Whenever I sit down to write there are two considerations which pop up. The first is subject matter which means to me idea, words and message. The second is the appearance of the poem on the page. To a poet the formatting of the words is as important as the sentiment they contain.
The first poem today shows how imaginative placement can enhance the meaning of the words. The second poem shows how a simple phrase like "cavemen with laptops" can be expanded into a full story poem. And you will note that the white space adds to the separation of thoughts. The leader of an open mic said these words when chatting to us and I adopted them. Thank you Martin Wesolowski, Arizona Steam Shop for the open mic you had and for the inspiration. Keep up the good work.
My Thoughts
My thoughts
seem to
w
a
n
d
e
r
I need them on
a
l
e
a
sh.
if you have
ADD
I'm sure
you kapeesh.
Techno Culture
We think ourselves
sophisticated, urbane,
technological advance
put us on a higher plane.
Our essence hasn't changed
as human ages roll;
we inherit the same body
are imbued with a like soul.
Food is now reaped or slaughtered
for the masses
and machines squeeze the grape
for mass produced glasses.
Electronic screens flicker,
songs float from magic cubes
while we sit in stupor
transformed to thoughtless rubes.
We watch as creativity
starts to dim and to flicker
as template and protocol
make creation sterile but quicker.
Now we search for something
hard to define;
we have fallen to the mundane
from the divine.
Food doesn't feed the psyche
when plucked from a shelf;
art becomes less full and redolent
filtered by electric elf.
In the final tallying
Mom Nature solemnly intones
"You are just conceited cavemen
with computers and cell phones."
The genie is out
and won't go back in the bottle
so we each must save ourselves
by easing on the throttle.
Our task is even harder
since we're from drudgery free
for the mandate now
put the human back in humanity.