Shopping Center World

Everything is big and white

even the descendants of slaves

are allowed charge cards

General Market Forces moves in GI Joe

precision from pillar to post -- alert -- making

no wrong step using special arm signals

watching over those young girls whose

high-strung pubes resonate to a frequency

beyond the hearing of most humans

the catastrophic consequences of a

shift in consumer patterns is not lost

on our Hero the consummate logician

whose GDP deflater is the envy of the

Western world - O and He has spreadsheets

stylized multimedia presentations Dolby

surround sound

In the core of the shopping

center universe densely packed

neutron stars dance cheek to cheek

wearing the latest in fashion

coordinates pulling avatars of each

other neuroses around by the nose

cloistered in faux-euro bistros

cannibal children eating their parents

from the inside out

$$$

The fragrance person is a psychopath who

has infiltrated the perfume department

armed with some inscrutable poison……..

$$$$

The evidence has been amassed

this is the fourth dimension where

preference maps are the only guides

genetic material is passed

from one generation of shoppers

to the next in stylish bags

they know exotic rituals involving

neck ties and cinnamon buns, sporting

goods and leather products specially treated

$$$$$

Pentagon City great synthesis

of commerce and death we worship

the persistence of your message

we stand in awe at the stamina of

your market power the manic shopper

in us all you help to flower

Quietly in early morning I dream

of waking in your bosom’s gentle throw

to discover the clean day again

the polished tiles of eternal optimism

waiting for a new century to unfold

like lawn furniture 20% off

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Note: The Pentagon City shopping mall is one of the larger shopping malls in the Washington DC Metroplex. It is located strategically between Crystal City a phalanx of glass and metal atrocia and The Pentagon.

Second note: Atrocia is a made up word meaning things that are atrocious, but that have some commercial value.

Afterword: The above work was written several years before the events of September 11, 2001. At the time I was wondering what event would mark the unfolding of the 21st century. Little did I know at the time how close it would be both physically and emotionally to the content of this poem. When I wrote "great synthesis of commerce and death," I meant the machinery of death embodied in the Pentagon -- a line which has now taken on an ironic twist. Since September 11th I have visited the Pentagon City Mall twice and seen the damage at the Pentagon first hand. While this poem is satirical and remains a criticism of aspects of American culture it nonetheless celebrates the "polished tiles of eternal optimism." Let us never forget how fortunate we are to live in a country where we can criticize its governing institutions without fear of being taken away in the dead of night. God bless those who have died and those who will die defending our Constitution, our people and our way of life.

Perry Lindstrom
Arlington, VA
September 24, 2001