Cartoonish

CLICK HERE TO HEAR AUTHOR READ

I remember as a kid

asking my father 

if he was a millionaire.

That seemed to be important.

More than the fact 

that he made ladies dresses 

for a living,

which puzzled me

since he’d never worn one himself.

Today, we talk in terms

of billionaires,

and even trillionaires.

How many zeroes in a trillion?

An egg carton full?

How many omelettes 

does that make for the poor?

The world is Simpsons-scripted,

but without the irony

and whiplash dialogue, 

every episode guests

a washed-up rock star

with a heroin addict’s dental plan,

and an orange-tinted politician 

with painted on hair.

I remember when derangement 

wasn’t a qualification

for public office.

So we wait for delivery

of a cardboard box 

marked ACME

with the latest fantasy gadget,

complete with illustrated how-to instructions 

for our scrambled brains:

a rocket powered car,

a Batman flying suit,

a medieval catapult or,

a black two-dimensional hole

a trap 

to outsmart the bird

but inevitably we 

fall through it

to our temporary deaths.