Artwork by Grant Dolge Copyright 2010
Brave New World Tours
Come where religion really is the opiate of the masses,
where orgies are compulsory, and soma, lovely soma,
unites all of humanity (divided up by classes,
from Epsilon to Alpha) in a bliss-inducing coma.
Come where the entertainment cuts directly to the chase--
the feelies, where the plot is gone and nothing’s left but porn.
You’ll never see gray hair, unsightly wrinkles on a face,
or pregnant women: children are decanted and not born.
Here’s what you’ve always wanted: a vacation from morality,
a break from thought and self-control, incitement to consume
obscenely, without scruples or reminders of mortality.
The holiday you’ll like the most--you’ll never leave your room.
By Susan McLean
Susan McLean teaches English at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota. Her first full-length poetry book, The Best Disguise, won the 2009 Richard Wilbur Award and is available from the University of Evansville Press.
