december 1 and 2 2022
what else could it be but a jester?
there was a thick musk that hung dense in the small ballroom
the sweat was so excessive that it dripped from the ceiling
the crowd was absurd, irreverent, drenched in the sweat of irony
afraid of deodorant (easy observation, bad joke)
irony-poisoned / iron deficient, angry, but craving some
post-ironic happiness, free from internal observation
very aware, too aware, wish was less aware, wish was free
from information / brainrot / ai slop
they want to touch grass and avoid using cliches
internet expressions (comebacks)
first set is machine girl. we get angry at everything
a righteous anger in rebellion against the cruelty of
the world. no one is angry at matt, but we grab at their
limbs, dragging them into the throng like animals consuming
a carcass. matt is pushed around in aimless procession
at some point, they wrestle their way back upstage
after is the garden. now is the time to be goofy
the line between ironic and post-ironic joy is thin
too thin to even matter. what difference does it make of
your awareness to something that you love. have all of us
lost the instincts of desire? someone says to you:
“you can’t seriously like this stuff, right?”
you see there is some wiggle room, temptation to
retreat into irony and say “yeah, it’s kinda silly”.
shame on you for fear of cringe
i sit on the balcony above, getting myself as close to a
community as i’ll allow. there’s a kid with a painted face
that looks back, his head lifted up to the ceiling lights
i watch him with curiosity and a little bit of fear
i’m hoping he doesn’t see me looking
