73: A Clockwork Orange, 1962, by Anthony Burgess (1917–93)
I think I saw the movie first—
That Kubrick masterpiece.*
But when I read that Burgess book?
Would wonders never cease!?
“Dystopian”—yes, is the word
We use for darker views
Of our society’s collapse—
Have you seen recent news?
Well, Burgess wrote about a world
Where so much has gone wrong—
Where violence and cruelty
Usurp the human song.
And I proceeded on to read
A lot of Burgess’ work—
His fiction and his essays, too—
Below his surface lurk
The creatures that live in our hearts—
These creatures we must tame
Or all the loveliness of life
Will shrivel in the flame.
*1971
*1971
No comments:
Post a Comment