BIG TOP WORLD
E-mail By Gary D. Jackson Bio/Address
The circus came to town
They came with evil in their minds
A massed horde scurrying
To signal their ill intent
Ready to spew
The satellite trucks stood sentinel
Silvery antennae pointing skyward
Sidewalks strewn with talking
Ready to spew
Live shots to the West Coast
Pictures for your family rooms
Messages from your shining stars
The coifed-haired personalities jockeyed
With visions of overnight ratings
Dancing in their contact-lensed eyes
Zipping to and fro, the golf carts careened wildly
On sidewalks littered with Beta-Cams and Boom mikes
Expensive toys for our expansive stars
The talking heads milled and filled
Filled our bellies with the latest tidbits
Breaking News from the ultimate reality show
The condemned had been moved
His last meal would be two pints of premium peppermint ice cream
He'd written letters and slept
Now was alone with his attorneys and resigned
Every detail dutifully reported and recorded
Even up-to-the-second web casts
Were only a mouse click away
All so properly and professionally presented
For the all important network ratings
The first on-line execution
Competing with twice-hourly newscasts
Competing for world-wide consumption
In keeping with our capitalistic nature
Were the locals who charged the cars to park
And only a stone's throw from death row were the hot dog vendors
T-shirts too, but democratic, green and blue,
Pro and Anti, NRA, and three versions of "Vote Republican"
By late evening sighs of relief were audible
As the good news passed through the crowds
King George refused to give pardon
Jealous that Tim had more bodies than he
The talking heads were ecstatic
No clemency, no clemency to cloud their commentary
No last minute stays to close the show
The Reality Show
I watched it all from the cellblock window
Crisscrossed bars framing the medieval spectacle of
Pro's and Anti's marching and chanting
"Closer My God to Thee" and "Castrate the Motherfucker"
The sodium-vapor lights were overpowered by
Dozens and dozens of day-making Kliegs
I watched it all in silent witness
I watched it all in silent witness
I watched it all in silent witness of
How far we have not come.
Dedicated to Tim, to Garza, to every mother's child.
Will we ever learn?