Every morning begins with eyes upon a dark ceiling, 
mind shrugging away from the slumbering fog, 
searching for clarity, What time is it? Where am I? 

Instantly immersed in the accumulated web, 
mirrors, and books, carpets, cushions, 
windows that contain a controlled perspective. 
What is true about the running water in the sink? 
And the sigh of metal ventilation passing air into the room? 
Or the fading sirens swiftly passing down the streets beyond this house.

And in my own car, 
a mechanical construction, 
glass framed movie screen to capture 
The rolling cityscape Sparkling in the sun,
grid lined electrical wires crackle, 
grinding engines of cars on all sides. 

Billboard signs selling an image of society, 
Bumper stickers, radio station chatter, 
swarming noise of human-built unreality, 
yet sold to me every day. 
Provided for me to consume, 
to take part in, to carve into, shape, 
contribute to the illusion, to feed the farce society.

None of it is real. But it is real.  
This is my American life. My world. 
Our collective offering of the functioning economy, 
spellwork on a mass scale, artificial, counterfeit life, 
a system of fuel burning, production, profiteering. 

A veil so thick I measure myself by it every day.  
seek to find my purpose within, 
deluded as any other, 
satiated by motor oil, 
imaginary numbers on electronic screens 
tied to the idea of my worth, 
increasing, decreasing without ever 
holding a monetary note 
that proves it is tangible, 
just an agreed upon representation 
of the force that continues to consume us as we consume it. 

Unattainable beauty, sugar, sodium, 
Virility that doesn’t age, triglycerides, 
children breathing carcinogens, caffeine,
cancer, anxiety. 
Pointless noise.