand on the tail
Of the Host-Devil’s body
Which will turn round
And bite you
And for all you may fight
You
Can never win..particularly the words,from such a misguided venture until host devil's body..i feel you wrote those words very well..it was very well thought.It is incredible how you have bridged the gap between your thoughts and the words you have put down here.This poem is a collection of all that we collectively feel now and then..while walking the streets,sitting in an office,dropping your children at school etc,but only you could have expressed them so well.
I like the brutual honesty of your words that do not feign but are as they are.
For you shout in the dark

And no one will come

And no one will like you

Nor thank you for showing

The fear that pervades them

Of breaking the mould

For what they’ve been told

And to what they’ve been sold.



For the whole world is mad

With constraint and normality

Imprisoned mentality

What they know:

It is so.
When you say for you will shout in the dark,and no one will come..that was so true,that it congealed into a knot and made me choke.
Kudos for a great write which voiced the collective angst that we all feel..yet can not put our finger on and recollect where is this coming from..this stress,this disillusion..thank you for putting a voice to it all..:)

[Katie Louise Hughes]

This poem, I must say, was very well written and the length was excellent. I'm trying to write my poems in a more lengthier manner. The title I suspected to be about the eighties of course, but after reading it- it brought me to a more futuristic-type world. Although I'm not sure about the title- or if this is just another world set in 1984, this piece reminded me somewhat of the book- The Anthem by Ayn Rand. (I recommend that author, as she is my favorite!) The very ending to this, I felt was great, you did a great job in tying everything together! Thanks for the read, and keep up the wonderful writing! :D

[Ed Hart]

throw the sand against the wind/and the wind blows it back again

[Shante Payne]

What has our world come to? Your poem takes the mind on a long and dark journey. Very good insight of the world and the people in it. Dog eat dog truly, but a battle that can't be won. I enjoyed reading. Thanks for sharing.

[DrSprinkz73]

Its so strong and dynamic the whole way through I enjoyed reading every single line and VERY quotable! Nice!

[Rory CJ Frankson]

Just WOW

[Elizabeth]

liked this one quite a lot. It was very dark, but so telling of what, sadly, the world has become.

[The Wave]

Interesting piece...

You speak beyond what you've said. Each passing line more thought provoking than the last... really enjoyed all the imagery you've detailed and the ideas in which you emphasize. Society today.. Man today... really is heartbreaking and you captured this battle of twisted perspective in a well written lyrical read.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. In fact I read it more than once..
Great Job