Subliminal
They put it up on billboards.
It made the headlines,
the tickers scrolling in Times Square
and TV screens back home.
It was like hearsay going viral,
became banal talking points
in satellite drivel,
a tsunami of information
which hid the pearl of truth.
This notion that everyone
who has ever lived
could be alive again today,
our eight billions souls
matching totals for the past;
all of us primed, exposed
for some terrible judgement.
How many saw the subliminal flash,
I’m not sure;
reputedly like an ad,
the split second image of cola
that wets your thirst,
though not on screens – in the sky.
A judgement? No ceremony, no glitz,
no alarming lord riding the clouds.
But word quickly got around,
between lines of copy,
in the things not said.
Tickers in Times Square
stuttered, then stopped;
people draining away
like water down plug holes.
Wi-fi was gone,
it’s just something else
we can’t grasp in the air.
The only tickers now
are the clocks, our watches,
while we keep one eye
on the sky
poem and image © copyright df barker 2012
Ciscography 
Beautiful!! just magnificent
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Thank you! You are so kind!
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Hi David
Thought provoking poetry 🙂
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Wonderful poem dfb
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Gosh, David- this is a bit jarring. The scene you’ve crafted here is overwhelming in the sense that it feels real and current. The idea that these things could happen and go unnoticed seems so accurate in our times- I don’t know how it could be any other way really. This is so stirring for me as a reader:
Tickers in Times Square
stuttered, then stopped;
people draining away
like water down plug holes.
Fantastic poetry, such strong images!
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the only tickers now are the clocks (and our hearts, and cardio implants….)
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I need to sit with this one for a while, David. I can easily get one or two of the layers here, but this one is deep! I am sure there is more for me to find. Nuggets of something really interesting, and more than a little unsettling. The best kind. Debra
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wow ..and are we that far from The Day ..
“a tsunami of information
which hid the pearl of truth.”
David this is such a powerful poignant write up
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Thank you very much Harry!
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Thank you very much Emma!
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Thank you very much!!!
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Thank you so much Debra!
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Thank you so much Soma.
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Wonderful work, David.
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wow, well now that is a scary thought but such a great poem! A very fine write, David!
Ciao, Francina
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So much said here, David – a thought-provoking poem!
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Ah, the mob instinct at work again, right, DF?
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Whooo, David! You have taken string theory and given it a whizz and a bang here. This is magnificent. Your poetry gets better and better as time goes on. I swear it does. Your art is worth taking a look at too, but your poetry!
Tickers in Times Square
stuttered, then stopped;
people draining away
like water down plug holes.
Wi-fi was gone,
it’s just something else
we can’t grasp in the air.
The only tickers now
are the clocks, our watches,
while we keep one eye
on the sky
We are here, but not here. These lines are almost enough to stop your heart! Wow!
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reality in such thought provoking poetry…..
subliminal within your own words….
Beautiful…
)0(
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