Man from Dystopia

Thanks be to the late, great Frank Zappa for the references to his albums “The Man from Utopia” and “Gregory Peccary” (radios tuned to different stations). Zappa is not only underated, in my opinion, as a musician – rock and ‘classical’ – but also as a poet, albeit a funny one. This poem has almost nothing to do with Zappa except that I hope its the sort of poem he might have appreciated. It is a comment on the usually youngish, thuggish, foolish guys that are followers of incomprehensible fashions that are supposed to enhance their manhood. Fans of Zappa will understand the parallel. I could go on forever about certain habits that these people display, some of whom are career criminals; some of whom are mere mules and some of whom are fellow travellers of this weird, unreported dystopian sect often found worshipping together in the stairwells of social housing complexes.

The Man from Dystopia

He arrives unannounced, this man of the people

His character portrayed by his style of walking

Hands down his trousers and shoulders slouched

Known for his curious way of talking

His discourse is neither of science nor art

With an accent deliberately urban

As if he might be from the Caribbean

Or possessed of a third world turban

 

Branded underwear blatantly displayed

He shouts as he speaks and laughs loudly

Feigning comprehension of all that he hears

He ignores his ignorance proudly

Tattoos on most of his body parts

Strange markings even to neck and face

Displaying his muscles indiscreetly

Blatantly racist, whatever his race

 

He comes from a place where there’s lots of noise

Radios all tuned to different stations

The thought of employment, to him, is unpleasant

He prefers involvement in altercations

Though he professes love for his ‘brothers’

He exudes, for them, a lack of trust

Uneducated, by choice, to his very core

He replies to questions only when he must

 

Home for him is a dysfunctional place

His diet of protein and very fast food

With supplements of various descriptions

That augment his persona – raucous and rude

Nothing around him appears to work

Yet he thinks his life is utopia

As do his tribe, his family and friends

For he is the man from Dystopia