The Times Collide

 

I am drawn to their world in the same animated way

a child matures scenes of concentrated imagery

wondering what happens when cars eradicate gasoline and raise electricity?

will we have giant 100 foot three pronged plugs double sided

one shoved in the backside of our cars

the other following the lines of a sidewalk leading to our homes?

Will we be confined in tiny apartment silos

towering over smog

but just below blackened sky lines?

 Our children’s children will laugh in giddy innocence

cupping their hands to their mouth

as we tell them how we used to carry waded pieces of paper called money

dipping our fingers in our pockets

wrestling lint for that one last penny

to equal six cents so we could have a dollar back

change was extra baggage

only offering empty hands tributary means to arbitrary ideals

like spending less equals less expenditure

when truth be told loose coins always belly up in the same place

we find ourselves now

a slow tumble from his pockets

tire rolling under couch cushions

collecting dust

and we’ll tell them back in our time people only had themselves to rely on

with the sweat of their brow they labored through most of their days

because we were the mechanical gears of society

streets once littered in graffiti artistry and jazz saxophones

turn to steel and presses

forming assembly lines of evolved self sustaining immortality

And I wonder if God were like us.

Creating for the quench of discovery and gluttonous growth

much like our burgeon robots do now

maybe we are a birth, upon birth, upon birth

in the ultimate forever search

for the why’s and what’s and how comes?  

A sour rot suckles my gums and I tongue at the notion

plaqued on reservoirs leading to the banks of contemplation

where Happiness watches the rivers dry

I shake the thought like an

etch-a-sketch effect

standing from my kitchen table and walking with a clean slate

feeling hope’s warmth again

until I catch a glimpse of the silos and blackened sky lines

from my window

and I throw my hands to my face

feeling the tears flow

my gut wrenches

as I see how real

it all becomes

Author's Note

still playing with the end on this one, thoughts appreciated..

Reviews

[R J Askew]

Bloody hell, this is a refreshing surprise. It's a Ginsbergesque waterfall of words. I can't say I've read many like this on this site, which surprises me a bit. I wonder, Is Ginsberg not much in vogue in America these days? I found some of this one hard to follow, and your previous poem is still strong in my mind. But I really, really like these two lines...
A sour rot suckles my gums and I tongue at the notion plaqued on reservoirs leading to the banks of contemplation
A sour rot suckles my gums is delightfully horrible! Strong stuff. Sub Rosa Pines was more delightful, but these two lines bomb my brain out!

[Christopher 'Windstorm'..]

it feels like it could go on for a bit more, i think you could turn this into a story, its futuristic yet realistic, well done. always a pleasure to read your work

[Creepy Swine Guy]

Being the slow-witted old man that I am, it will take me a bit of reading and re-reading to understand well. But I thought you should know that I am working on it.

[Frank Terino]

This poem allows the us to walk through a lucid dream in thought and is absolutely beautifully expressed.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this as well as the insight. Keep up the great work.

[Jason Henry]

i loved this...and such an appropriate title so loaded with superb imagery! thanks for the vivid and fun journey to the future in your write and a thought provoking look at out present...

[Doug]

very vivid imagery. the future can be very scary to think about. i've often had similar thoughts. nice write.

-doug-

[*** Hey Jude***]

I always enjoy reading your work as it carries such depth and meaning for all. You have shown the reality of life with your expressive narration, as you draw me from line to line; knowing these truths that you speak of are what humanity has chosen to do. The end is great as I felt you draw to a close, but as all writers say...hummm I can take that further! Enjoyed ~ Jude xo :-)

[Emily B]

I dread the collision. I tend to spend more time in the past than most people. Wonderful, sci-fi write though. I just hope for blue skies and green trees.

[Helen Woodward]

The ending is perfect and I wouldn't change a thing. The entire piece is beautifully and intelligently written.
You have painted a canvas of devastation and the truth within your words is admirably observant. Your prose is spot on and I would say this is as much an opinion piece as a poem.
Well done...with feeling.
Helen:-)

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

Oh my what a thought provoking piece... you really went deep into the problems of this world and how fake a lot of it has become... so much is an illusion created by those in power and in the media using it for their gain to line their pockets... really a fabulous piece that says we are in need of big changes before humanity is nothing more that a plastic toy.