Extinction

Heart and Soul Nebula – photo by NASA

 

avalanching ethers

burst among solar flares

explosive with locust bytes

swarming in broadband storms

chomping through dark matter orbits

dimming the starlight

with sensory overload

to then disappear

massive cloud after cloud

into gestating bellies of

Cancer and Capricorn

reborn and transmogrified

carapaced cloven-clawed

mandibled sea-goats

voracious for unwrinkled brains

with pubescent attraction

to distraction of inane textese

reductive emoticonned moments

flashing frivolous acronyms

from voice-command gadgets

and chatspeaking thumbs

unable to utter

or finger-swipe

anything cosmic

to rescue the intellect

from cultural dross piled like grave-dirt

interring a species

that might have discovered

the soul of the universe

 

 

From my book City of Pawns

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

Fake News

“Diamonds and Lies” by Brenda York

 

above the treeline

voices carry forever

circling the globe

every lie ever told

weightless words

shallow breaths

of thin air lifted

swiftly on currents

corrupt in their

power to populate

credulous minds

with insidious facts

of dishonesty

misinformation

combining with

disinformation

accomplish the

very worst kinds

of deception

creating electronic

truths bearing

echoes of gospel

Anger Management

“Wizzlewump” by Frank Robert Dixon

(Regarding the plethora of hateful memes on social media)

 

which colophon appoints the page
of burning words and seething rage

the imprint of fair justice failed
or bitterness that can’t be veiled

the lines we publish tell of us
cool judgment or hot animus

our pens put forth two types of ink
one reasoned one that doesn’t think

which canon shall we leave behind
discordant rants or hymns of mind

persuasion comes a noble art
when diligence has played its part

convincing wrong of what is right
requires truth be brought to light

but outbursts of emotion die
on thoughtless pages where they lie

our book would best advance debate
when not compelled to denigrate

ad hominems will poorly brace
the argument that makes the case

last refuge of a mindless ire
paragraphs conceived in fire

rationale when laid down well
with facts will give them bloody hell

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

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