Rene Martin
Don Quixote Received a Presidential Pardon
Toxic vapors of his brain transform ships
and aircraft into the despised bearded image
that without respite haunts his wakeful
dreams.
The destroyed lives of his dementia’s victims
notwithstanding,
his devotees swear he wrought miracles
on their behalf
in response to their fervent prayers
and petition arduously for his canonization.
At length, they are persuaded to settle
for a mere presidential pardon –
somewhat short of sainthood, to be sure,
but sufficient to guarantee for him
the coveted Miami sinecure.
One day soon, perhaps, the church of Rome
will see the light and set things straight,
and declare the woeful Don a saint.
Prognostication
I remember when back in the ‘70's the wise ones
who have undertaken to guide our lives
foretold that the big challenge in years to come
would be leisure time management.
You see, under their guidance, we the people
were moving in a direction of greater and ever greater
efficiency and productivity. Technology
(constantly being improved and refined) was destined
to save us from our long hours of drudgery.
We would greatly increase our output and efficiency
by working smarter for ever shorter periods of time.
Then, just think! All of those free hours!
Time for relaxation, for recreation, for self-improvement,
for fun! What to do? How to use our time?
What a challenge! But not to fear, they would be there
to guide us, to teach us the way to enlightened leisure.
In this too, as in all else, if we but trust them,
they would deliver. Our future, their gift to us,
would be the equivalent of an earthly Nirvana.Well, the future has arrived and what have we here?
The people I know and secretly observe as our paths cross,
seem more harried, hurried, bossed and bullied than ever before.
Catch them unawares and their gaze is low, shoulders droop,
steps seem heavy. No one seems happy.
No hint of the human soul in full bloom. No radiance
shining through. Eyes dead. The universal cry is - no time!
I have no time! Everywhere there is a joyless rush,
tension, anxiety, often more than a hint of despair.
Days and nights packed dense with activity, there is scarcely
time to share a meal’s benediction with family or friends.
Often, food is taken on the run. Work days seem longer.
All too often, they indeed are so. Holding two and three jobs
is not uncommon. Leisure is the domain of the unemployed
(or underemployed). Stress- induced rage, precursor of violence,
envelops us like a fog. Everywhere there is hatred and fear.
We have coined the term ‘road rage.’ We hurtle frantically
along the trajectories of our lives in desperate endeavor
to not lose ground. There is hardly opportunity to think.
Opinions and deep convictions are now reduced to readily
accessible commodities. The script has been revised.
Today, the chant is Multi-tasking.
Ode to the Mainstream Media
Image fabricator
Empire shaker
Balls breaker
No risk taker
That’s our Media
No one can match
her embedded skills
She delivers the goods
Gives you your money’s worth.
Want to sell a product?
Mount an advertising
campaign?
Win the Oval Office?
To her it’s all the same.
No need to worry
about STD’s.
She’s magic!
She can create a candidacy,
make it disappear,
or simply never be.
Just show her the money
and watch her perform.
Leaves you with that
contented smile on
your face - and keeps you
satisfied - once the money
keeps coming.
