This is
The twenty-first century.
Here, we
Soften anything
Too blunt – too
Impolite –
With smiley faces,
"Please" and
"Thank you"'s.

("Children are
Starving
In some places.
What does that mean?
No, why should we help them?
Someone else
Surely will.
Just eat your food and
Be a good boy, now.")


Here we
Don't like people who keep to themselves
We don't like people who
Think
Not conforming
Is a good thing;
We want everything, and
Everyone
To be the same.

It's just easier that way,
Don't you understand?

We're very
Patient with anything we
Comprehend, anything that
Adheres to our
Beliefs –
Anything worthy of our
Rare, scattered
Thoughts,
That is.

("Look around you, child -
Can't you see?
The world is made of
Control, logic, and common sense.
As long as you don't try to
Think, or – god help you - believe in
Those outlandish hopes and dreams,
Everything
Will be all right.")

We would never mess with
This solid base of blind trust and
Empty words, you see.
That just might give words, ideas
Power – how frightening! No, it is better to just
Take what is given and ask for nothing, to take our
Food already chewed and checked for irregularity, our ideals
From the jingles of radio commercials, reality shows and
Celebrities.

These are better, modern
Times, you see.

("Now sit tight and
Watch that television –
As long as you don't learn anything
New, and therefore
Dangerous,
You can watch
Anything you like. Isn't that just grand?
So much better than
Sitting and thinking, which is such a waste of time.")

Don't try to convince us that
Your ideas are worth listening to –
They will become so only once
They are the same as everything else is
Nowadays, the same as
The meaningless fuzz spouting from our idols' mouths.
Keep trying, though – always have a shred of hope -
As long as
You don't try too hard.


This is the
Twenty-first century,
Yes,
That long-awaited
Age of enlightenment, of
Fulfillment and
Empty abundance.
This is
The twenty-first century.