Where a never ending spray
of bullets don’t kill,
a driverless car
sails perfectly
over a cliff,
and somewhere
a lone brown bear is howling
at the buttery, autumn moon.
The oceans inch
higher and higher up the shore
we keep buying
and buying
and buying
and buying.
Pills and tinctures
keep me mollified,
and I don’t care
who is trying to control
my life,
because I haven’t the energy
or inspiration
to own it myself.
So I keep relaunching
from the side of the road,
merging back in
with the rest of the traffic,
each car
and truck and cycle
racing to arrive someplace
that rarely lives up
to the expectation.
The dream is false
and it gnaws,
unsated by
more purchases
more looking
more meals
more orgasms
more thrills.
Nothing can free
the captive soul
that scans
tirelessly and futilely
for something
from the outside
that will fix
the inside.
If you can
find a crack
in the façade,
turn the searchlights
inward.
Follow the cries
of the baby in the dark
and comfort him.
Both soft and harsh - dark and light - your ending sooths and chills. These were my fave lines: "a lone brown bear is howling
ReplyDeleteat the buttery, autumn moon." Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
I find the driverless car carrying to nowhere such a strong image of alienation... Maybe we will just have to eat some more and go to sleep behind the wheel.
ReplyDeleteThe last stanza is a poem in itself... an eerie and true poem.
ReplyDeleteTruth: The dream is false, and it gnaws. Yes, yes it does.
ReplyDelete(As an aside, not sure if you were thinking about this, but the driverless Uber cars that were debuted in Pittsburgh... gosh, that is just... fascinating. Interesting for me (being from there) to see the videos of the auto-autos driving around my city.)
no quick fixes i agree ah but that moon !!! got me
ReplyDelete"at the buttery, autumn moon."
much love...