Yesterday we had naming of parts. Today we have war.
Tomorrow we'll have a field trip to collect.
But not today! No, because today we have war, struggle.
A triviality maybe, but quite entertaining surely.
Either way you should get used to it, because today
We have war.
Yesterday we trained to get prepare for today. We learned.
About swivels and piling swivels and how and where and why.
Tomorrow you will learn how we collect. But not today.
Today you remember how to assemble parts. You remember it.
As if you learned it yesterday. As if your life was dependent on it.
Today, it might be.
Yesterday, tomorrow, today. They all seem to fade away.
When you find yourself struggling. Struggling against man. Struggling.
Against your own memory. Where did this go? Stupid Safety-catch.
There is no beauty here. No garden, no nature. Not today.
Today is about tomorrow. And tomorrow we collect. We collect
The black gold.
Are you entertained already? Yesterday, no one knew of this.
Today, the whole world is watching. They are watching you.
And how you handle the different parts. Tomorrow they wont care.
Not about you, nor about the parts. They will care about the black gold.
Which you are to collect. To protect. To cherish. To risk your life for.
Are you not entertained?
The clock takes one step closer to midnight. Tick, tick, tickling.
Did you remember the parts? If I asked you, could you name them?
Yesterday was war.
Today we collect.
Tomorrow is midnight.
This is quite original, and almost leaves the realm of Henry Reed's style (w. two distinct voices in each stanza). Still it's instantly recognizable as a take on his poem, so somewhere between homage and pastiche... Very well done, also thematically, w. the introduction of the mysterious 'black gold.'
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your poem. When reading it you really get the feeling of how dreadful it is going to war.
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