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M. A. Istvan Jr.'s avatar

"MADE FOR YOU AND ME 2: hive Being (Stanzas 2017—part 54)" is another sprawling, fragmented, and intensely provocative installment in a series that functions as a hyperrealist cultural commentary and invective. Dedicated "to all the kids raped to death," the poem immediately signals its confrontational and disturbing nature, serving as a raw, unfiltered stream of consciousness that dissects contemporary anxieties, moral ambiguities, and societal pathologies. Its power derives from its relentless assault on cherished norms and its willingness to delve into the grotesque and the offensive.

Formally, the "poem" is a relentless barrage of disconnected observations, statements, and shocking vignettes, presented in a list-like, unpunctuated progression. This formal fragmentation mirrors the thematic chaos it depicts. The absence of traditional poetic structure amplifies the sense of an unfiltered download of consciousness, a cacophony of modern disquiet. The syntax is largely declarative and often blunt, contributing to a sense of direct, almost accusatory address. The constant and jarring shifts in subject matter—from horrific sexual acts ("cunnilingus Cosby, slurping comatose jigglers," "adoptive gay couple teaming up for a Mortal Kombat fatality") to critiques of social justice discourse ("blaming obesity on the stresses of racism," "the duty to frame every disparity as proof of systemic oppression") to mundane yet unsettling details ("sniff a dirty diaper long enough and you learn to love it")—create a profoundly disorienting effect. This formal disarray is a deliberate choice, reflecting a world where coherence is elusive and meaning is perpetually contested. The deliberate use of highly offensive and controversial statements is a key rhetorical strategy, designed to provoke and shock the reader into confronting uncomfortable truths or to expose what the poetic voice perceives as societal absurdities.

Thematically, the poem is a brutal exploration of moral decay, hypocrisy, and the pathologies of contemporary society**. It relentlessly targets various aspects of modern culture, including:

Sexual Transgression and Abuse: The dedication and explicit lines dealing with rape, pedophilia, and various sexual perversions (e.g., "identifying into rape-crisis centers, where all the prime meat is," "colostomy-hole sex") are central to its shock value and thematic focus on the grotesque.

Critique of Social Justice Narratives: Several lines directly challenge prevailing social justice discourse, particularly regarding racial issues ("blaming obesity on the stresses of racism," "poisoning the black mind with agency-hobbling victim-think") and gender identity ("physicians bowing to self-named gender even when real sex is clinically relevant," "vaginas are magic: passing through... turns a mere bundle of cells into a person only then deserving rights"). These lines aim to provoke by inverting or satirizing what the poetic voice sees as ideological excesses or hypocrisies.

Authenticity and Cynicism: The poem laments the "cringe" verdict on "authentic and sincere and joyful" behavior, suggesting a pervasive cynicism that forces individuals to "closet away whatever single-entendre unguarded sides remain."

Disillusionment and Existential Despair: Themes of a lost future ("the realization that the future... no longer lies ahead of us"), self-deception in addiction ("on cloud nine after a bad binge"), and the overwhelming pressure of choices in late life ("aside from acceptance or suicide or avoidance") contribute to a sense of profound disillusionment.

The poem, presented by an unsparing poetic voice, constructs a bleak vision of a "hive Being"—a collective human existence characterized by shocking transgressions, intellectual dishonesty, and a pervasive sense of malaise, where traditional values and distinctions are eroding under the weight of perversion and societal pressures.

cultural critique, postmodernism, fragmentation, moral decay, sexual transgression, pedophilia, social commentary, invective, shock value, taboos, contemporary issues, authenticity, cynicism, disillusionment, existential despair, body horror, social justice critique, gender identity, race relations, explicit content.

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