Air Conditioned Nightmare
A man can have so much, he can't find his way out from all of it.
“The earth is not a lair, neither is it a prison. The earth is a Paradise, the only one we'll ever know. We will realize it the moment we open our eyes. We don't have to make it a Paradise-it is one. We have only to make ourselves fit to inhabit it. The man with the gun, the man with murder in his heart, cannot possibly recognize Paradise even when he is shown it.”
― Henry Miller, The Air-Conditioned Nightmare
In this land of everything,
everyone has plenty of food or
can order in from everywhere.
Dogs don’t growl anymore.
Cat’s don’t scratch anymore.
Boredom is now
the highest virtue we’ve got.
You can drink and not suffer a hangover.
You can exercise and not get sore muscles.
We’ve found a way around everything.
We have a solution for any ill, vice or ailment.
Ease is our new mantra.
We no longer want to live.
We want to watch ourselves live.
We will soon have a thermostat
for the whole damn world and
knowing the fixed laws of the universe
we’ll have a button to push for any wrong.
Hitler is dancing with the Jews
in some VR room far off
and shopping malls are soon
to open in North Korea.
The post comes on time and
the ice cream cones melt
just fast enough.
All the beauty pageants
have been cancelled -
everyone’s beautiful.
There are races where
everyone wins.
Jesus Christ has postponed
his second coming,
we’re doing so well.
The word “sin” can’t be found
in any dictionary.
It’s been a long time since I’ve
heard anyone cough.
There’s a six pack in
every fridge
and bread no longer goes stale.
Everything is everywhere
and always the right temperature.
We all have 157 channels and
there is nothing on.
The only hope, to dream
of axes and anger.
I’m going back to sleep,
’til the Vikings come round again
and we have something
worth fighting for.