MADE FOR YOU AND ME 2: hive Being (Stanzas 2017—part 28)
Let's workshop this stanza sequence about tricking old people, escaped tarantulas, artists neglecting relationships, the Library of Alexandria, demons, rape, suicide, etiquette rules, levitation
the license that being an artist gives to neglect loved ones her t-shirt read: “Stop being a pussy and rape me already” an artist fearful of causing offense is closer to a jingle-writing ad-man the missing pet spider—everywhere, nowhere—became a koan of suburban Buddhism time, which no face-lift can outrun, curses the gorgeous oily rainbows, contorted, in gasoline spills living today, but still incensed at all that was burned in the Library of Alexandria struggling to write what you forgot you had once written what remains in the typewriter after death domestic squabbles, vases shattered against walls books recovered, distended, from sunken boats mothers wondering, not whether you had a good time, but whether you were the prettiest at the party rejecting new art on grounds that it rejects beauty relieves one from having to state that those finding beauty in it are wrong the question “That’s where you live?”—asked with that italicized “that” of incredulity by someone whose words are hang-on worthy (cop, social worker, priest)—can punch the child hard enough to bring into focus for the first time the squalor of its dwelling the video did not pick up the levitation because it was just the possessing demon projecting that image into our minds promising to retain certain feelings—love, say— is just as silly as promising that your heart will continue to beat for another sixty years cans rusted to the shelf seventy years of fuzzy UFO photos couch cushions to muffle the noise fake chicken squeaking under the old person’s dementia knife coloring within the lines to get the Christmas bonus slime molds solve metropolitan maze puzzles to reach nutrients the shameless sharing of child porn in the early days of dial-up not inviting people because you do not want them not to come you knew him so well—until you found his body hanging these mp3s, catalysts within the sonic time capsule, might have transmuted base nostalgia into the heavy element of wisdom if only he had the courage to sit with the reality of time’s torrent and all his unfulfilled hopes, regrets it is a sign of good health to approach people with stereotypes, low resolution approximations—but is a sign of bad health to be unwilling to fill that in or shift it given what they actually are as mafia movies reveal, the flip-side of etiquette rules (there at their very origin) is that, however much they are claimed to keep us safe and civil, they serve as pretenses to lash out
This is a portion of an ongoing mosaic poem called Made for You and Me. This portion is from the first installment: hive Being (Stanzas 2016-2020). More specifically, it is from the 2017 portion of that five-part work.
"MADE FOR YOU AND ME 2: hive Being (Stanzas 2017—part 28)" is another installment in what appears to be an ongoing series, functioning as a sprawling, fragmented, and often disturbing collage of observations, cultural critiques, and vignettes. Like its predecessor, this piece operates as a **hyperrealist cultural commentary**, presenting a raw and unfiltered stream of consciousness that mirrors the chaotic and morally ambiguous landscape of contemporary society. The poem's power lies in its bluntness, its willingness to confront taboo subjects, and its rejection of a singular narrative, instead offering a dizzying array of micro-narratives that collectively paint a grim picture of human nature and societal pathologies.
Formally, the "poem" continues to eschew conventional poetic structure, instead presenting a list-like progression of seemingly disparate thoughts, each functioning as a self-contained unit of observation or provocation. The absence of stanza breaks or consistent meter amplifies the sense of a continuous, unfiltered download of consciousness. The syntax is generally declarative and unadorned, contributing to the sense of direct, almost confrontational address. The constant shifts in subject matter—from controversial social observations ("her t-shirt read: 'Stop being a pussy and rape me already'") to philosophical musings ("time, which no face-lift can outrun, curses the gorgeous") to mundane yet unsettling details ("fake chicken squeaking under the old person’s dementia knife")—create a jarring, disorienting effect. This formal disarray mirrors the thematic fragmentation, suggesting a world where meaning is elusive and coherence is a luxury. The deliberate use of shocking imagery and controversial statements serves as a **dialectical tool**, forcing the reader to confront uncomfortable truths and question their own assumptions.
Thematically, several threads emerge through the accumulation of these diverse observations. There's a pervasive critique of **moral hypocrisy and the commodification of art**, particularly in the lines discussing the artist's license to neglect loved ones versus the "jingle-writing ad-man." The poem also delves into the **darker aspects of human nature and societal decay**, touching on themes of sexual transgression ("the shameless sharing of child porn"), the fragility of memory, the corrosive effects of time, and the underlying anxieties of human interaction ("not inviting people because you do not want them not to come"). A significant thread explores the **judgmental gaze and its impact**, exemplified by the "italicized 'that' of incredulity" that can traumatize a child. Furthermore, the piece grapples with the **limitations of human perception and understanding**, whether through "fuzzy UFO photos" or the inability to discern a "possessing demon." The ultimate effect is a bleak and unflinching portrayal of humanity's foibles, hidden darknesses, and the often-unacknowledged tensions that define modern existence, all presented by the observing poetic voice.
cultural critique, postmodernism, fragmentation, moral relativism, social commentary, psychological perversion, taboo subjects, brutalist lyric, stream of consciousness, societal anxieties, hypocrisy, dark sexuality, human depravity, contemporary issues, unfiltered observation, judgment, memory, trauma, perception.