Television Commercials Poem by Christopher Shepheard

Turning like the fairground organ
Barrel jangles, moves to the hand
That holds it corpselike, muscles trapped
In circular motion, grinding endless
Songs of emptiness.

Simpleton-simple, throb of eyelid,
Dentist at the jagged nerve ends,
Jarred teeth, jarred nerves, eulogies;
Electric pulses kneeling, praying:

“Stop your everlasting, ever
Singing, ever dancing, ever
Merry-go-rounding laughter
On a stick of easy-portioned
Happiness, all wrapped and packaged
Simpleton simple, the way we want it,
Disposable, easy, going metric —
Cheaper that way — so join
The scrabble.”

“It’s so easy, ” say the commercials.
“Gone are the days of toil and tedium,
The mental strain, the muscular challenge
Of squeezing your own tube —
Ours does it for you — relieves the anguish
Of trying to be a human being.”

Still the message jingle-jangles,
Still the silly tune is drivelling,
Still the idiot face is braying
With a message fit for monkeys.

Let me get a scream in edgeways:
“Peace, let me be! Peace, let me think! .
Let me pause! Let me sleep!
I’ll decide in my own time.
Don’t presume upon my need;
I need your silence. Draw your iron
From out your everlasting fire!
Strike off your chains of good advice!

Your customer is human, after all.

(1981)