Poem of the Day 10.18.08

progress

reading
a.d. winans’ poems
as some guy
motherfucks at his wife
at a computer
blasting viral videos
on his cell phone too
as another lady plays
online trivia
shouting questions
into the earbud phone
she’s wearing.
we are in a library
but we could be anywhere
like a goddamned circus
or a bus station
because it is not quiet.
libraries are no longer quiet.
you can’t shush
or shut anyone the fuck up anymore.
but this is a good thing.
it’s a sign of progress
like portable music players
on crowded, tired subway trains
or while you’re in line
for some groceries
or in the middle of a thought.
it’s just progress
put here to appease
and amuse the masses.
just like the cell phone
or the online trivia game
the viral videos
but sometimes progress
just isn’t good enough
to keep you going on
toward wishing
for the light
of the next goddamned day.
sometimes progress is just
another motherfucker
trying to beat you down too.