Poem: This Is What We Talk about When We Talk about the Zombie Apocalypse.

september 30th, 2013.

Link to Soundcloud

this is what we talk about
when we talk about the zombie apocalypse

the zombie apocalypse:
the streets crowded, thronging, throbbing
drop your briefcase, hang up on your ex-wife
and run, you fool! run
not to the airport, or the interstate
run to the woods, to the wild
run wild

a car explodes behind you
it's very exciting

but before you get far
you feel the blunt bite
of white-capped teeth on your arm
it's some suit, from the Loop
now transformed into one of the night horde

the effect is instantaneous, intoxicating
you feel something dark take hold
and in that moment think,

“thank god.
“thank god I will never
“have to pay off my student loans
“my credit card debt
“i will never have to tell my friend
“that her first novel was terrible
“and her second one is even worse

“i will never have to worry about
“my goal weight, updating my blog
“my tumblr feed, my carbon footprint
“my acne meds, my loneliness
“death
“because i am already undead

“thank god i'll never have to think again
“about the hole in my gums
“between my back right molars
“that gets bigger every year
“it doesn't hurt yet but i know one day
“there'll be hell to pay
“hell is three month's salary
“a handsome ransome
“handed to an orthodontic surgeon

“yeah dentists. those bloodsuckers.

“if my consciousness remains intact for long
“I'm going to try and get a dentist
“and i'll be thinking, thank god
“thank god i can finally live a life that matters
“thank god i can finally contribute to humanity
“as a zombie.”

you see we don't dream of the fight
we dream of the bite

that's what we talk about
when we talk aout the zombie apocalypse
the robot apocalypse
the Christian apocalypse
the singularity event, machine consciousness
nanobots, gray slurry, peak oil, collapse of nations

we are talking about something
we are afraid to call by its true name
we're talking about freedom

a freedom we can only let ourselves believe in as
violent, supernatural
all good fairytales

tonight i look to the moon
to the woods
i tell myself this bedtime story
and dream of freedom.

Music: Portrait for Toy Piano and Electronics by Jeff Morris