The red ball bounces
Like a metronome
But with less rhythm
Over every lyric uncomposed
Like a wrecking ball
But less harmonious
A juggernaut emblazoned
In fire engine red
But less melodious
Like a no alarm fire
But with less refrain
The only words aloud
Keep your eye on the ball
And you need not no
Its whirled of hurt
A bouncer of chorus
And ballads unkneaded
This poem employs the metaphor of the little bouncing ball over the lyrics in karaoke as a distraction from what is really important in life. This poem sets up a double-take as it reverses the usual meaning and positive association with keeping your eye on the ball. Karaoke is unoriginal mimicry at least. At worst, karaoke is skin-crawling, nails-on-blackboard-scratching, cat-in-heat-howling torture. The powers that be in life benefit from the distractions of “harmless” entertainment as opposed to mind-provoking and heart-expanding artistic endeavors which erode social control. In modern Western civilization, the risk-averse obsession with safety and security routinely leads to a dull relationship with the precarious risks inherent in living fully. At least karaoke offers an opportunity to put yourself out there and make a fool of yourself, a good skill to practice. The whirled of hurt that characterizes a substantial portion of human existence is often enough to leave us overly defensive, even walled off, with untold, unwritten and unsung ballads. Perhaps even worse yet, avoiding hurt, discomfort, and presumed foolishness, regularly provides ready-made rationalizations for even considering dreaming as dangerous, leading to trouble, and supplies built-in blinders to the fortuitous perks of risk-taking. May you dare to write your own lyrics, sing out loud to your own tune, and discover deeper harmonies than simply pop culture.
