Not Poetry. Quatrain Verse in English & Swedish. Dagsverser. On the Mundane & the Arcane.
Earth’s oceans asphyxiated
planet terminally polluted
wearing out dilapidated
Human Race for poor Earth ill-suited
Wars rage without ceasefires
Farmland parched from drought
ever raging wildfires
gaining heightened clout
Bridges fall, deep potholes
oceans continue to rise
ice melts from heating poles
still doesn’t seem to make us wise?
But hey, can’t you see we’re busy
by high-tech haplessly dizzy!
There’s no longer much stretch left
of our Species’ narrowing path
which, had we back then been deft,
could’ve used to brake the planet’s wrath
Instead we caused Earth to crumble
by our consumption willful
Recklessly kept up in rumble
our feigned ignorance skillful
Unwilling to restrain
we decided to downplay
Little time shall remain
until our Species’ doomsday
Our shuffling so far in dismal dance
assures that our Species stands no chance
People already hapless
buy phones ever smarter
which turns them ever sapless
What a mindless barter!
Never learnt to navigate
so by voice command dialing
let GPS cogitate
On-screen found oh-so beguiling!
Never mind that crisp phones resplendent
make humans ever more dependent …
While the rich get wealthier
with tax breaks, bailed outright even
they get so being stealthier
entitlement they believe in
While the permanent underclass
has throughout history been struggling
this poor willfully ignored mass
needs for its daily needs be juggling
Still: Beyond roof over heads & food on their tables
rich & poor alike indulge sports & celeb fables
We do deserve a handout
our plight of course sui generis
Awaiting our next bailout
so make it quick & generous!
As we’re selling lipstick
we implore & ask
as we all have a shtick:
Please, don’t wear a mask!
Or wear one of see-through type plastic
would support our business fantastic!
+)
-bailout = Covid 19 $$ compensation
-sui generis = unique; not like anyone or anything else
Items now in vogue
on screens gleaming
may just turn out rogue
scamming, scheming
But surely we have a choice
faced with a claim hollow
to trust our own quiet voice
not just blink & swallow?
First checking proven facts had once merit
while now vendor’s own sales pitch we parrot!
Armored in dressed-for-success clothes
limbering our lashing tongue
cleansed out our bargain-sniffing nose:
Ready reach for the next rung!
Sharpened our elbows
we’re ready to impose
if need be bulldoze
in order to foreclose
Brashly we sally, again, out the door
never mind still clueless of what’s the score
Shiny the lacquer
that positively screams:
“Here drives no slacker
but someone lives their dreams!”
Lighting, screens gleaming
painted darkly, sized huge
with gadgets teeming
No measly subterfuge!
Keeps conniving
through windows tinted
pushing, driving
to self unstinted!
But not hard to figger
why the rush to bigger:
Mighty fortress wheeled
of menacing power
as cave, as crutch, shield
We’re King in our Tower!
A drunk could sort this one out
on a cocktail napkin soggy
or after a knocked-out bout
so would any boxer groggy
While you, Ace Consumer
keep chasing more to possess
consumed by ill-humor
ear-plugged, eyes on GPS:
aren’t reconciled to that your apps
won’t heal your cold heart or flabby abs
Earth of such bounty & beauty
we reduced it to mere booty
Don’t we fake most everything
traipsing on the brink of collapse
while fantasy worshiping
subjects us to bizarre relapse?
Out of touch with Life’s essence
we hasten Earth’s senescence
We’re wringing out our own life
while striving to be ‘safe’
in blind, self-entitled strife
neglecting the poor waif
We may find redemption
if we own up and then cease
No-let-slide exemption
fills a turmoiled heart with peace
If life entails morality
how serves us then banality?