Monday, August 06, 2007

A (poetic) Public Service Announcement:

I'm working on my addiction to the other box. (This box here is a two way street, at least. While it'd be best to shut 'em both off, lifewise, at least this one lets you give, as well as get.)

A poem by a guy I know, vaguely...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

television

in our livingrooms kitchens bedrooms
in Feng Shiu a television screen is a mirror
and a mirror facing the marital bed is bad luck
pluck moving pictures and sound
from the electromagnetic spectrum
wherever there is electricity
piped-in cables condensing crisp, multi-channeled feasts
broadcast signals are weaker
since cable television has become ubiquitous
all the materials, chemicals and gases that go into its making
a condensed history of the electronic age
from giant vacuum tubes to little transistors
from small grainy black and white pictures to big screen color
Did we dream in black and white before photography?
our multicultural liturgy Marcia Marcia Marcia!
knowing where I was the moment the last Seinfeld episode aired
ordering our lives supper must be eaten
and home work must be done before prime time
I can pick you up from the train as soon as X Files is over
Infotainment mostly, commercials
paying for privilege of watching It’s free, you say?
did you pay for that appliance? your monthly cable bill?
is time with your kids worth nothing?
your spouse? your parents? yourself?
wherever you live, there is tons of good live local music
often it’s free or just the cost of a drink
turn the television off
you will be surprised how you no longer have time for it
turn the television off
unplug it cover it up stow it away
turn it off

-isw
television - On the Wilder Side
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4 comments:

iwilder said...

Thanks for the post. You made me go back and fix my original post. I had messed up the spacing & such

peace,
Ian

repsac3 said...

You're quite welcome, sir...

I'd use the italics if I could, but there are certain things that some folks can do that I cannot...
(I think it has something to do with the interaction between my Safari browser & Blogger... That, or I haven't found the correct magic word or ritual, as yet...) All I can do is post the words, hopefully in the right order...

iwilder said...

the italics was a comment on my being caught in laziness. like any other human I am more than glad to get the attention.

peace,
Ian

repsac3 said...

I'm wondering whether you misunderstood my "Italics" comment... ...or whether I'm misunderstanding yours.

I am unable to format your poem here at this blog the same way you did there on yours (with the italics, & spacing)... Like I said, I think it's a "browser (safari) / website (blogger)" thing... (That, or I'm as clueless as I feel, sometimes 8>)

It was not a criticism of anything you've said or done, here or there...

I think I'm just confused... No worries...

Nerd Score (Do nerds score?)