The State We’re In..
the stock markets bounce up and down
like a man who’s landed on a trampoline
landed on a trampoline
from the top of a tall building;
the analysts are nonplussed
nothing adds up
two plus two does not equal four,
only the postman comes to the door
we watch documentaries, comedy specials,
Scandinavian crime dramas cold as an autopsy table
we learn that Miles Davis was a creative genius
an addict and a hard man to live with;
we learn from a childhood friend of Joe Cocker
that as a young boy, Joe had two Weetabix every morning
we watch a Diane Keaton movie
she falls in love with an Irish tramp
and still anxiety crackles like static in the background.
Taking part in Open Link Weekend over at earthweal
Stopdraggingthepanda 
You have captured it so well: the mundane things with which we fill the hours, the underlying low grade anxiety humming along underneath it.
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Thanks Sherry, hopefully we can return to normal, but not too soon!
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You have captured it so well: the mundane things with which we fill the hours, the underlying low grade anxiety humming along underneath it.
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You have captured it so well: the mundane things with which we fill the hours, the underlying low grade anxiety humming along underneath it.
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Some trampoline, eh. There is nature and nurture in pandemic: what happened and how we got through it. Sails of the market flapping too wildly, streams of the indifferent coursing through us. Poets are the namers, we have to keep parting the flesh to get to what is and what that might become. Sitting under that wild trampoline, shadowing Miles and Joe. Well done Jim — Brendan
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Thanks Brendan!
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An excellent poem, with such a good last line: “still anxiety crackles like static in the background”. Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you! Much appreciated!
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After September the postman might not even turn up. I think I’ve seen some of the same documentaries….
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Too true!
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Well captured, Jim! Sadly, the trampoline stock markets seem to be in the forefront of the minds of our so-called leaders. While we make the most of our captivity, we are also the captive audience of their lunatic advice and predictions, and television programmes we might not normally watch. The metaphor in the final line is perfect.
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Love this- an accurate capture of the craziness. Scandinavian crime drama! Hmm… I’ve been told to check out Korean.
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Korean….that’s one to add to the list!
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Spot on. No matter how much we keep our minds distracted with heart filled things, the anxiety in the background sparks many noises.
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Thanks Charlie
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You are welcome my friend. 🙂
P.S I posted a riddle of a poem. It’s short and you have to try and figure what it means. 🙂 Happy Easter egg hunt. 🙂
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Enjoyable, witty, and very real, Jim, as are your insights into isolation in other posts. I have also watched stuff that I would normally not consider watching, as some sort of temporary analgesic. Somehow I pulled myself away from an old TV series about the early lives of the Beatles (related by neighbours and so on), but I now realise that, had I continued watching, I might have learned their weetabix count.
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Great to hear from you, Steve. I think I started that Beatles series too, there’s something Pythonesque about the mundane details…some lives are over-examined!! JIM
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Very true, Jim. I guess we’re looking for something magical in their fame, but in the end it’s talent and hard work.
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