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| Photo by Arthur40A |
It's the end of the world as we know it,
and REM told us, twelve years ago, to feel fine,
the book stores shelves're lined with Left Behind
preacher's benediction is escape plans for end times
& Prince, not yet a symbol, sings, let's party like it's 1999---
I'm nothing special, paying bills with dimes & nickles,
driving dad's suburban to work, (until the belt broke
& can't even fix it, late already on our payday advance)
cause my truck's a horse late for the glue factory,
flat tired & busted slowing rusting, outside our apartment
in low income housing, and i don't even own a working television
to watch the ball drop, computer crash, Y2K bugs crawling
out the cracks, everyone praying Jesus comes back
with a bus big enough, and accepts our ticket,
before so they ain't gotta experience it---
so we stroll main street, among the hundreds
that don't want to be alone if this is it and tomorrow
is a stone age remix, there is nervous tension,
& questions
& questions
but it's free and fun, let's party like it's 1999
because this moment is the only promise we have
and ten, nine, eight - everyone holds their breathe
seven, six, five - the natives are restless
four, three, two - close your eyes and kiss
one &
a new millennium, nothing changes,
& everything changes, life turns, i sell out to corporate,
make six figures, get comfortable, then refind my heart,
quit, scrape by back below the poverty level, multiple
cars come and break, shit happens, you learn to expect it,
but the big difference
is when they say the mayan calendar is ending,
i figure nothing is new, just undiscovered country,
an adventure begun when the world started spinning,
a dance in which you got to find the rhythm,
but only if you're dancing----
& whatever turns the record takes on the table,
we'll find the steps, so DJ
play that beat
& bear witness---(scratch)
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it
and
I
feel
fine
At dVerse Poets today, Shawna of RosemaryMint will be tending the pub for Poetics and sending us on a trip in the Way-Back Machine. So don't be late for the date, it opens up at 3 pm EST.
lyrics in italics by REM
Posts
78 comments:
Yes, this moment is the only moment we have; so we do have to make use of it, party in any way that makes sense to us, as it won't come again! And each year we live the world we once knew becomes more and more the past. A thought-provoking write, Brian!
Ah, we are in the rewind machine now. Hopefully with some prospective you see why you went down the path that you did and how it brought value and purpose to where you are now.
You had an interesting journey, some I know, some I have yet to read. Funny, but I remember where I was that at this time and day.
"a new millennium, nothing changes,
& everything changes, life turns"
You captured everything in this line ~
But Brian, THIS time might really mean it. I think this gets us all because we know one day the sun really won't come up... for each of us. Let's party!!
Well - thanks for THAT ear worm! Ha ha!
Funny how the Y2K was such a big scare and the Mayan calendar? No so much. If it's the end of the world as we know it - I've lived a good life.
Great poem - fun and FOOD FOR THOUGHT!
A lot of people tend to forget that nothing lasts forever. This moment is, indeed, the only promise we have. Let's dance.
haha Y2K was very pathetic indeed
Better chances of aliens comng here to feed
Seems like lots of things broke for you though
Crummy when vechiles can't go
As far as the Mayans and their crap
On Dec 21st I'll take a nap
And when I wake up all will be fine
So the crazies will have to go find something else to continue their whine
We spin and remix and the world spins along with us--always and ending, always a new beginning--though you and I may come and go, like Laura Nyro said, 'when I die, and when I'm dead and gone/there'll be one child born and a world to carry on.' Loved it bri--even the *shudder* Prince. (though that is my fave song of his.)
Hi Brian! A great re=mix--I love the Suburban and glue-horse truck and falling ball and kiss and Prince and Y2K bugs crawling out of the cracks. Unfortunately, I am worried about the end of the world as we know it! (Not in the Mayan sense but in the 'will we be able to breathe the air' sense!)
And maybe we do have to try to do something about it--which I know you do every day. K.
Hi Brian! A great re=mix--I love the Suburban and glue-horse truck and falling ball and kiss and Prince and Y2K bugs crawling out of the cracks. Unfortunately, I am worried about the end of the world as we know it! (Not in the Mayan sense but in the 'will we be able to breathe the air' sense!)
And maybe we do have to try to do something about it--which I know you do every day. K.
"but only if you're dancing----" I'm not sure why, but there's something about this line and it's stanza that stile home. you laid out an interesting journey.
you've also managed to implant that song in my head...and now for some odd reason, I'm contemplating the meaning of "and I feel fine."
no matter...I'll "find the steps, so DJ / play that beat"
What a great direction you took this, considering that the world is REALLY going to end this time. :) I love the way you incorporated the song lyrics ... and your spacing, as always, is so creative.
Loved "bugs crawling out the cracks," "refind my heart" ... and the primary message, to me:
"a dance in which you got to find the rhythm,
but only if you're dancing"
~Shawna
rosemarymint.wordpress.com
We are learning new dances throughout life so on any momentous occasions, we may as well dance for as long as we can.
"It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it
and
I
feel
fine"
Hi! Brian...
Tks, for sharing...your "apoca-lips re-mix" poem.
Your poetic words has "movement" with an almost "rhythmic" beat...
...I must agree, your [poetic] words today [pertaining to the future] are very thought-provoking...indeed!
deedee ;-D
Brian I think I will finally try dVerse today, although I may have some pros to go along with this one...good poem. sounds like you have a story also!
Wander
Oops! make that...Your poetic words have "movement"
nice message and great rhythm (love that REM song, too.) May jump in on this poetics, sounds like a fun one.
lol - just noticed the title - "apoca-lips" - what a hoot!!!
Great re-mix of words and familiar lyrics!
i just love that title!!
and all the rest as well.. the world as we know it in a way ends every day..and each morning has a new adventure in store... also love the image of finding the rhythm to dance with the spinning world...we need to adapt to survive...
ha, to be fair, i added the second half of the title after the first 6 commentors and had to wait until i got home to add it...
"cause my truck's a horse late for the glue factory"
Love it, love it, love it!
Y2K and all the jazz.A lot of hype but it came and went. Things weren't good but nothing's change. Remembered that quite well! Now Dec 21st touted as something similar but far worst. All that crap! Nothing's going to happen! Great run through, Brian!
Hank
nice Brian, absolutely apoca-lips:)
The REM backbone to the piece was done perfectly, just weaving in and out with the cultural, to the personal, to the societal to the skeptical, forgot about a lot of the references you used, really brought me back. Excellent write Brian. Thanks
love the final chorus - exactly how I feel too...
ahh memories...genius write, sir :)
did u really sell out to corporate?
i like the part about how you were nothing then, but i guess when you sold out to corporate, that made you someone. it's amazing how we don't count until we prove ourselves in some man-made arena/construct.
"tomorrow is a stone age remix"
That was the true apoca-lips!
Great poem Brian! I remember the Y2K paranoia as well. And the 2011 end of world paranoia. There's nothing new under the sun. You capture it well in your own unique voice.
You had an interesting journey, Brian and life goes on... and on.
So glad you refound your heart. :)
And I feel life as we know it is always changing and we better learn to adjust or go bust.
I also am a huge fan of the title. :)
~Shawna
I also am a huge fan of the title. :)
~Shawna
LOL When I think of ALL the hype and scare over Y2K and everyone on TV saying, collect lots of bottled water, lots of batteries, lots of candles and canned food. Lots a this and lots a that anddddd... 2000 came in as they've always have done.
This year may prove to be different, who knows. I'm at peace with my God and won't be afraid to meet my maker.
Nice tongue in cheek bit of hyped up (but truthful) fun Brian, very cleverly spun.
How come I keep thinking about Leonard Bernstein? Great write as we enter 2012 and the end of the world.
That corporate world is a sneaky place to try to exist, much easier to just resist...fell into that trap, found my way back...to me, so see, this poem would not have come to be, without the nickles, without the dimes, you're writing words that are sublime...and I love REM ;) (she smiles as she chokes on the tie and trips over the suit she's forced to wear for the next few weeks) BUT...it's a Ramones pin on the lapel and she refuses to take out the piercings ;)Might as well have some fun, right?
but only if you're dancing... those are the words that tied it all together, that made all the predictions worthwhile after all, since we were having fun. i'm re-reading hafiz's the gift these days. this theme reminded me of Your Seed Pouch...
Lanterns
Hang from the night sky
So that your eye might draw
One more image of love upon your silk canvas
Before sleep.
Words from Him have reached you
And tilled a golden field inside.
When all your desires are distilled
You will cast just two votes:
To love more,
And be happy.
Take the sounds from the mouth-flute of Hafiz
And mix them into your seed pouch.
And when the Moon says,
"It is time to
Plant,"
Why not dance,
Dance and
Sing?
Fantastic write, Brian! One heads up though -(1st line: word/world)
Awesome write though, man! I can relate all through it. Living on a shoestring that's been tied together a hundred times, and every time you lace up it breaks again. Today? Screw it; who needs laces; just run til your shoes fall off, and thank God you're still standing. I ain't skeert, dude!
I hit the wrong button on my comment. That weird one was me!
A new millenium is just a remix of the previous and, just as you said,
Nothing changes and everything changes.
We are just an old VHS tape in the machine. Can't rewind too much or it'll break ~_^
Great write.
I'll have that song stuck in my head for a week now at least =P
Coming up as #41 on the BM list
of admirers, and "we are legion!"
You nailed that moment, NYE on
12/31/99 for sure. I bit on the
Y2K lie like millions of others;
had 100 gallons of fresh water,
50 gallons of gasoline, TP, paper
goods, 200 batteries, 5 case of
tampons (wife + 3 daughters),
a wind up survival radio, and
much more; and when the joke
was on us, all I could do was smile.
Party time with rap. Your poem sounds like rap...Great delivery,has a real beat, humour and if the world ends at least go out with a bang. Good for you!
Great remix taking us from the cusp to the new millennium. I enjoyed the trip, Brian.
Okay, I had to look up the lyrics at the end cause I didn't know them, sue me! This poem is so filled with things that I know as true, since I been (close) to there and done that (kinda) too. What strikes me about this is your optimism and strength of character thru it all. You really emanate that spirit of self-reliance that is so characteristically American and superb. Each line reverberates with wisdom born of learning from life and able to roll with the punches.
I remember well that time of uncertainty and the countdown to see what would actually happen. Times were tough sometimes but we always survived and have many happy memories through them all. The struggles and successes are what help to shape us and our story, right love?
Bet this was a fun one to think back to!
I can identify with so much of this poem...was a poor seminary student at the time, living in "married student housing"....
Still poor, but at least I'm living in a real house :)
RM @ newviewfromhere.wordpress
Loving the c'est la vie feeling of this. I remember feeling some of that toward all those worries as the year end approached. That's about all I remembered about that year though. Having a bad memory sure sucks. Enjoyed this. :)
i really liked this brian, nice!
"this moment is the only promise we have...
nothing is new, just undiscovered country"
and that countdown!
and descriptions of your trucks, and
the down & out and rise and choice to go back down and be real and yea it's the end (as we know it) but we feel fine ;-)
nice write brian, thanks ;-)
"....a dance in which you got to find the rhythm,
but only if you're dancing--"
Well, Brian, we came here to dance. so let's pick a partner and get it on!
Yep...grinning still!!!
Blessings on you and your work.
That is really interesting!
I feel fine, too. My muse (my wife) has promised to be my Apocalypse Fuck Buddy on Dec. 21. And if the world doesn't end -- I'll write more poems.
Ah it seems each day that passes is a door opening wider on the end of the world as we know it...great piece!
Oh I remember the fear of Y2K! Love how you mixed it up here:)
I loved this poem!
Especially the countdown at the end was awesome.
This sure brings back some nice memories of 1999.
Wonderful piece for poetics Brian. You rock!
I remember this time so clearly!! Our kids came home to be with us just in case!! We partied...and gd's got sick from eating to many snacks! We danced!
Hugs
SueAnn
so we stroll main street, among the hundreds
that don't want to be alone if this is it and tomorrow
is a stone age remix,
I thought this bit stole the show, was revelatory.
A new day, a new date and a new year...nothing else changes...or does it? Life goes on. :-)
Interesting how we often have to become who we are not to find out who we are.
we might be looking back at this year with a big grin on our faces next year.
2012 hype is one of the greatest hypes.
Isn't history supposed to teach us, so we don't have to do the same wrong things over and over? Finding peace between the dreams and reality - that is the the key, isn't it!
Brian - at comment 61 I'm sure most of the saying has been said, but buddy I gotta add my 2 bits worth (yeah it should be more with inflation I know!)...you, my friend, TOTALLY ROCK! I mean it...love your words, wish I could pick a favorite line but that would be so unfair to the rest. :-D
Ah, people have been looking for the apocalypse as long as there have been people. I'm not worried.
Aaaah music!
It reminds me of this song Spin, by Darren Hayes:
"When the music feels like this / DJ takd control and grab a hold of me / Spin that wheel / tell me how to feel / I like the shape I'm in / when music feels like this"
Reminded me of the preachers and the way we listened to them... and then we replaced them (somehow) with music...
I enjoyed the circular shape of your poem; just like a disk that spins, a whole history thar repeats itself... Brilliant.
I'm feelin' ya!
=)
Nothing changes and everything changes- sure thing- and two constants that have always delivered through the years. Love how you took us back with this one- I could hear the songs playing on your dads car stereo. Now I have this song stuck in my head- not a bad thing though. Ha- and yeah- remember that y2k bug- oh and just to let you know- apparently nostradamus predicted that world would end this year- third time lucky for the old 'stradus! Loved this Brian- such great flow and train if thought as always
I like that you keep the "feel" of that time to this time in the composition. 80s introduced rap but it took hold as deep as rock 'n roll in the 90s and made middle age, middle class folks take notice. Music and the message merged with rhythm; how clever you could mirror that with the transitions in this piece while saying what we all know; no one knows when the end will be.
At the milennium I was so so ill with a stomac bug that was going around...had lost 5 kg in 24 hours, had to cancel the plans to go out on a fancy dinner with my friends and spent the night alone at home on the sofa.
ha, I'll never forget my milennium.
Lots of changes for you then, Brian. It's funny...that Prince song popped into my head too. Love your poem today.
I didn't worry about Y2K. It all seemed like a bunch of hyped up stuff to me. And I am still wondering when the rapture will happen.
The more things change the more they truly stay the same. If it is the end as we know it, it's a good thing to feel fine, I think.
Thar's a real WOW of a poem. The eclectic nature of the mixed memories, the rise and fall of fortune, the sudden changes of layout, all contrive to force the reader on at breakneck speed.
I just knew you would write something more-than-spectacular for this prompt! You told so much about yourself in this one, and joggled some memories of that year. I think it is brilliant that you worked it into a New Year's Eve study. What a hoot recalling Y2K stuff....and was all that Left Behind shit really in 1999? (I didn't hear about it until 1986!) In any case, if anyone tries to spook me about the end of 2012 I am definitely going to tell them to Mayan their own business!!!
Really enjoyed this, Brian... 'this moment is the only promise we have' so true for always. There's one specific event that changed my life forever in 1999. I have a lot of catching up to do after my weekend away, but it will probably be the poem I link to for OpenLinkNight.
Great - well said, Brian! The world still turns and so does the worm! Btw, I love '...my truck's a horse late for the glue factory...'
I think I will save this and read it 12 years from now. Until then I am going to pray things get better this time! Who knew we would look by at 1999 as the good old days?
"tomorrow is a stone age remix"
What a brilliant line that is. Brilliantly done.
ah, yes I remember this song, and its line, end of the world, the naughties have still came lol, great post.
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