Me, Howling.

this is a poem I wrote a couple of years ago. It's inspired by Howl, by Allan Ginsberg. Not sure what people will think of it, but it's about time I put it out there.


ME, HOWLING.

I have seen the best minds of my generation
Cannibalised, anaesthetised by mundane mechanical
Monotony, engaged in worship of Macchiavelli
Without statues; clear headed confused fools
With mindless intelligence, only perpetuating the self,
Lodged in the present, over-caffeinated maniacs
So simple, so dull, an army of individuals,
Legions of learned people who refuse
To overtake their teachers,
Won't evolve, conscience absolved
In a sea of wires.

On the streets there is nothing.
Broken bottles are metaphors for nothing.
Forests of concrete symbolise nothing.

I have seen
Feminism flogged by its own advocates
Sluts stumbling with vomit in hair,
"How dare you stare!" they screech like harpies.
Graduation next week.

I have seen
Racism sidelined to subtlety and flashing,
Angry rants in explored but forgotten corners.
The march stopped. Everyone at ease for how long?

I have seen the non-conformists conform; everyone sucked back up.

I have seen men embark on quests and run aground on their
Own minds only to find they never left; they proclaim
Insanity but it is just vanity, the domain of fools making rules
With useless tools.

Skulls bashed in by bureaucracy and the ones who scream
Scream alone and silently on islands of distress and understanding.

I have seen conspiracy theories become reality and remain
Untrue.

So many invisible bonds of hope,
Strands of like minds
Severed by the hive mind,
And when new eyes
Peruse this page
They will burn with rage,
And criticise
My naiveté.

I have seen prescription drugs pumped into healthy bodies,
Whilst mind-openers are closed and sold by thugs, thus
misunderstood.

I have seen feral youths with blades become gangsters,
Haunting middle England so far away. But are we not all feral,
Collectively, sipping wine and using
Long words?
Devouring trees,
Slaughtering animals,
Towers everywhere
Up, up, up.
Bloated, scarring continents and
Choking skies.

We would rape the Sun if it were within our reach.

I have seen British blood valued more than
that of an anonymous child murdered
By bombs and greed. I have seen a
Nation too scared to look in the mirror,
But content to write
Vainglorious history,
Ignoring scribes who don't stick to the script.

the wise lay paths before the new batch
With clumsy hands, and hammer in
Signposts that scream destiny
In all directions.

I have seen
Angels demonised
By devils with dove wings
And plastic smiles
to hide hideous grins. Blind guides
Flapping forcing incoherent instructions
And rigid etiquette.
Nothing better yet.

I have seen men
Hypnotise the Gods and forget sobriety.

Just walk, walk
Until you find something
You were never looking for; dreams
Refrigerated or locked in dingy
Cupboards.

This is what I have seen.
Tell me, friend, what have you seen,
Beyond what you were taught,
And what you have bought?