There used to be a field here,
guess maybe there still is
only now, it's asphalt under fluorescent
rather than meadow green under sunshine.
They march like zombies
toward glowing happy faces
remember the t-shirts
where they had a bullet thru their brain?
I feel that here
as they fall to their knees
in the name of consumption
and falling prices
All walks of life are greeted
from the back woods to suburban centers
all are welcome here
as evidenced in the slack eyed grins
Who stand at attention waiting to greet you
make you feel like you belong
while pushing the button
out of ignorance
forced assimilation
to this grand, plastic Walmart Nation
Through the windshield
I fool myself into thinking I'm protected
young and old
waltz toward the light
there is no outside evidence
of the black magic at play
just the constant hum
of the streetlights
that have replaced the maples and oaks
who were content to stand in silence
ignorant to the threat
false security
A woman drags a screaming child through my eye line
chubby cheeks smeared in snot
and the kid looks no better
guess the plastic must have melted
Now a man
does he not realize
that rubber plant is the last thing his man cave needs
better than the day-glow titty poster, I suppose
ah yes...now the new recruits
young, dumb and full of fun
ready to dance down the aisles
to distract the watchers like me
from the evil at work.
WORK!
Whoops...
I grab my coffee and the steering wheel
one brand name
to offset the ill effects of the other
and I (in my own bubble of ignorance)
hit the road.
We're people watching at Poetics today over at dVerse...and this pic I snapped last night while I sent my daughter into the frey proved the perfect inspiration for my write. And for any who might be interested, there's a free-link up on my 100Thousand Poets For Change page so you too can lend your voice to this amazing world-wide event.
26 comments:
oy....yep that is walmart.....and there are all kinds of crazy people there....plastic...ha, nice watchmen ref as well with the bullet hole....worshiping consumption...sadly in many ways these days yes...at least as long as the money or plastic holds out...and then what?
supermarkets are great places to watch people..ha..marching like zombies...fall to their knees in the name of consumption...great lines..thanks for allowing us to watch a bit from behind your windshield tash..
Love the anger in this. Have to admit, the "day glow titty poster" made me laugh. The melted plastic line was a nice touch as well. I still go to a Walmart every once in a while, but every time I do I feel what you say here - the florescent lights draining my soul, the sad faces, screaming kids, etc. Not a fun place - or concept for that matter.
Loved the view you presented. Walmart definitely is a good place for people watching...whether inside or in the parking lot!
I love the way you bring this back around to the understanding that we are all of these people, and all of these people are us. Great commentary on this world we live in.
We now have Target stores poised to open many branches versus Walmart ~ Yes, this is the name of the game,lower prices in the name of consumption ~
Like the scenes you captured here Tash ~
Superb commentary on the 'joys' of supermarket shopping.
And it is so true that customers/consumers morph into zombies as soon as they hit the door...
My cosy little supermarket where I shop early morning (after night shift) is almost empty then - lovely!
Sad thing is is that a new 'super-supermarket' (triple in size) is in the process of being built to replace it.
Will I become a zombie too?
Anna :o]
Originally, we bought stuff to live; now, we live to buy stuff. Sadly we have been trained to believe that the latter is correct.
Well done, Tash. Good commentary.
"And the kid looks no better" - ha, very nice. We don't have Walmart in the UK, but I certainly know that glazed-eye consumerism evident in any large-scale shopping space.
Walmart and I have a love, hate relationship. I hate the store tremendously, yet I always find myself joining those zombies.
Incredible as it is, we know the zombie syndrome, sometimes we ARE the zombies, yet pull back a step and just observe, and the whole picture changes. You have done that pulling back for us, brilliantly.
I can't even go into a Wal Mart and this poem reminds me why... You've captured the place perfectly... this gave me chills...
Yeah, strip malls, super stores (KMart, WalMart) pop up like gargantuan mushrooms in the fields stripped of barns, fences, old tractors, and urban residences. In 20 years here I have seen mall sprawl moving like a menace.
Cool photo and even cooler poem - yes, the Walmart Nation. It lives in our town too and has closed down a number of small businesses........love "fall to their knees in the name of consumption".......you have nailed it in this poem.
I lived in a small country town where Walmart was the only thing happening. Cheaper than all else and needed for a populace 60% dependent on welfare. But Lord, what they bought! And the parents who hit their kids. Ouch!
I enjoyed you turning your biting criticisms of others on yourself at the end. Nicely done.
Wonderful poem... I feel the same way going to the shopping centre... I walk so fast get in and get out quick... they're good place to see how quickly we are brainwashed into becoming consumerised zombies...
I had to laugh as I observed the Walmart parking lot today while driving to Goodwill to drop off donations. I actually yelled (don't know who I was talking to): 'Don't you understand the Waltons pulled out of the US stock market, contributing to the crash. They have the same net worth as the lowest 30% of American families combined! Go on, keep feeding the rich (expletives) your blood, plasma, and souls!' OMG, yes, this is my rant in my car and in this poem I felt our sisterhood :)! It is so descriptive and real, so full of the line we walk as we all participate in some way. One of my favorites!
Great imagery -- and oh, so true!
Wal-Mart---a whole world of crazy zombies with eyes burnt by consumption. You captured it well.
The images you've painted here are beyond words how effective they are. The reference to the zombies, wow, I love it. Strong write. Thanks
A cool description of a crazy world. I love it.
Great stuff and so true! There are many ways in which the masses are controlled, some more imaginative than Orwell's 1984.
Tasha - not a big Walmart fan - and your poem spells it out perfectly - yikes! K
Really nice piece Tash, love the way you invert meaning. I think Dante would have put Walmart and its ilk into one of the circles of hell!
Wonderful-- I esp. loved:
Now a man
does he not realize
that rubber plant is the last thing his man cave needs
better than the day-glow titty poster, I suppose
for the originality of perception-- my life so changed by mobility loss that a high of my week is to drive to WM after midnight and drive my cart at a good clip through the bras...xxxj
there's a walmart across a six-lane street and i haven't been there for at least two years ~ i looked around my apartment one day and couldn't find much of anything that hadn't been made in China.
love your "observations"!
♥
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