Value Added

By Cliff Lake

 

Value Added

 

I bit into a candy and was disappointed

That I was not immediately granted sparkle-vision

And transported via altered consciousness to New Jersey

Or at least my bedroom.

 

Are we being prepared

For sweets to be infused with LSD

And sold to children?

And if we are,

Why doesn’t Q know it?

They seem pretty hip to everything else.

 

That’s the problem with your better conspiracy theories:

The guys with the inside info

Are armed to the teeth

So, you can’t get close enough to find out

If they really are nuts

Or if it was just a bad joke that went too far.

 

How many carbonated soft drinks do I need,

To ride a rainbow roller coaster?

Is there a specific quantity?

Just that one flavor?

Or are my VR goggles low on power?

Replacing my imagination

With a new streaming service.

 

The spending season has opened

And allows me to fill the empty corners

With plastic

And faux wood trauma,

Made more attractive

With built-in Wi-Fi.

Big Brother Christmas cheer.

 

Speak into the salt shaker

And monitor your toilet paper usage

From the kitchen.

Useless convenience,

Inhuman connection,

Put the VR set back on

And the noise-cancelling headphones

To interact with your relatives

In the other room.

 

Less is more.

That’s why the cereal box

Is already half empty.

Fortified with vitamin D

Value added

Minus product.

 

This holiday season

Let’s answer the question:

How’s your credit?

 

Cliff Lake 12/3/2023

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2023

Location: Dalton, MA, USA

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