plastic baby corn

parasitic

poached goats

are not for

petting zoos

but that has never

stopped them

before

and of course

there’s cream

in a little hollow

place tucked 

so very deep 

inside them

(almost like custard I’d wager)

they know

all about

the lobster

and how she

prefers

to lay her

eggs in a

tight cluster

all grape-like

on the

underside of the

algal frond

 

where I dream

that we too

might someday

find cool shelter

from the plastic bits

that rain down from

the tortured sky

the 3-D printers

that spit

out pink toes

and little 

baby corn

holders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Eilis]

I suppose there are two sides to every venture. Science and industry have ushered in a lot of good, but they can also breed degradation and oversimplification and cheapening of the complexity of nature and all that is in it. This poem speaks to me of a fear of the natural being overcome by the manufactured until all that is organic becomes virtually obsolete.

The sort of flawed order of industrial creation and its negative side effects alongside the beauty and intricacy of nature which has slowly become itself and continues to do so. There’s a stasis to these chemical born creations that alter our civilizations and environment so drastically. The ruins of old technology are visible all over the landscape. Yet the natural world remains in spite of this. Adapting as possible to the madness.

I sensed a sort of tentative hope in the end of the poem—hope that nature and its complexity can endure. But also a resignation in the understanding that these developments that alter so much in the natural order of things are not likely to be stemmed. A poem for our times for sure.

[SkinlessFrank]

In photos of large cities in China, I have seen "landscapes" in which it is difficult to find a single element of nature. There is the occasional tree adorning a sidewalk or mall, but it is entirely contained. The scene looks alien. Even the ruins of older urban-scapes look natural in comparison. What gives me hope is the adaptability and longevity of nature. You have probably read articles about how (if) when we small creatures are vanished from this world, it would only take a few centuries for our artificial creations to be overrun by forests and prairies. Thanks E for reading so deeply.

[Emily B]

We take so many things for granted in this modern, plastic world. You remind me of the miracles that happen unnoticed, in nature. It is good to read you.

[SkinlessFrank]

thanks Emily...you too remind me of miracles

[mercy party]

unique, zany and brilliant! what a way to unleash a topic. a very colorful thought provoking poem! Nice!

[. serah .]

-- for me, this is about the difference between the natural and the unnatural... and also those who claim to be experts in knowing what's best for natural beings... -- perhaps the environment is getting polluted and rain doesn't taste like rain any more because too many things (and maybe even people?) around us are fake and false... -- this poem reminds me of every person who pushed me into the well of near-complete isolation but it also makes me want to fight back and restore my (now perhaps obsolete idea) of all that is 'normal', genuine and authentic... -- a very spirited piece of writing...

[...]

And just think, all this s**t will be yummy when we are all cyborgs, and we'll be stopping at the BP station when we're thirsty. Plastic peached goats are candy for trans humans sold in vending machines...

[...]

laughing...parasitic poached goats...oh well, I can still see plastic peached goats in the vending machines hahahahaha I think I need some sleep

[emmajoy]

So that's how you see the world, is it, with all its up.to.date and way out fiddling alterations to what is and should be as natural as the day this or that was born! What a great write, tongue in cheek brilliant near satire, i thi-i-i-nk !

[kmartell]

3D printers ... so readable... polished

[roarke]

I'm pretty definitely almost sure we hang out at the same places... just different dimensions.

Hmmm so intriguing this piece is Frank, you can go with it in mind to many ways...
It has science in it, biology, artificial aspects, the fact of the 3-D printer, was stunning, how crazy it is that even those pigs on your pic could be made by that nowdays...

I laughed, and felt the piece, it has an ironic brilliance to it. Thank you for your unique style yet once again my friend.

- Elisa

[TL Boehm]

Wow! First the "sounds" the tumble of words and alliteration in this is impressive. It is highly creative and while it skims like a great bit of "brain spill" there is this thing that stocks with me.. As though there is a deeper commentary regarding the mechanized world we pass off as real and what is really real