Japan’s Revenge

 

Like a flotilla revenging World War Two

an army of Japanese KonMari acolytes

are assaulting the cluttered disorder

rampant in our consumer laden homes

 

Mari Kondo, their high Netflix priestess,

advocates testing possessions for sparks of joy

and if there are no sparks

they’re off to Goodwill

 

For many, Mari Kondo is the antidote

to an out of control modern life

and by following the KonMari method

your home becomes a sanctuary of order

 

Yet like a time-consuming sponge

order nurtures conventional thinking

and studies show randomness

can spark creative ideas

 

This repackaged Shintoism

would have castrated the creativity

of Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein,

and Steve Jobs who loved their messy desks

 

Somewhere on my desk are studies

linking messiness to creativity

but with so many paper piles

I am not sure where they are

 

 

Barbie Turns 60

 

Barbie you razor thin blonde

who mutilated so many body images

who worshipped consumption

of sports cars, fashions and dream houses

who dallied on and off

with Ken but never married

 

Of course, it’s easy to understand

the lack of long-term attraction

between the model “it” couple

Very photogenic, but missing

some major private parts

 

Now Barbie you have to realize

your frozen good looks

can’t last forever and

it’s time to face the reality

of hitting the big six o

and let some wrinkles show

and consider a plastic butt tuck

 

Soon Mattel will have to replace

your suburban dream house

with Barbie’s Assisted Living

No dream kitchen

just communal dining

No spacious rooms

just one room and

God Forbid a roommate

 

So, Barbie your lack of eros

may not have stimulated Ken

but capitalism will honor you

as the queen of consumption

who stimulated the economy

 

Barbie is a registered trademark of Mattel Inc.

 

Sam Love

Sam Love lives in New Bern, N.C. which is as good a place as any to observe the drama that currently passes for Western Civilization. He has published and produced enough material in mass circulation media including Washingtonian and Smithsonian magazines that he has earned the right to be a footnote. After years of work with visual images and linear print he turned to poetry so people can make the movie in their head. His poems have been published in Kakalak, Slippery Elm, Voices on the Wind, The Lyricist, Flying South, Sleet and other publications. Eno published by Duke University has published six of his environmental poems and four of his poems have been featured on Poetry in Plain Sight posters throughout North Carolina. His latest poetry book, Cogitation, is available from Unsolicited Press. His illustrated children’s book My Little Plastic Bag is available in Spanish and English and has won numerous awards including a Nautilus Award. He is currently president of the New Bern local Poetry Group that organizes a monthly open mike.

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