Music Box
By: Greg Frankson
Tags: Media, Spoken Word, People, Society, Poetry

there are three types of people in the world today

those in the game, those who watch, and those oblivious to the play

which one are you?

just wait a second — i want to get this on tape

my music box records the paradox

of life’s true shape

back in the days when television was a novelty set

and radio was still the king and the best way for you to get

all of your news and information on the state of the world

we used imaginative methods — mental images swirled

but now today you play your Prime or podcasts then plug your ears

pump up the volume while the über-rich exploit your worst fears

and the cable news networks distort with overblown speakers

play foxy games while they maintain the left is making us weaker

posting photos onto Instagram our young girls see

who starve themselves emaciated to be the best they can be

folks join the army of disarmed brains to defame Uncle Sam

a plan to spam misunderstandings while they perpetrate scams

to steal elections with predilections to hold the scepter of power

except the specter devours — our perspective is soured

now we expect that these hours and days of self-aggrandizing praise

delays the onset of ways for us to fight our malaise

we’re lazy intellectually and we’re ruled by the smug

so we deserve our automation — yo, get that matrix re-plugged

now just make sure to get a full LP we stream with machines

then play it over and over — the world is just as it seems

no, no, no, wait … hold up a second …

depress the pause button … and think about this …

the reprehensible invincible principled thinking now

that they could pull the indefensible suppressing the crowd

and if you think that you could take it bring it up some decibels

repress for redress and think it’s justifiable

to see the mad maniacal inspired and defiant

keep your finger on the pause and know now that you are compliant

aid and abet oppression of expression of depression

teaching me lessons from sessions of your evil indiscretions

and when i ask the questions you’re telling me straight

to just believe in what i’m hearing and accept without debate

cuz i’m a media-savvy intelligent writer of prose

and when i compose the strength of my script will decompose

the terrible hypocrisy smeared across the globe

pick up my chamois clean the house and use my lyrics to probe

the inner depths of meglo-media engaging in fraud

it plays loud and fast and popular so they will applaud

even though the music’s mass-produced by fools in the booth

it’s lip-synched and synthesized, anesthetizing the truth

fast forward through another day of watching the tube

frying your brains with radiation that machines will exude

our lives are like runaway trains — never stopping, out of control

gathering speed of their momentum, squealing wheels on a roll

think about the things i’m saying — what are the games that we play

is this world a game of risk or are we too board to say?

the entertaining litany that assails us daily in the news

leaves us with a Westernized morality seriously disabused

of a desire to help our brothers and our sisters in need

now we must act to counteract with hastiness and due speed

so STOP! all of the madness of our cultural wars

and STOP! our governments from acting just as before

mother nature’s under attack, we’re assaulting the Creator

take up the media, it’s in your palm, and pop it in the player

cd’s, dvd’s, Blue Ray, vinyl and all

mp3’s and online streams — whichever way that you ball

step on the court and bring your music box to spread out the word

and see those players nod their heads from the message they heard

the tunes that we are pumping out are produced by demand

remand the vicious with the contraband, and fist up your hand

to smash the vessels that empower those who hold undue sway

over the people’s information that they seek every day

victory will come to those who make the second-last mistake

so play the music of love with volume so foundations will shake

there are three types of people in the world today

those in the game, those who watch, and those oblivious to the play

which one are you?

just wait a second — i want to get this on tape

my music box rocks the orthodox

to take a new shape.