Captives of the Violent Screen
2000
Captives of the Violent Screen
So you think you’re free
But then you tune into me
And trade your clarity
For my insanity
While you perceive one caption
At a time you ask no questions
I’am your tv god
And you sit there consuming
And consumed
As your watching me I’m watching you
Captives of violent screen stimulie for the war machines
Young at heart impulsive minds
I see them in the candy stores
With there sugar sweet smiles
I see them in the theaters
Laughing running feeling free
I see them in the parks with there
Machine gun counter parts
Pulling the trigger
Of make believe death
Their youngness on a fine line with madness
And then they arise to sip one more dose of time
They grab there bowels and cereals
And its on to the channels there gods
To get them on their way
And as the milk pours on
Snap crackle rata tat tat
They sit mesmerized peering through dizzy land eyes
As the shown the beauties of violence and war
Then a sound is at the door
Mother is home
As she walks in
And says “how are my troops today”?
This piece was quoted to Jane Fonda while I was carrying her bags out to the waiting limo, to take her
to the airport after doing at talk for a women’s group at the El Dorado hotel in Santa Fe NM.
Earlier that day while working at the hotel I ran into a friend I had not seen for a while
She told me that she had brought Jane Fonda to do a talk, I mentioned that I would like
To meet her, being a Viet Nam vet I felt she had gotten a bad rap during the war.
I meet them both coming out of the elevator, my friend introduced me and mentioned
That I was a poet Jane said can you quote me a piece as the piece came to its final
I opened the door to the limo she looked at me and said “What a send off”! I said “bye Jane”.