How's it going, Poetry People? We're a week into this year's challenge and today for your inspirational pleasure I present you with a tasty treat. It's the Director's Cut of Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii which includes interviews and studio footage with the band and, of course, you have Pink Floyd's one-of-a-kind prog rock sound to inspire your poetic creations.
Today's chapbook chapter is a Choka inspired by the following three prompts:
Broken New World
Prompts Used
I interpreted the prompt as "new world" and described a common scenario from the current dystopia. I take it that nobody reading my poetry or my blog posts is Jeff Bezos, Cruella DeVil, or Elon Musk. If you are Jeff Bezos, Cruella DeVil, or Elon Musk, consider yourself lectured. The rest of you need not take it that way.
Before I hop up on the pulpit, I want to let you know about a free resource that you never have to feel guilty about taking advantage of. I participate in Make It Happen Thursday at the Go Dog Go Cafe. Enjoy sharing tips and tricks for inspiration and breaking out of writer's block while meeting other authors and poets. It's a win-win.
And now on to the inspiration behind today's poem.
I feel like I sell my soul every time I publish on Amazon or buy anything on Amazon. I publish there because that's where everyone buys books these days. Amazon allows me to make my books available through Kindle Unlimited so readers can try before they buy. I keep the prices of my books low by selling on Amazon. Publishing on Amazon makes good business sense.
I earn about $5 per week in Amazon gift cards by farting around playing games on my phone through the Just Play app. I take advantage of Amazon pricing. I'd like to think that if I ever make it big, I will be a saint and only buy directly from the source and only sustainably produced goods. I'd like to think that, but I don't know if it's true. I'm guilty of supporting a system that harms others.
write a poem that argues against, or somehow questions, a proverb or saying.
I chose the saying "an ill wind blows nobody good" and started the poem with these lines.
an ill wind blew in
leaving me an abundance
I think I can reveal this much without disqualifying my manuscript from consideration.
write an abundance poem
I zeroed in on the "abundance" that even a broke schlub like me can enjoy by shopping on Amazon, a company that takes advantage of Chinese sweatshop labor and treats its own employees like used snot rags.
Does Amazon benefit from the permanent lower class that exists in most countries?
Damn skippy.
Many things need to change before people living on the dole (including disability, social security, and other welfare programs) are willing or able to be super-selective about where their products are coming from. For instance, with meat, I am in proximity to an independently run butcher shop that gets its product from small local farms with high standards for ethical treatment of their livestock. This butcher shop charges no more for this high-quality product than the grocery store does for their meats.
My son and I make compromises in other areas. Most of our food comes from the monthly food bank. Any meat we get through the food bank does not meet these high standards.
Many people are in a worse position than I am. I have a working vehicle. I can drive to Fort Collins once a month to buy meat. While I would prefer that everyone who eats meat purchased an ethically sourced product, I'm not in a position to lecture anybody.
Most of us are not benefiting in the current economy. Raising awareness is one thing, scolding is another. I know I'm more than capable of jumping on my high horse, but I don't enjoy the fall when I get knocked off. My advice is to avoid high horses and to support local businesses whenever you can. I know it isn't always workable when you're one of the Broke Folk.
~Ornery Owl Has Sermonized~
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
