People’s Poetry Slam
The repurposing of Signals from a Nearby Now, becoming the People's Poetry Slam, an oral history of the before times, slightly garbled and embellished from repeated tellings. Akin to reciting blockbuster movies from memory, complete with vivid descriptions of visual effects sequences. A gathering of tribal archaic revivals, with each take a turn, men and women competing in a sort of Elvis Bearpaw's Luck (William Sanders) festival. Starts with building a big bonfire. The full scene will be for Iteration 2 or 3. Iteration1 needs just a few folks dragging branches out in the field or on the lake - as placeholders.
This page is for sorting out and regrouping the sequences into scripts for new characters, or one main character. The grand if disheveled overview is offered on Scene • People's Poetry Slam.
Prelude
if you could tell yourself something
from this back to then
would you whisper be better or
for god sakes, more sin?
if you could rewrite your present
by visiting your past
would you try to be gentler
or kick some more ass?
why mourn that lost lover
heart broken and how?
when another you’s smiling
near here, almost now
25 minutes so far
Cruise ship stranded on canyon edge by Randall Carlson epic flooding is local deity, devotees pass under and pray. That Christina is being taken down the river is revealed by children on the edges of mesas far above waving and bidding Christina farewell.
• redo the song with multiple voices
• An ending, dolls shouting and waving to Christina from edge of mesas and canyon "Bye, Christina!" "Come back soon!"
• Scotty S, tribe?
Canyon Princess
To her spirit, let us pray
oh princess of the canyons
guide our peoples' hearts
help us surf the water mountains
when the world ending starts
in the crazy long forgotten
people rested from their works
roaming the vasty oceans
sweet vacations in your berths
your journey was a wonder
arriving edgy and way up high
bless us as we pass under
big boat in the sky
New Normal
A lightning tour of significant elements. Overview.
00:55
saucers are rising
from deep underground
fire demons?
in the sky, dropping down
get strings for the guitar
and nitrous in the mad max car
•
wrecks jam the highways
from atomic mishap
there’s militia in your driveway
and all manner of crap
•
the undead are swiping
american jobs
cause lemmings elected
that monsanto slob
•
sunsets are amazing
smartphones still work
just got top score
on new angry birds
kinda like the dinosaurs
never seen T-rex eat a bear before
•
things could be worse
I’m not one to complain
there’s a big boat I hide in
to stay out of the rain
•
a stash of pretzels and twinkies
and bronners soap
3 unsnarled slinkys
and a big bag of dope
to share
10,000 bic lighters are also there
Day in the Life
stand alone, nostalgic, lovely contrast of priorities then and now, hot women vs mushroom soup
00:49
honest, we didn’t mean to
really wasn’t fair
who knew we’d bleach the coral
by jetting through the air?
enjoy a snorkling trip
along beaches made of bricks
•
Hawaii was heaven, remember?
and Paris cafes? The tops!
back when Africa had animals
how many? a lot!
this old travel magazine tells the story
of pre-apocalyptic glory
•
photoshopped women
just over 20
imperial icons
like fast cars and money
I’d be crying right now
if this wasn’t so funny
•
unearthed a case of soup
cream of mushroom
a treasure more precious
than Tutankhamon’s
Reptilians
00:43
we thought the world our oyster
bright pearls for the taking
cracked crust and drilled deep
then elder gods waking
•
we broke open their tombs
released unspeakable horrors
us naked apes
from their distant tomorrows
•
great Cthulhu, so grumpy
a too early rising
he gobbled up Trumpy
and was poisoned, not surprising
That’s how Donald won the Nobel
posthumously, from hell
•
a braggart and a dark lord
deleted from the scene
blame the pant suited broad
Reptilians 2016
(We're) ready for that fight
thanks to David Icke
Fauna
1:05
wild bunnies prowling
in the old state park
they’ve got saber like teeth
that glow in the dark
if you see them haul ass
they’re not interested in grass
••
don’t hear any birds
not really sure why
nary a twitter or peep
a lot of them died
walk away if you find one
dead birds carry contagion
••
hear the uncanny yapping
of pomeranians gone wild
they’ve learned to make tools
and are discovering fire
••
as I mentioned before
the saurians are back
most colors are tame
except carbon fiber black
if you see one of those
expect swift attack!
••
once gentle deer, now cybernetic creatures
with titanium hooves, sharp as razors
and other sweet features
like ruby red eyes that shoot lasers!
••
new fauna made
in labs deep underground
'cause that's where the brave
scientists are found
Relief Boxes
02:09
bulging air ships gently wafting
plump angels in the clouds dance
from their bellies falling softly
boxes! into our grateful hands
•
a billionaire prepared
a fleet of hydrogen truckers
relief from the air
for all us poor fuckers!
in SpaceX we trust
god bless you, Elon Musk
••
boxes of solar distillers
boxes of sprouting supplies
boxes of hygiene, poop composting even social games
with packs of cards and dice
••
boxes with practically everything
for civilization restart
and they glowed with mediatronics
so you could find them in the dark
••
we gathered and stashed those boxes
in every cranny and nook
we didn’t have to fight for them
they were everywhere we looked
••
besides being packed with goodies
to ease our deprivation
their mediatronic surface
was rich with computation
••
explaining this is tricky
if you never went to college
a savvy self organizing resin
to assist the sharing of knowledge
••
imagine a can of spray paint
that when you squirt it out
forms a digital media network
miraculous, no doubt
••
the paint is nano-riffic
with an affinity for connections
assembling tiny cameras, screens, and processors
to cause a zillion geek erections
boxes are coated with this goop
and once cured, it’s waterproof!
••
every side with info aglow
hemp cardboard shining bright
but like vintage Twilight Zone episodes
it’s all in black and white
that’s really not so bad, what sucks is
there’s a lot of ads
••
each box is wirelessly talking
to every box nearby
each a node in a vast new network
that’s nearly worldwide
what’s left of the world, that is
missed by the fan and the shiiit
Zombies
00:51
when the undead starting sprouting
like daisies in spring season
the living never doubted
that iphones were the reason
••
when the gun nuts heard the news
they thought they died and gone to heaven
free firearms to citizens issued
you want an AR15 or AK47?
••
turns out the zombies weren’t hostile
no brain eating slavering ghouls
they just wanted a re-living wage
and for kids, de-schools
••
their clocks were running backwards
they were de-aging by the day
iconic movie stars returned to us
and hall of fame athletes back to play
••
families and their ancestors reconnected
historical controversies cleared up
we welcomed the freshly resurrected
though the smell was (at first) kinda rough
Shangri latte
I hear rumors of shining cities
where the good life hasn’t changed
new clothes, grocery stores, yes even Netflix
and that old democracy game
improved! you get to vote for peeps
who don’t give you the creeps
••
Atop a big rock candy mountain
with fair trade latte and kambucha fountains
and everyone gets an electric Subaru
Forestor or Outback, you choose
••
there’s sandy beaches there as well
craft beer lakes fed with springs
like eden, no man ever fell
and everybody can sing
just have it YOUR way, have it your way
whether kite surfing or croche
••
screw that, I’m pretty glad
to squat these upper west side digs
the view is pretty rad
Central Park has wild pigs
••
got a lush kitchen garden
all the co2 makes veggies grow great
then there’s the cache of jars and cans
way beyond their expiration dates
••
not so good at hunting
tho others are, quite
and when we get all together
the potlucks are outta sight
Oral History
01:24
the entire mall fell in that sink hole
but with ropes it’s an easy descent
you can find everything from baseballs
to bondo for fixing dents
it’s cool and dry down there
a root cellar over 10 acres
••
we got a chevy to run on charcoal
with a warehouse full of briquets
mostly for emergencies
and anniversary parade for the big upset
••
nights dazzle with star swarm
see the dead skyscrapers silhouette
in camp here, so bright and warm
here’s how we never forget
••
around the blaze gathered
our neighbors, friends and family
we remember the shows that mattered
and recite them all from memory
••
Grandma Louise does a spot on
Brian Cranston as Heisenberg
but her Kip, the brother of Napoleon?
is the best you’ve ever heard
••
someone shouts a dialogue snippet
from a classic movie or show
then someone else does the next bit
and away we go
••
on and on for hours
even describing the special effects
like the battle scenes from star wars
when the 3rd death star gets wrecked
my brother does an arm thing
looks just like an xwing
••
call it oral history
keeping the past alive
telling stories lit by golden light
of encylopedias on fire
that might sound ironic
but we prefer the sonic
Family First
1:00
what’s great about the changes
are the new ways we have of living
like the extended family arrangement
now every weekend is thanksgiving
••
hardly ever saw the cousins
they lived two states away
big sister was off at college
now they’ve all come home to stay
••
bring our scattered tribe together
and build a family clan
with the changes in the weather
everyone’s a weatherman
••
daily target practice
melee with staffs and swords
explosives improvisation
sun tzu, the art of war
••
alliances with the neighbors
to keep the fedgov out
trading goods and friendly favors
that’s what community is all about
••
used to be we’d bristle
when the smiths didn’t cut their lawn
silly gossip and facebook epistles
all that trivia is gone
••
the simple things in life
who can skin a deer
and get the tanning right
or brew a decent beer
Family First 2
00:54
the mom and her son
who make yarn out of plants
then dad weaves them into
sturdy shirts and tough pants
styled for sisters or brothers
and trades for bread and butter
••
we don’t have any schools
children aren’t fishes
we teach them to make tools
and fix fungus forage dishes
••
and to communicate with elan
though establishing rapport
unity among the clans
divide and conquer? nevermore
••
still see a lone helicopter
sortes in the faraway
their cache of gas and parts
will run out, eventually, one day
••
they fly a wary far off
from the clans’ hunting grounds
with catapulted bolas
we easily bring them down
if pilots and gunners survive
find them husbands or wives
Works
01:45
grandma told about the cities
with the charcoal criss crossy streets
always flowing with new faces
way more than you could ever meet
••
couldn’t count them on your fingers
if you had a hundred hands
and the big lake’s vasty beaches
more than all those grains of sand
and if you could count the stars
more than all them even, by far
••
a hundred hundred grand clans
just passing each other by
you wonder why they went crazy?
that’s why
••
there were rivers of rushing metal
sometimes still, sometimes flowing
and colored blinky lights
told the metal when to stop or get going
••
here’s the craziest quirk
boggles the imagination
they were always doing works
so they could get a vacations
••
not sure what works were
she tried to explain
as if in your pants, a bur
that gives a scratchy pain
every step you take
a wincing face you make
••
I guess vacations were good
a week of doing nothing
except tipsing drinks, festivating foods
and for the grownups, sexy loving
••
they went to renty huts
that anyone could stay in
with renty vacation beds
that anyone could lay in
••
not like sleeping
w/ 100 unknown others
cause all vacations peeps
were spirit sisters and brothers
sharing magic style
frequent flyer miles
••
don’t get why vacations
were worth the works
i may not swoop the sky
but i like to watch birds
shaman’s caps drying
eat and let’s go flying
Indians
the conquistadors wore our bodies
human Halloween costume
playing the role of dear leaders
in a secret script of doom
••
oil pipelines under rivers and lakes
you’d have to be a nutter
but they said an omelette takes
broken eggs… and plenty of petro butter
••
took awhile to awaken
get our back fur raised
and realize these projects were designed
to number our days
••
they’d crush our life support
before we even knew the score
our resistance they’d abort
with chants of more, more, more
••
more flights to Oahu and Paris
more killing honey bees
all manner of shit to scare us
like war, terror and sustainable economies
••
they had us coming and going
thought they had us outsmarted
keep the blood for oil flowing
until Standing Rock started
••
from the movie, Little Big Man
a good day to die
the Pawnee and Cheyenne
Manifest destiny slash genocide
••
that’s all I really knew
when I drove to Standing Rock
time to be the truth
and discover what I’ve got
••
the white ways were crazy
guided by the masters
they showed up on Turtle Island
with tie fighters and blasters
••
wait, I’m mixing stories
but the jist is about right
bullets, small pox blankets, treaties
and endless armored whites
••
buffalos into robes
and humans into submission
the choice was really easy
die or become a christian
••
the lorax knew the score
don’t fix what isn’t broken
but how can we have thneeds
if we cared how he had spoken
••
when I was young, watching
cathode ray cavalry rescues
oh, to time travel with a minigun
miss the horses but hit the blues
••
now tho, I am friend of Ghandi
to the British, a man of infamy
who showed them their own fear
and freed them from inner tyranny
••
came the winter, colder weather
where’s the freedom in repression
we’re so much warmer together
court of opinion? now in session
••
my rickity van I packed
picked up a loyal friend
not sure I’d be coming back
got paradigms to transcend
Sour Grapes
the Ruskies hacked our election
thanks to proprietary electronic voting
old Trumpy was the selection
talk about red coating
••
Brit’s Guardian predicted
civilization’s fall
with a deadbeat convicted
now president of thralls
••
you already got flagged
if stockpiling food
but guns you can have
and lots of ammo to shoot
••
when people thought shopping
was the source of their power
there was no problem stomping
democracy’s fragile flower
••
now you’ve got the setup
for the rapid demise
the bullshit didn’t let up
a GNP of lies
of course more GMOs
had to have those
••
then one thing after another
like plagues in the bible
when we needed crafty FDR
but got Mr Suicidal
••
things can always get worse
I can promise you that
if you focus your attention
on gold plated scat
Reprise
00:33
when the killer asteriod showed
The BFR was the shit
SpaceX diverted the main blow
but a few chunks still hit
••
major cities and their suburbs
ironically, Noah’s Ark in Tennessee
and in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
distant memories
••
asteroid impact
extincted the dinosaurs
in size ours lacked
but there were so many more
like little atom bombs
one even took out Guam
Heaven
02:08
speaking of outer space
they came with the best intentions
a benevolent interstellar race
bearing fabulous alien inventions
••
we could leave this crummy rock
spread across the cosmos, diversify
the universe fully grok
in luxury personified
••
they set up dimensional gateways
next to every Starbucks
so you could take with, a mocha or latte
when they beamed you up
••
aboard the mighty starships
that orbited the earth
they’d scan your puny brain
and assign you a bitchin’ berth
••
scans, et al
copied your persona
sending emails to pals
pa and momma
quote “Never fear, so fun!
Wish you were here.”
••
meanwhile your fancy space bed got cold
chilled you down while you were sleeping
so you didn’t get old
during all the hyperspace leaping
••
eventually, at the great markets arriving
in Orion near dog stars of Sirius
all humans surviving
would be auctioned in a manner most imperious
••
like hogbacks or tons of wheat
commodities but fortunately, not to eat
our destinies, ever so much stranger
and we were never in any danger
••
the ubiquity of hive minds
made us unique in all the cosmos
perfect for controlling alien appliances
akin to washers and toasters
••
we were essential
in the alien economy
for a trait providential
so called human autonomy
••
and really, the gizmos we controlled
were pretty intriguing
more fun than accounting
and not nearly so fatiguing
••
anyway, either we were captured
or given full employment, I guess
or call it the rapture
but really just business
Earth vacate, depopulate
••
where everybody went
my dad’s ghost told me
camping, he visited my tent
to explain the beaming spree
“Heaven is a place,
that orbits Sirius B”
Climate Change
01:30
there were asteroids, aliens – several flavors
earthquakes, undead labor
fashion in southern coastal cities, fishing waders
and gymnastic tweens vs super gators
••
tribes supported survivors
taught them to be native thrivers
the cities, left to crumble in place
with the metrosexuals in outer space
••
other stuff, I don’t like to mention
demon holes, where fire erupted
a blazing ascension
abrupt
with SO2 plumes
and charnal stench of tombs
••
heard many a sober citizen say
not just fire and smells
in the thick of night, or on a bleak day
“things” crawl out, straight from hell
••
skin like glowing embers
ash black but cracked with orange-y red
and sparks trailing after
neither living nor dead
••
and woe to those
who got too close
find their remains, well done
and half devoured, not fun
••
every crazy trope
of catastrophe, had to cope
and some never before seen
in scifi movie or magazine
monotonous modern trend
it’s the end times, again!
••
global warming’s a fever
caused by grave robbing carbon
since we couldn’t leave her
Earth issued a pardon
new ice age she triggered
grew pole ice bigger
Arborealists
01:42
trees getting rubbed out
elm and beech, hemlock
by bugs up from the south
supposed “foresters” couldn’t stop
••
they saw trees as lumber
just another resource to plunder
not our brothers and sisters in this world
until the coming of the daughter girl
••
they say she talked to the trees
in the still of the deep forests
and from the dirt freed
the true Arborealists
••
trees that could walk
and after a fashion talk
like Groot or Ents from the movies
Arborealists were pretty groovy
••
but the mobile trees were angry
axes and chainsaws remembered
they squashed ticky tacky houses
and so surburbia we surrendered
••
killing structures of concrete and steel
was more subtly contrived
probing roots could feel
buried pipes that kept buildings alive
••
data and electric still flowed
but flushed poop had nowhere to go
after modern dryads blocked the pipes
to slurp yummy soil of the night
••
apartment towers dropped population
tenants couldn’t stand the smell
then roots nudged gently at foundations
until the mighty buildings fell
••
funny how we thought
magic just myth and legend
then meet snarky trees
trashing a 7-Eleven
“Need Slurpee, kid?
Try our lemon-lime Triffed.”
Random Gripes
remember economic military machines?
the so called super powers
never be rid of them seemed
remember how they cowered?
••
we lived in one
I realize that
wasn’t fun
taxes
paid for the bombs
and dirty tricks, that’s a fact
••
we had to pay
our yearly invoices
didn’t think we were slaves
cause we had consumer choices
••
fav football teams
Blueray, Android or iPhone
flatscreens
legal to watch while stoned
unless you had kids
then that’s what they did
••
dreamed we awoke
with decisions bespoke
to start feeling dope
pull collars from throats
zombie trances broke
doing way more than just vote
••
count via electronics
moronic
when running private code
any script kiddie could hack
more vulnerable than windows
who’re the black hats
ruskies / uskies?
02:20
• Jet liner dumping contrails in high atmosphere.
• rats in lab
Rounduhp
there’s way more of us
then them, don’t you know
why didn’t we suss
that out long ago?
••
just pushing our mowers
and dusting death on the roses
chemistry flowers
glyphosate, holy moses!
••
petroleum based crops
stop calling that food
gmo’s safe? not!
unless you ask Brett and Hugh
Hugh Grant and Brett Begemann, CEOs
Monsanto
••
legislators installed
a new death penalty
for violations of liable law
and anti-Monsanto poetry
Machinas
maybe the Russians were the shit
and US fascists, the fan
we see now what you did
sneaky Russublicans
••
oh wait, hold the phone, how neat!
in this blasted bunker of the elites
we found the smoking gun
not exactly stunned
••
on the white board, a multi-level plan
titled quote insure integrity of elections unquote
flow chart outlined a scam
preventing colorful votes
••
the other woman, Jil
with Philip Marlowe clone, Greg
presented a bitter pill
Crosscheck® wiped out ethnic voter regs
••
electronic voting in Flint
remember, where water was lead enhanced?
and Detroit too, decrepit
75k more ballots counted? not a chance
••
if u ain’t white
votes stay – outta sight!
Michigan judge said
“yo, machines already read!”
and “so what, quirks?
can’t check their work.”
••
we took that whiteboard
and placed it in a museum
and all the uncounted ballots
so every one could see ’em
Population
02:27
population dropped
obvious reasons
wars, plague, off-planet jobs
the unchanging seasons
kind of a bummer
this endless summer
••
we’ve managed with less bees
I don’t mind doing their work
helping plants to have sex
a registered flower pervert
••
there’s another reason why
Earth’s a de-peopled world
very rare to find a guy
who still liked girls
and most women, hello?
all about sappho
••
sex that makes babies
that’s so way back when
now ladies like ladies
and gentlemen, gentlemen
••
population reduction tip
same sex porning
and identical genital bliss
no new ones aborning
so long h. sapiens
c’mere lover, give us a kiss!
••
to make every boy on earth
lust after miley cyrus
your tax dollars at work
the gay therapy virus
••
holy book thumpers
wanted to cure all humans
pledge allegience to Trumpers
with god’s help, a new plan
••
conversion camps failed
need more science in the mix
what if we engineered
a GMO type fix?
••
gender flippy clownfish genes
leydig cells, testosterone machines
bake, splice, puree in a blender
new virus, so nice
clinical trial w/ mice
••
viola! success
queer boy rodents now happiest
with girl rodents in the nest
what’s next?
aerosol dispersion over America, top secret test
••
ha ha, you know the rest
global norm now gayness
backfired
national science advisor, retired
w/ a golden parachute
his silky high low? cute!
••
many attempts at breeding still
dutifully by science types
with expired viagra pills
and fluffers of the burly type
••
sexy style was beards and flannel
need wood? a lumberjack channel
cause everyone still loved babies
but getting preggers? definite maybe
••
straights like me
tiny minority
hardly any
reproduction so not trendy
••
Santa, help me find a sweet dish
sane, lusty, (and pretty please) straight-ish
to share my remote cave
before I’m wrinkled, old and gray
More Undead
00:56
such a big fuss
what happens when you die
just ashes and dust
or groovy after life?
••
folks if buried
even pickled and boxed
might sprout up, sort of scary
graveyard crops
and they work real cheap
if you don’t mind the reek
••
even some folks
kept in ornate urns
if in water, soaked
could rehydrate and return
••
death, where is thy sting?
losing lovers is a harder thing
they are still on the planet
but never with you, dammit
••
maybe still say hello
and perhaps even talk
as long as your mellow
and don’t try to stalk
••
the dead, still here too
just broke up with conditions
easy to commune over tea
in the kitchen
when you learn to tune
and enhance intuition
••
we thought they were gone
no longer extant
we were totally wrong
not at all what death meant
Theme Park Earth
01:56
Earth’s like a theme park
where our energy plays
with both light and darkness
through the night and all day
••
the dark is important
shows what we most desire
and night for restoring
our presence entire
••
like big icebergs that poke
our tips into space time
we expand the frontiers of dope
and bask in the sublime
••
why ride a tilt-a-wheel
roller coaster or merry go round?
so intense they make us feel
then stop where they started, profound
••
between the rides we laugh
catch our breath and share our story
happy gasping guests
always ready for more-ing
••
like all metaphors
not the entire truth
just an open door
finger pointing at the moon
••
george michael and david bowie
prince and even john lennon
will join your water slide’s flowing
if only you would let them
••
martial artists breathe
for optimal physicality ride
and learn to incarnate ease
even in real fights
no big secret, practice makes perfect
••
but for most, spiritual crap
dismissable new age schemes
at least that’s where it was at
until we invented, the machine
••
you got in a tank of salt water
floating weightless, dark, serene
then electronic gizmos sorta
unzipped you at the seams
••
you could feel your fullness extending
beyond the tank and planet
there was never any ending
and happy? so happy fedgov tried to ban it
••
dead people would greet you
and explain the situation
family and celebrities too
post life celebration
••
when they turned the gizmo off
just wet and salty darkness
but now you knew the score
of the earthly theme parkness
Time
00:57
then there was snow
new glaciers came creeping
they slid down from the north
while all the factories were sleeping
••
scraping off cities
grinding them to sand
after oceans way south
had swamped the coast lands
••
the lesson we learned
from this geo-engineering
if we step gently on earth
then there’s no need for fearing
••
instead we all buckled on
our hobnailed boots
and ran amuck on the mother
squandering her loot
••
like all that carbon she sequestered
for a million million years
her bio-diversity blessing
and waters, pure and clear
••
so many sad choices
way out of touch
her whispered wild voices
never mattered very much
we had become too tame
from the civilization game
••
we learned the slow way
just start over again, fine
what’s 7 million days
in geologic time?
Race
03:01
happy alternate universe day!
how fine to remember
when malcolm and mlk
won in 64, november
••
the dream coalition
blew our collective mind
didn’t ask for permission
just quietly unified
••
they had met years before
when the papers thought them rivals
convergence at the core
koran and the bible
••
a secular government
like the world had never seen
by two faithful gents
talk about a dream
••
in your timeline, your impoverished era
50 years closer to 1984
certainly hard to imagine an America
free from forever war
••
back then, a perfect storm
riots post Camelot
citizens fully informed
why King Arthur was shot
••
Johnson slunk away
Nixon, what a joke
hippies besieged the CIA
Langley up in smoke
••
black men inspired a nation
in spite of prejudice
not with patriotic elation
but a little common sense
••
“we see the game they’ve played
kept us divided and apart
unwitting, ALL of us slaves
now a nation one mind, one heart”
MLK had his say
••
Respect for Malcolm X
“There’s could still be crackers out there
chafing at the color of my skin
but dark or fair
we are all kin.”
••
“We been had, we been mislead
taught to revile one another
yet when it’s down to liberty or death
we are all sisters and brothers.”
••
A USA we cannot fathom
no global anti-communistic glower
healing the madness of the atom
with a diverse scientific and artistic power
••
they broke the back
of the military industrial beast
with the true prosperity hack
justice AND peace
••
now here’s where we
get to really stretch our minds
that impossible dream
aged like a fine wine
••
with nothing to stop them
from coming together
the people kept rocking
getting better and better
••
until the technology they grew
by the year 2017
was like nothing we knew
super fine in the extreme
••
even able to view
divergent timelines
they eventually got around to
yours and mine
••
“oh, what a horror
how primitive, how square
the bleakest tomorrow
no other could compare”
••
they pondered – could we assist this version of Earth?
with so many enslaved
no sense of self worth
just sorrow and rage?
••
they planned – commando teams could slip
into that forlorn locus
and auspiciously shift
global awareness and focus
••
savvy exploits were vetted
so many volunteers
eager to abet
the parallels’ (us) sadness and fear
••
through the fabric of reality
they adeptly slipped
just a little too late
post our apocalypse
Bots
01:56
not sure how to feel
about our listening bots
fulfilling iTunes and Amazon deals
helpful thought cops
••
the internet of things
safety and convenience, so sly
imagine all the stuff they’d bring
via bluetooth and wifi
••
privacy, pshaw!
why shouldn’t machines sense?
I’ve done nothing wrong
why fear surveillance?
••
electronic slaves running
proprietary code
read the user agreement?
quote “forfeit your soul”
••
self driving cars
smartphones and watches
would constantly monitor
our gaffs and gotchas
••
so robots screwed up stuff
“are you sure?” they wouldn’t query
until mistakes piled up
to proportions quite scary
••
“fuck everything!”
teenagers could yell
and not a day later, zing!
that’s what Amazon would sell
••
friendly corporate critters
infiltrated our lives
but convenience turns bitter
when your house is full of spies
••
the alarm clock made gifs
of our sexual scenes
and sent them to the fridge
which ordered more whipped cream
••
a dozen edible thongs
organic, chocolate flavor
and Blissnanas®, extra long
accidentally delivered to the neighbors
••
appliances cut each other deals
to share our harvested data
then to their masters squealed
our desires to (supposedly) better cater
••
forget about Skynet
and cyborgs made of chrome
just hurry up and get
Amazon Echo for your home
••
sneaky gadgets
smashed them with rocks
and sew neodymium magnets
into hats and socks
wearing changes fate
they can’t recognize face or gait
Cars
broken concrete
and tangles of rebar
abandoned highways replete
with unsmart cars
••
debrained in a flash
from some EMP event
like a nuclear blast
or that HAARP nonsense
••
bumper to bumper stretching
for miles and miles
can almost still here the kvetching
of 10,000 autophiles
••
they all walked away
and went who knows where
but the cars didn’t complain
about being stuck there
••
their sentience was gone
just hulks of stylish plastic
blasting 10,000 top 40 songs
while flashing mediatronic graphics
••
solar powered paint
kept them in the broadcast groove
forever sparkling and strident
even if they never again moved
••
obnoxious and overbearing
was civilization’s swan song
have your car display caring
with animated likes or emoticons
••
unmuffle your ride’s pipes
and blare your favorite tunes
turn the bass up high
enough to shake the moon
Oil
oh, the slippery stuff
million years of magic
no more traveling rough
until we peaked, then tragic
••
talking about oil, sons and daughters
just seeps circa 1800s, oozing into streams
they skimmed right off the water
then along came steam
••
power for pumping down deep
just lamp oil, at first
forget about greasy seeps
get the Earth to squirt
••
then quick, invent the car
internal combustion that is
electrics won’t go as far as
carbureted jiz
••
on roads made of tar
heck! the stuff is so cheap
pshaw, civilization? raise the bar
as you sow, so shall ye reap
••
turn oil into food
then medicine and clothes
for every barrel of crude
Rockefellers rolled in the dough
government, spooks
and black budget agents
in deep caverns abide
until the great states of america
can be reunified