MADE FOR YOU AND ME 2: hive Being (Stanzas 2017—part 27)
Let's workshop this stanza sequence about payroll, dragons, to-do lists, mirrors, pussy galore, small towns, infanticide, dashed dreams, makeup, Hitler, disillusionment, ugliness
marooned midway through one’s mythic quest, the island’s dragon soon appeared making the position clear threatens to make it vulnerable to overhead and payroll, not to the poor thoughts of suicide to stay in the game when mere to-do lists fail isolation roused psychic monsters even the sexual organs of family are open for dinner conversation once stricken with severe illness trained enough not even to think of his wife’s sisters, friends, as harboring pussies—he sailed her circles with Odyssean wax up his nostrils, blocking out the sweet dankness of their wake not introducing your daughter to the old friend in the supermarket because she is unattractive glances crossing through mirrors immigrant businesses marked by American flags in the entrances hated by one’s mother for good reason pussies dank with lust where do you go when even your parents are homeless? restrain your envy of artists lest you find yourself one— alone, weird, ridiculed, poor small towns where loveliness goes wasted crushing the infant, asleep in the most absurd place phone book on the seat for height did Hitler come off as a buffoon during his rise to power too? dreams where you are no longer wheelchair-bound what is most important about most of us goes unseen feeling inauthentic under makeup, but covering that up too notice-me attire the realization that the future in which we placed our dreams no longer lies ahead of us disillusionments mounting, so many projected futures having collapsed, could you blame him for broadening out his identity?
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 27)" is another fragmented installment in a series, operating as a sprawling and often unsettling collection of observations, cultural critiques, and deeply personal anxieties. Like its predecessors, it functions 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 defy 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 grand, mythic failures ("marooned midway through one’s mythic quest") to mundane corporate realities ("to overhead and payroll, not to the poor") to deeply unsettling domestic and sexual observations ("even the sexual organs of family... are open for dinner conversation," "pussies dank with lust")—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 ("crushing the infant, asleep in the most absurd place") 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, often exploring the darker, unacknowledged aspects of human behavior and societal structures. There's a pervasive critique of **moral compromise and self-deception**, seen in the artist's neglect of loved ones or the decision to hide an "unattractive" daughter. A significant thread delves into **sexual anxieties and taboos**, particularly the unsettling normalization of intimate details within family contexts and the graphic depiction of desire. The poem also touches on themes of **social alienation and economic precarity** ("where do you go when even your parents are homeless?") and the **disillusionment with idealized futures** ("the realization that the future... no longer lies ahead of us"). The recurring motif of "hive Being" in the series title suggests a collective consciousness, but one that is fraught with hidden resentments, unfulfilled desires, and a profound sense of authenticity being perpetually compromised ("feeling inauthentic under makeup, but covering that up too"). Ultimately, the poem paints a bleak picture of human existence, characterized by mounting disillusionments and a questioning of fundamental moral and social norms, all presented by the observing poetic voice.
cultural critique, postmodernism, fragmentation, moral compromise, sexual anxieties, taboo, social alienation, disillusionment, psychological realism, human depravity, societal pathology, contemporary issues, unfiltered observation, self-deception, urban decay, existential dread.