Metaphysical Erotica: Ode to Ishtar
Limericks about the Divided Psyche
When you look at the arch of human history, it’s a bit perplexing to see where we are today after so many millennia of physical and cultural evolution. The modern world has given us enough computational power to solve the greatest riddles of physics and engineering, and the ability to synthesize sentient consciousness.
At the same time we are still equipped with the same brains used by our Stone Age ancestors. No wonder so many of us wander the streets and hallways with crooked posture, hunched over the hypnotic screens of our numb-numbing devices. I have to wonder if it’s not all part of some cruel joke we’ve played upon ourselves.
Perhaps that’s why I’ve written so many limericks about modernity and the conundrum of 21st century humanity. From the astronomically hopeful to the utterly despondent, my feelings run the gamut. So come along with me on this roller coaster of poetic reflection.
The Dawning of the Age
The Axial Age of our modern millennium
Spirits in bloom like a budding geranium
Nourish your roots
As ethereal fruits
Come flowering forth from my quivering cranium
Cyber Evangelism
All faith groups are worthy of careful assessment
Some that I’ve seen have achieved an advancement
But now I watch Ted Talks
And scroll through my inbox
Here’s one from the Buddhists, it has no attachment
Modern Day Miracles
Reliance on science has made the earth hotter
And stripped all the vestments from Saint Harry Potter
Removing the magic
Exalting the tragic
They’ve managed to turn all the wine back to water
Decline of the West
Our standard of living has never been higher
You call it success and I call you a liar
Just look what’s in store
And you’ll always want more
When you’re stuck in a state of relentless desire
Man’s Curse
With Darwinian logic I’m less than content
The time has arrived to express my dissent
If our great human race
Belongs in first place
Then why only we are condemned to pay rent?
Working Class Heroes
Some people in power push pencils for pleasure
Painfully pinching the portions they measure
Pinheads and corporates
And polythene portraits
Pretending to prosper, impeded by pressure
Dream On
The American myth: turning rags into riches
The common man dreams of a life more prestigious
Resurrecting the dead
Making gold out of lead
The various forms of the highly religious
The Spirit Under Siege
Hermits and searchers are beaten and battered
See how the scientist Tyson gets flattered
Praise the molecular
Worship the secular
Who can remember when Taoist Lives Mattered?
Digital Demise
I come from a circle of Matthews and Mikes
Grew up with Chewbacca, MacGyver and bikes
But the ones and the zeros
Supplanted my heroes
My life is now measured by comments and likes
Further Reading
If you liked these limericks about modernity, you’ll be sure to enjoy:
- Limericks about Taoism
- Limericks about Challenges and Obstacles
- Limericks about the Apocalypse
- What is a limerick?
