Life Is Theater

sitting in the cubicle or

something like it

sounds of crunching one moment

and the hum of new country music the next

wondering if being sedentary and mentally fried

is really any different from being active and

physically fried

naysayers have been saying that dead tree media

has been dying for years but the actions undertaken

during the witching hours would beg to differ

the older folks are still quite active, still reading their

opinion pages and horoscopes and doing their

daily crosswords in pen and pencil alike

and that's how they probably do their paperwork,

from taxes to health insurance forms

and there are stories floating about how the feds

still use square floppy disks when thumb drives

are now on the verge of obsolescence

the more things, as the old saw goes

the avenues in how we get our information

on the wider world have changed

the open-air cubes in which the white-collars

have not changed

the teletype sounds have disappeared from the

newsroom but the loud voices of enduring

personalities have not

the snake swallows its tail,

but the circle goes on eternally

the contradiction is the axiom

and that's why the first month of the year

is named for the god of transitions, passages

and doorways

and Janus looks at us smiling and frowning

stoically at the time

life is theater

Reviews

[roarke]

Kabuki theater. Ken, sorry I haven't come by your way in a while. My loss. Enjoyed immensely. Heh, and yeah mentally fried is the same in any postural position, or activity. But then I've existed that way for years. I'm stickin' with the "organics" of my mind and gonna let all the virtual and microwave stuff eat their young. ... hopefully. Great stuff Ken.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thank you. When I penned this, our esteemed president said the last president was spying on him through the microwave.

[roarke]

heh, somehow seems appropriately real... 'cause fiction isn't...right?

[Mauricio Montoya]

Love the title, but don't get fried yet great comeback in what's real, I'm in Oakland California but your resonates what everyone or some Americans your words come together like apples but yes life is just movie where fear the ending., lol.
Thank you for sharing.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thank you very much

[Arundass TP]

Lines are powerful. A different poem. Well expressed.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thanks so much for the review

[ETERNITY]

Wow! This author is so smart! The smiling and frowning at the same time, yes, that's life, right?
What a simple, yet complicated write.
Maybe it all will chug to life, eventually.
I think people are kind of paranoid when it comes to new tech, especially.
Good write!

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thanks a bunch

[Curly Grace]

This one feels like a calm little wander through everyday life, and I love how you blend the office details with that bigger, timeless sense of things looping back around. The Janus touch at the end is great it gives the whole piece this quiet, reflective weight. Really enjoyed the way you show how much changes and how much never does.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thanks a lot. Your kind words are so appreciated.

[Thomas W Case]

Tremendous work. Powerful writing.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thank you for that.

[Davidgeo]

This is kinda prescient for being written in 2017.

[Kenneth The Poet]

That's quite true. I think the life is theater motif is one that's been with us since ancient times.

[Davidgeo]

I think the world is the theater, our mind is "a stage" and our consciousness is a "writer". Sometimes I think we are all the same exact thing starring through different eyes without knowledge of the fact. But that's probably insane. The world couldn't possibly be that crazy. I think.

[Kenneth The Poet]

I don't think you're wrong.

[RomaJ]

I found this both witty and thoughtful. I love how you highlight the rhythms of daily life, the cubicles, crosswords, and even outdated technology, while connecting them to larger ideas of time, transition, and human persistence. The reference to Janus and the repeated refrain life is theater gives the piece a reflective and philosophical depth, reminding us that our routines and struggles are part of a larger performance that is both ordinary and significant.

A clever and contemplative piece. I enjoyed reading this.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thanks a bunch. I appreciate your thoughts.

[Jansy]

Kenneth, this feels like a quiet backstage pass to the everyday drama we all live through... how you weave the ordinary; cubicles, crosswords, and old tech...into something eternal and almost mythic. Life really is theater, and you make the audience want to linger a little longer in the wings.
Good work.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thank so much! I appreciate it.

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree my friend. Hard to escape the theater. I do try. I did like the dance of thoughts. You create visions and thoughts. Thank you, Kenneth for sharing the entertaining poetry.
Coyote

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thank you!

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome, Kenneth.

[joshua deathdealer]

I've always valued your particular way of expressing your poetry. Life is a theater and we are the thespians!! I hope everything is well for you. Much love Ken.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Thanks, man!