Without faith in yourself
how can you proclaim faith in the unknown
Children bow to elders
seeking wisdom of the ages
Systemized and trained
brainwashed to think they know
It is the elders who pass the poison
in knockoff kool-aid cups.
Text book programming
vibration through brand name sponsors
as the parasite seeks out host
latching on, the sucking begins
dumbing down, dumbing down, dumbing down
Occasionally...a rift appears
when kool-aid seeps through unseen cracks
to meet with a mind immune
from teachers to preachers
stymied
The lab coat army marches to the rescue
Prescription pads
and medicare
We'll pay to ensure you meet current criteria
and should treatment prove ineffective
We'll pay to make sure all know
the failure you are destined to be
No purpose for society
medicated, hated
your free thinking mind
sacrilege
against pre programmed limitations.
It's OpenLinkNight at dVersePoets and I get to host the party! For those along the east cost, hope your weathering the storm okay...trust you're in our thoughts. Stay safe out there, Poets!
47 comments:
whew....we are a medicated society...dont get me wrong, some for the good, but i know far too many that are medicated to the hilt...particularly children...used to fight that all the time....dumb down, that is the way as well..prechew the food so no one has to think for themselves....and corporate sponsors...smiles...yes that as well....
look forward to seeing you behind the bar tonite tash...
So very true about the dumbing down and the textbooks being produced to appeal to certain groups. We just have to find to reverse the trend and honor those free thinkers, whether they be children or adults. Thought-provoking writing today.
Love this! Passing poison in "knockoff kool-aid cups"! Wonderful!
You've scored another bullseye, Natasha.
"A mind immune from teachers to preachers"
That is what it takes...never seemed that difficult to think for myself...always wondered why so few were willing to do it.
so refreshing and straight to the point. loved this.
Oof, this is a fabulous punch in the gut... the cadence is wonderful, the message filled with truth.
I wonder, in another 50, 75, 100 year, what kind of wisdom will be offered with that kool-aid.
So easy these days for doctors to just say..keep taking the pills, instead of finding out what truly IS the deeper problem.
Very thought provoking write Tash
Lots to think about here.
A hard truth - but beautifully written - the last stanza is just amazing! K
Great poem, but I'm not thinking it's the aged but the middle age, paunchy, know-it-all middle aged white guy who was just a smart alek kid until he made a promotion or a buck or two so that he got to say what's in the textbook, the political speech, the newspaper headline (working for that Lex Luthor guy who bought the Daily Planet - Fox News)
Heavens! This bites, HARD, and I love it! I agree with Brian we've got too much prechewed food. Next they'll put us on baby formula.
You point out an unfortunate symptom of our need for perfection. I wonder if there is a way--or even a desire--to figure this out????
No need to visit back. No post from me this week.
I can really relate to the themes you explore here... I agree with them too. You write so well about this subject. I wish that more people would realize that this was happening.
I love it when you write like this. Biting and poignant. All the medications...and the dumbing down, yes. And all the ways square pegs are whittled down to fit. Wonderful, thought-provoking poem.
Scathing, important write, Tash! My favorite "it is the elders who pass down the poison in knockoff koolaid cups" Wow! Bravo!
Reminds me of Eric Bogosian's monologue about the Artist - when the wayward thinker is considered the threat, then it's only a matter of time. Or better still Harry Chapin's "Flowers are Red." With iconoclasts like you, there is hope for the world. Great job.
You tell it! Powerfully!! What an absolute waste--and they know what they do and so how will there be mercy for them ever? It's a lot of work sitting here praying for victims and victimizers and for a nation of citizens who can get at "it" without needing a hero to do it for us. From Jones on down and out, what models do we set for the little ones looking for wisdom? OH--and politics aside--beautifully tight cadence in the couplets that drive us through to the inevitable conclusion.
Thought provoking and critical tonight at the Poet’s Pub. "A mind immune from teachers to preachers" . Amen.
"when kool-aid seeps through unseen cracks"... I don't suppose the Kool-aid mom was around
Fabulous - thought provoking powerful writing
You write truth that hurts. New generations sedated, not just by meds but by so much around them that is diluted, turned to Kool Aid.
Your writing wakes me up to my responsibility as an elder. Well done.
very true about the dumbing down and manipulated group think....
Hey! Quit pushing my buttons! You know better than to get me started! In other words, I hear what you're saying, and I agree! Well said!
you have to be carefully, carelessly taught...
look up the song Carefully Taught from the musical South Pacific
relevant
love it!
Quite powerful reproach of our health care systems...it's so important, I believe, for us to take responsibility for ourselves as much as we can. Nicely expressed, Tash.
True, this writing of yours and sad that it's so. Way, to write Tash snap, snap. (my fingers , like the beat)
it takes time to dig deeper..no one wants to take the time..no one really wants to know...taking some more pills is just way easier...thought provoking write tash and thanks for tending the bar..
And medicated, we stop thinking--we stop being really--great write Tash
yes! a medicated society indeed! what you learn out there out in the world (if looking with an open-mind) has way more value that what's in a text book.
Natasha, a powerful writing, straight forward and full of strong message for all of us! The kind of society we have is so influenced by corporations and the power of money.
We are a medicated society -- and the number of prescriptions that doctors have senior citizens take is quiet astonishing! Scary --
Again, Natasha -- you got me a going here!! Congrats on a great write!
Excellent! Someday we'll get to the amount of pills prescribed. I think what on earth, just eat better. I once taught a class in your kitchen being your medicine cabinet, however truly wonderful drugs help immensely. Don't get me started we could have coffee all morning and not be done with this conversation! By the way, let's have coffee sometime, when your in town. :) gardenlilie.com
Very powerful!... brilliant!
Ohh this poem really has something to say, very well done Natasha!
Great message. We should not be all fitted into the same mold, and those who are different are not necessarily crazy. Because we are all different. Companies helping to pay for education can be a good thing, as long as they stay out of the curriculum and content itself.
Normality is an illusion but society demands we conform to a consensus idealised norm. Poo to that idea. Thank you for the poem.
Once that would have been very 1984. Okay, it still needs saying, there's still a long way to go!
An interesting poem ~ thanks Natasha :)
Without faith in yourself how can you proclaim faith in the unknown <- excellent. If you can't believe in what you know best, yourself, how would you ever wrap your trust around anything outside of that shell?
I'll pass on the kool-aid. There is a difference between faith and "blind faith"
Excellent
this couplet is the centre of the piece for me Tash... and from here the ripples rock
It is the elders who pass the poison
in knockoff kool-aid cups.
This is fantastic! Love the imagery of the "lab coats" treating independent thinking like a disease. Excellent job!
Good stuff, this. This part stuck home:
to meet with a mind immune
from teachers to preachers
stymied
The lab coat army marches to the rescue
Prescription pads
and medicare
As we're battling my grandson's teacher, who has on her own decided he needs to be on ADHD medication. All of us and his doctor strongly disagree. It seems these very young teachers have been taught that any student that shows an inclination to think on their own should be medicated.
Another wonderful post!
And, if you know any musicians trained in the art, a damned good industrial song to boot.
a strong write. you hooked me right from the start. my free thinking mind is temporarily out of order, but this has sparked some interesting thoughts...
Very powerful voice, Natasha. We are a sad society, especially in the way that we consider becoming spiritless a form of medication. Imagine a prescription that asks us to tug at the suppressed core. Really uneasy ending, great piece altogether.
Nice for you to dedicate a few wishful thoughts to those who are dealing with the witch-spirit of Sandy.
I resent that, I run around in a lab coat all day long !
:-)
I loved your rant against conformity -- the banner of most poets.
Wow, pulling no punches! A topic deserving of the passion you bring to it.
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