Poem

This was inspired by my favourite poem by Allen Ginsberg – “Howl” is one of my absolute all time favourites. This barely touches the tip of the “Howl” iceberg but this is my ode.

Untitled

The crisp cold air 

Crackled 

As the morning birds 

Sang their cries and cackled 

Humanity sank 

As their hopes were drowned 

By the insolent battle 

To be king and crowned  

 

The inconvenience of deviance 

Scattered 

As civilians were bruised 

And battered 

Crushed and pushed 

Their cries were silent enough 

But could not be hushed 

 

Scowls and sighs 

The train groans to a stand 

And the stench 

Of fresh sweat 

Escapes 

The closing doors 

 

The mundane, the insane, the inhumane 

Gather and unite on a tin can train 

They fight for the right of a seat or a space 

Use it as an excuse to put the weak in their place- 

This is the human race. 

 

I watched as the world turned apocalyptic 

With their guns and their knives 

And hypocritical political lives 

Continuously consumed by consumerism 

 

And parents cried 

With their knocked up drugged up fucked up children 

As the banks and the government 

Turned them away saying 

“No! you will not be paid benefits today!” 

 

Just begging and begging and praying and hoping 

Squashed, sweating and suffering 

On tubes of filth and strangers subtle fury 

With their books 

And their iPhones 

And their cheap smiles 

Taken with them to a lonely home 

 

Scratching their heads 

And rubbing their nose 

Thinking of things that no one will ever know 

Suits upon suits 

Faces upon faces 

Monotone voices over speakerphones 

Wailing babies and their shitty nappies 

And dribbling bubbling lips 

 

What are you looking at?