Smiley Faces

This is less clever than it thinks it is.

although ignorance and stupidity
drink from separate water fountains,
it's all the same s**t in the pipes.

it didn't used to be this way. it used to be better.
long before we genetically altered the truth,
and poisoned the wells with commercially viable,
buy-one-get-one-free, backhanded pseudo-science--
or before we discovered these to be aphrodisiacs,
and began marketing agnosticism
as a condom for martyrs.

just look at what we've become:
scratched out items on the devil's grocery list.
spilled milk on freshly-bleached Wal-Mart tiles,
an intercom click away from cleanup on aisle five.

and it's all we can to do keep lying here,
waiting to be slipped on,
mopped up,
sold at a discount,
or forgotten.

and smiling.

Reviews

[M Baker]

I really enjoyed this. you encapsulate in a brief few stanzas the entirety of how empty modern existence has become...or at least many aspects of it. Consumerism, New Age spirituality, advances in scientific research, all of it makes us feel so much better about ourselves. But in the end, we're no better off than our ancestors. In fact, you could say we're incredibly worse off.

[roarke]

yer ahead of your time..................

[NoneOfYourBusiness akaK..]

it is MORE clever than you think~ =)~ to the very heart of the matter your pen stabs and spills our pathetic consumer/sheeple mentality all over the place~
corporations and media are the joke~ unfortunately we are the punchline~ another brilliant observational slice of the dead dream pie~bravo!~

[Saraplenty]

Each piece I read of yours just keeps getting better! I particularly dig the 3rd stanza, perhaps because the current ex works for Wal-Mart and I was subjected to his rantings about how evil that place is for nearly a year.

: )

[Kerry O'Connor]

This reads like a quotable quote:

although ignorance and stupidity
drink from separate water fountains,
it's all the same s**t in the pipes...

You set a high standard for yourself and each poem is a showcase of wit and intellect.

[Robin]

a metaphoric back-handed bitchslap to the aimless crowd PT Barnum feasted on .... smiling

[Daniel Atkinson]

"And began marketing agnosticism as a condom for martyrs." Wonderful metaphor and subtly humorous. Nicely done.

[ju]

...and smiling" resisting an urge. enjoyed the imagery of this.