Our Times

Painting by Jeffrey Ackerman — 2016 (with permission of the artist)

An age of infinite irony:

A billion and a half locked out of school
while the lesson of the century is being taught

Late night hosts muster leadership and insight
while the leaders in name point fingers

Pop n fresh kernels of self-righteous entitlement
bake up fluffy, and light,
full of air-puffed attitude
nothing more,
nothing less

Echos pass the electric acid feedback test
and the fervent follow fearlessly

Lemming once,
lemming twice,
lining up for lemming soup and rice

An archipelago of Rapunzels in our castles;
looking out for princes and Amazon deliveries,
watching the Babel of myth makers,
weaving reality without warp or weft.