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Wall Street vs Main Street

Concurring with Henry Giroux that:

” … what emerges is a savage form of casino capitalism along with an
army of walking dead zombies who celebrate a narcissistic
hyper-individualism that radiates a near sociopathic lack of interest in
other people and civic life.”

inspired this verse:

While Wall Street ‘prophets’
in system degrading
make windfall profits
on pension fund raiding

We let us be manipulated
to trudge on own ‘Google coned’ day
us zombies get humiliated
as too much piled up in our way

Palpable the diagnosis:
A one-sided symbiosis!

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Smartphonies

They talk about, talk, talk about & talk
boorishly self absorbed trivia
whether they drive, shop, do rest room & walk
wherever & in Bolivia

Unfazed they are letting it all hang out
where may quietness be found at all?
excitedly they gush, prattle & spout
letting us overhear every call.

Listening less than talking & talking
puzzled by the outside objection
whether they’re eating, sleeping or stalking
love that ring or ting: got connection!

+)
‘smartphony’ = someone who traded his or her pacifier (a gateway drug) for a smart phone, and are under the illusion that it bestows unique importance & efficiency with few trade-offs

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Self-exiled in banality

Our attention constantly battered
self exiled in banality
Our senses confounded & scattered
as we forsake Reality

Suction cup noses on screen
absorbed, infatuated
as we adoringly preen
haven’t we got debilitated!

Even so many a fool
finding it all oh so cool!

 

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Stirring up excess, we make a mess

We persist by push & aggress
may advance using cold guile.
We stir up excess, make a mess
crest our material pile.

At last, alas! We thought: Success!
We’re ‘uniquely’ distinguished
but pray tell who did we impress?
Soon we’ll all be extinguished.

Nonetheless not letting up, roiled in strife
Too busy hiding out in daily Life.

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Ain’t sweating words’ meaning for fools?

Are words only something we say
(while of use when pray or prey)
often a chatter game, a play
of silly flatter or flay?

Ain’t sweating meaning for fools
and hassle use dictionary?
Words need not be meaning’s mules
No! to word constabulary!

But words still prove useful tools
when needing to allay
or leading gullible fools
on to a path, astray

Although phrases may stray
do gather up a bouquet
when attempting to sway
someone to love or to pay!

 

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Conformist salutes: Then & now

In the early 1920’s through mid 40’s era:

Arm straight at 45 degrees, empty palm down, with jaw jutted upward aligned with arm. Transfixed on Il Duce or Der Fuhrer. Practiced by tens of millions, saluting those fascist unsavory squirts in their black or brown shirts, who stirred up the desperate masses.

In the current era:

Around 90 degrees between upper and lower arm, palm up,
hand slightly rotated inward, head slightly turned with jaw tilted downward.
Transfixed on The Screen. Practiced by billions of distracted, desperate masses some of whom may spend a significant portion of their income on their smarter-than-them phones, which further enrich huge corporations:

Being stuck on Fantasy’s Screen
like Narcissus focused on his bod
blind to how they fervidly preen
twittering away in ‘nose glued’ plod

But come on, try a detached look:
boorish, self centered banality
living life liking on Facebook
substituting for Reality

In both eras: poses thought beyond cool
Unless one is a ‘nonconformist fool’

+)
-Il Duce = Benito Mussolini, ruler of Fascist Italy 1922-43
-Der Fuhrer = Adolf Hitler, ruler of Fascist Germany 1934-45

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On the back road of least resistance

How fruitless to mumble the tired line:
‘democracy is in decline’
As well: ‘global warming is benign’
when we certainly lack of spine!

Did we not way back turn off that high road
of erstwhile courageous insistence?
Don’t we instead drive fearfully & slowed
on the ‘back road of least resistance’?

Now way late for democracy
& for human habitat
One faded in hypocrisy
other blew its thermostat

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Muscovite turned Costcoite

She left ’Solidarity Among Workers’
of Russian People generous and tough
joined here ‘Me-First Apolitical Shirkers’
eager devour abundant, gleaming stuff

Yana’s road steep, long & hard
on feet, bags & credit card

Ever since setting that noble goal
of Costcoite she’s persisted
been excelling in her newfound role
quick, astute, shrewd & tightfisted

+)
-Costcoite: an ace category shopper at Costco
-Muscovite = in this case our neighbor Yana, formerly of Moscow, where her giggles still echoe in its abandoned streets

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We rush each new day into the same old fray

We’re jumping into the fray
to injure, use up, jaw
As dawns yet another day
we elbow, step on, claw

One more eight billion people raid
bodies bouncing, minds racing
joy, beauty & sanity fade
never mind what we’re facing:

Species die, forests crumble
all brought down way too fast
Glaciers melt, earthquakes rumble
How long can humans last?

Even so we claim this assault
(as we primp for each next day)
is “no way our doing or fault
so let’s get back in the fray!”

+)
-eight billion = here: the planet’s approx human population