Inspired by Rachel “Quirky” Schenk

Living at the intersection
Of Delight and Delirium,
Immersed in disposable
Consumable media
Filled with bizarre images
Of singing cats shedding their skin
And Steven Moffat’s fever dreams
Of Dracula,
Trying to drown out
The intense sorrow
And existential dread
Of a world draped in darkness.

I crave the release
Of the Mighty Marvel
Morphine Drip™
To numb my mind
And help me
Momentarily forget
That a continent is burning
And seas will soon be boiling
Away to nothing
As oligarchs fiddle
With themselves,
Counting their money
While Gaia flatlines
On the table
(Her insurance wouldn’t
Cover the cure)

I need that Disney brand dopamine
To distract from the darkness
Threatening to drag us down
To the crossroads of
Despair and Death:
Children in cages
And coffins,
Kingdoms split apart.
Glaciers melting,
Forests burning.
People dying
On minimum wage.

Identity, humanity; agency: Denied!

Bigoted, racist,
antisemitic, Islamophobic,
Transphobic, homophobic,
Xenophobic domestic terrorists
Bathed in ignorance and self-righteousness,
Strings pulled by plutocrats
And war criminals
Profiteering off the proletariat’s
Blood, sweat, and tears,
Knowing that the divided
Can never band together
And guillotine the rich.

            But aren’t you angry?
            Why waste your time?

Am I angry?

Don’t mistake immersion
In immaterial flickering lights
For apathy
When it’s a bid
To save my sanity!

In this capitalistic dumpster fire
I need brightly colored flashes
Of insanity and stupidity
To keep me from madness!

Am I angry?
Here’s my secret:
I’m always angry.

1/22-1/23/20

This poem was inspired by several comments made by Rachel “Quirky” Schenk on Episode 68 of The Infinity Podcast (a podcast about Marvel movies).