A Poem About Our Societies Inablity to Refuse Conformity

Today

I wake today
staring at the sun that will make me blind
I step out of bed
the same bed that distorts my back
I take a shower
in the water that is killing me

I brush my teeth today
polluting my mouth with chemicals
I dress quickly
disregarding what my clothes are made of
I slip my shoes on
shoes made from the flesh of a suffering animal

I pour a cup of coffee today
hot black stew that will give me kidney stones
I eat a bagel
covered with the curdled milk of a cow
I grab an apple for the road
flavorless fruit soaked in toxins

I walk outside and breath today
breath air filled with shit
I light my morning cigarette
inhaling cancer, emphysema and impotence
I get in my Chevy
killing our planet and ruining our future

I drive in traffic today
the same circus of pollution as yesterday
I travel 40 miles and it takes an hour and a half
public transit is a joke
I arrive to work on time
suffering from a heart attack, stroke and hernia

I sit at my desk today
the same chair that gave me 4 extra inches around the middle
I stare at my monitor
burning my eyes and damaging my retinas
I answer my phone
cellular waves traveling through my brain

I leave the office for lunch today
lethargic and comatose
I ride the elevator down three floors
because the stairs make me wheeze
I walk across the street to MacDonald's
I don't know how to make a sandwich

I stand in line today
surrounded by fat, stupid and pathetic people
I order a hamburger and fries
powdered meat and potatoes dipped in fat
I drop change in a box
a box for a disease caused by eating here

I fill a cup with Coca Cola today
a bucket full of paint thinner and sugar
I sit at a plastic table
a table crawling with disease and splattered with child urine
I eat my food quietly
scared to look up and talk

I go back to my office today
fluorescent lights and stale air freshener
I type on my keyboard
causing carpel tunnel and arthritis
I sit in my chair
the food in my stomach rots

I leave work today
another sheep in shirt and tie
I drive 2 hours home
swearing, crying, shaking and pulling out my hair
I arrive after sundown
exhausted, weak and confused

I unlock my door today
my air conditioner filling my lungs with dust and mold
I take off my clothes
my one moment of daily relief
I turn on my television
diminishing my attention span

I microwave my dinner today
stale meatloaf and plastic wrapped gravy
I drink a beer
damaging my liver and thinning my blood
I watch commercials
Relentless attempts to take my money

I slide into bed today
resting my head on my soiled pillow
I pull the sheets around me
bathing in my own filth
I restlessly wait for sleep to come
a reprieve from my life that I hate

Tomorrow I wake
and do it all again
I continue to hurt myself
ignoring the consequences of my actions
I want to change, to be better
but that takes too much