Fifteen Minutes

“It’s Nice  That….6” by Gabriella Boyd

 

by sly trick or device

given quirks of

pop culture

you acquired some fame

fifteen minutes

to bask in the

half-hearted interest

of narrow minds

shallow souls

bored just as easily

as they’re amused

social media

leaves your

indelible scrapbook

to later look back

and ask of the past

what the hell

were you thinking

 

 

From my book Ephemera

Stardom

“Return of the Flame” by Rene Magritte

What fame is there
In tawdry scenes
Reality not drama
Famous figures
Behaving badly
Naked of inhibition
In the public eye
Fallow morality
Captured crudely
By the public lens

What shame is there
When character
Of lazy virtue
Shows transparent
No makeup masks
No costume cloaks
Conceal the truth
Iconic clay
Too limp to stand
Folds in on itself

What blame is there
For undeserved
Celebrity
Which part is ours
In sordid plays
Enjoying fools
Felled by folly
Miscast lives
Deluded by
Self-importance

Or is the headline
All that matters

 

 

(originally posted December 2013)

Limelight

“Spotlight on Guitar” by Alfred Gockel

scrambling for the stage

self-indulgent pop culture

endless shadows parade

social media shallows

in search of some light

fifteen minutes of fame

unafflicted by virtue

unburdened by purpose

the husk of celebrity

turned into trophies of

cheap weightless plastic

that no one will cherish

while genuine heroes

work serving humanity

somewhere and everywhere

outside the worship of

popular beacons unfazed

by their tragic obscurity

Fame

“Pebbles” by MV Ellison

plain pebble that never stands out

content to be left in the background

unnoticed imperfect yet pleased

to accept the warm love of the sun

unwilling to waste useless energy

trying to shine when a dull gray

humility serves to support the

conviction to stand in place

shoulder to shoulder among

fellow stones holding ground against

weathering wind and the walkabouts

escorting ruinous passage of time

a noble existence of steadfastness

more to the purpose of igneous life

than to haughtily sit celebration as

prizes in pockets of rockhounds

en route to a fated display on soft beds

of sateen in antique glazed vitrines

fame is fickle and fleeting a thing to be

chased by those lacking of confidence

scrabbling for worth in untrustworthy

whims of a changeable external world

*********************************

“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.” – Horace Greeley

Fifteen Minutes

Photo from
highheelrunner.blogspot.com

by sly trick or device
given quirks of
pop culture
you acquired some fame
fifteen minutes
to bask in the
half-hearted interest
of narrow minds
shallow souls
bored just as easily
as they’re amused
social media
leaves your
indelible scrapbook
to later look back
and ask of the past
what the hell
were you thinking

Demigods

“Sic Transit Gloria Mundi”
Painting by Philippa King
From bipolarartists.com

traced on onionskin
portraits of giants succumb
to fleeting glory

(sic transit gloria mundi)