...Gone Mad

Am I mental? 'tis a good question...

A population of experts

grimly eases on rubber gloves;

pawing at the evidence,

poking at personalities

until they crumble

to brittle dust.

 

A legacy owned by the world.

 

No one embraces History any more,

too defeated by revolutionary

passion, before apathy

suppressed and it was

rinsed away in TV soaps.

 

Scandal and celebrity

 

last longer than graffiti,

what with all the whitewashing

Community Service we voted for,

purifying brick walls.

Bandages wrap and entomb.

 

Make your mark in despair,

 

knowing it will be disinfected tomorrow;

more germs on a chopping board

than a toilet lid

powdered in nose candy,

warns the man with bleeding nostrils.

 

Nowhere is safe for the kids to play.

 

Undisputed, infancy equates innocence

relentlessly, stirring primitive fires;

ancient dust swells, refuses to settle

until the threat is butchered

and strung up on school gates.

 

Tear down dangerous leisure

 

and replace; sterilized-oxygen

masks dangling from the

monkey bars. Tomorrow’s unimportant

workers ushered cautiously

down cotton wool corridors

 

into songs of transparent sheep.

 

Author's Note

Let me know what you think of this, e.g. if some of the references seem too obscure. Thanks.

Reviews

[Tiffany Pochatko]

Oh my lol. Everytime I read something like this, I pray one day I can write something as great and meaningful. This was wonderful in many aspects. I can't pick out a favorite line, or even 10 favorite lines. I smiled at parts of this because you bring these problems and situations to attention with such wit and cleverness. Man oh man...this is a good'un. =]]

[Zelligg]

"It's the end of the world as we knew it." Very paralleling with the perspective of the future held by the child while the present and its antecedents fill limp history in again, and again, and. Yes, my "Epic" was attempting to miniaturize the ironies and nightmares ahead. People have had the memory beat out of them, or sucked or something. This prez candidate Bowlerbud or something credits JC for his success campaigning; nobody remembers that the agreed-upon Bushist bust started with his saying god had tapped him, he dinna wanna, but he ran for god, not for prez.

I'm working long hours trying to get my political rhyming rants blog up where someone sees it. So I'm not as dwelling aqui as I was. Thx for a great piece of mind.

[Chantal-lise Mirman]

I felt that this whole poem was anchored in the analogy to graffiti, one of the few community-based forms of expression in existence today. It HAS been recognized as an art form, although that is often not enough to keep it from being systematically white-washed. The extrapolations about the destruction of our individuality and freedoms are clear, and what has replaced analytical thought, tragic. "Songs of tranparent sheep" has to be one of the most powerful metaphors I have seen for insignificance...a minor point: in the third stanzaz, last line, would it be better to say "rinsed away BY (OR WITH) TV soaps?"Thought-provoking rant in a form that seems particularly well-suited to the subject. It is nice to see some activist serious poetry here!

[Christopher Michael Smi..]

o' sweet surrender.

[Backwards Poet]

Awesome...seriously. I really love this piece. Sounds like an aggressive slam poem. I'll get further into detail another day...just wanted you to know that I thought it was well written and inspiring.

Thanks

[Six Impossible Things]

This is like a hip social statement that makes total sense. It's the mental ones who are most interesting :)

and WOW what an ending.

I have to reach to suggest anything here because I enjoyed it so much but,
knowing it will be disinfected tomorrow;
more germs on a chopping board
than a toilet lid
powdered in nose candy,
warns the man with bleeding nostrils.

great stanza.. but it reads a little funny. Maybe its the breaks or the punctuation or maybe I can't read real well. But it took me three times to get it to flow.

Nice structure too. I'd say you pretty much nailed this one.

[Maria G.]

No one studies History any more,
too defeated by revolutionary
passion, before apathy
suppressed, and it was
rinsed away in TV soaps.

Scandal and celebrity

Strong lines so true and if they do they read the wrong history books for example
'Columbas discovered the America's'..
We believe what were fed then get bored and Eastenders is so much more interesting.

Scandal and celebrity

last longer than graffiti,
what with all the whitewashing
Community Service we voted for,
purifying brick walls.
Bandages wrap and entomb.

Loved these lines. I know some graffiti is horrid but look at Amsterdam there it seems to be embraced as art.

Tear down dangerous leisure

and replace; sterilized-oxygen
masks dangling from the
monkey bars. Tomorrow�s unimportant
workers ushered cautiously
down cotton wool corridors

into songs of transparent sheep.

Ahh yes wonderful observations here, what happened to fun,
This makes me think also of how everyone is obsessed with germs, kids not allowed to roll in the mud..lol Or jump over filthy rivers in my case and explore fields, most have now been built over , more and more houses to buy yet there are people sleeping in shop doorways.

Sheep as in 'Mcdonaldisation' again, same uniforms, production lines whether it be factory or office, eating synthetic tasting food.

Wonderful piece.

[Gary H]

Very enjoyable work. Liked the play with words that I admit to doing all the time myself. Yes, it does make sense to me - have to say though that I admit to being a touch mixed up at times....
Like the idea of transparent sheep singing - that would be worth bringing back Top of the Pops to see.
Pulling together the one lines helps clarify this to me. Yeah cool!

[Sadie Quartz]

Different - well written, exposing ewes and yous... A sense of vocabulary and intelligence is given through this poem - enjoyed.

[October]

That is potent. Insanely so!
Amazing. Truely amazing.
-October