Sunday, January 10, 2016

843 - The Machine


Sunday Whirl (Wordle #233) presents a list of words
that we must incorporate in a writing piece.  

The words this week are:

mouth, spill, possible, keep, change, head
skeletons, step, wire, gift, moon, present


The Machine

[Narrator]
In the regular cycles of his life,
Punctuated by the moon and sun,
Man persists through joy and strife
As previous generations all have done.

[Man]
It seems to me that joys are rare,
While strife is in excess!

[Narrator]
But man has few excuses there,
A victim of his own success.

[Businessmen]
We must make profits while we can
And each year must increase as well.

[Priests]
We offer heavenly rewards to the exhausted man
You keep him calm not rebel!

[Narrator]
Man’s afraid to step out of line,
He walks a high wire act.
He needs to work and can’t resign—

[Man]
It’s a most distressing fact.

[Narrator]
Pulpits and print houses spread the lie
That no possible change can begin,
They want that man will work and die—

[Politicians]
We legislate to lock him in!
We love to mouth warm platitudes
That feel they may be true.

[Priests]
We love to recite beatitudes
To help avoid a coup.

[Man]
And all the while we are made to run
On the treadmill of desire,
Told that we are having fun
If we are constantly a buyer.

[Narrator]
So man toils thoughout his time
And ends, as skeletons beneath the earth.

[Businessmen]
While we have nice homes beyond the grime
Where accountants check our worth.

[Narrator]
Should the notion enter man’s head
To change his present fate,
Blood would be spilt, with many dead,
As the military obeys the state.

[Priests]
So we sell the lie of God’s sweet gift
To stop the crowds rebelling

[The Media]
We peddle fear to induce a rift

[Politicians]
That makes our lies compelling.

[Narrator]
So there, dear reader, is man’s sorry lot
Living another’s base agenda.

[Man]
I’m never happy with what I’ve got!

[Businessmen]
We can recommend a good lender!
.
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© J Cosmo Newbery 2016
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18 comments:

  1. How I wish your Narrator was wrong.

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  2. Cogs in a machine...like it or not i suppose most of us are..when exposed it all seems quite pointless but i wonder what would happen if we didn't work towards the superficial - would everyone reach nirvana or would it be social anarchy...might be good to try..create a new universe! A very effective technique expertly executed..

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  3. I was reading with a serious face until i came to the last scene

    "[Businessmen]
    We can recommend a good lender!"

    LOL

    thanks for enlivening my morning

    much love...
    .

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  4. A fabulous poem play that is sadly true if we let it be....I agree with Sanaa...brilliant!

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  5. This is very well done, J. They way you have retained your stanza form while changing speakers is clever. i really like the end result.

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  6. Frighteningly true...

    Elizabeth

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  7. This is like a chant.. the truth of man as prisoner... and there are always ways to lock us down.. very well penned.

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  8. This is very clever, ironic, and disturbingly accurate. Some of us are beginning to recognize out lot - the politicians tremble, LOL.

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  9. A sad state of affairs, but extremely cleverly presented through the use of varied speakers. Brilliantly written!

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  10. Creative piece, like a Greek or Roman reenactment.
    Bravo. A lot of work and thought went into this.
    Randy

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  11. This was very well crafted and clever with the use of different speakers all offering advise and the media certainly peddles fear...

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  12. A new Everyman here in an expressionistic almost Brechtian sequence. Bravo.

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  13. A little masterpiece! I love the wry humour of the ending.

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  14. this was innovative and profound. I'm impressed with your structure and the interchanging of speakers throughout.

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  15. I can see the puppeteer walking/playing with all these characters...fun play!

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