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