APOCALYPSE ( a prose poem)

WHEN I SEE SOMETHING WRITTEN IN LARGE CAPITALIZED LETTERS I START TO CRINGE BECAUSE IT SEEMS AS IF THE AUTHOR IS SHOUTING AT ME WANTING ME TO TAKE SOME BAD TASTING MEDICINE TO CURE A PROBLEM I DON'T HAVE SCREAMING IN MY FACE THAT I HAVE TO DO WHAT HE WANTS TRASH MY HARD EARNED BELIEFS AND BECOME MORE LIKE HIM WHO DOESN'T IN THE LEAST IMPRESS ME AS SOMEONE I WOULD WANT TO BE LIKE ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THIS ABUSE OF MY EARS AND MISUSE OF THE LANGUAGE AND HIS STORMING OF THE AIR AND SPACE BETWEEN US TURNING TRANQUILITY INTO TURBULENCE SO TWISTER TURBULENT IN FACT THAT MIGRATING BIRDS BYPASS THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE LIKE CARS CREEPING PAST A WRECK IN THE HIGHWAY OR MICE TAKING A WIDE DETOUR AROUND A PACK OF CATS IN FACT I THINK A MAJOR STORM IS BREWING BECAUSE EVEN IF WHAT HE SAYS BEGINS TO START TO MAKE A LITTLE SENSE THERE IS NO CHANCE IN HELL THAT I'M GOING TO LET HIM KNOW IT BECAUSE HE OBVIOUSLY DOESN'T HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE IN HIS BELIEFS OR THE POWER OF TRUTH WHICH HE SEEMS TO BE GREATLY IN NEED OF NOR ANY TRUST IN THE LANGUAGE HE USES THINKING THAT IT NEEDS A VERBAL EXCLAMATION POINT AFTER EVERY LETTER TWO AFTER EACH WORD AND FOUR AT THE END OF EACH SENTENCE IN ORDER TO GET HIS POINT ACROSS OR MAYBE HE SPENT ENGLISH 101 STRUNG OUT ON SOME FLEETING FLAVOR OF SPOON FED FUNDAMENTALISM AND NEVER LEARNED THAT THE POWER OF LANGUAGE COMES
NOT FROM THE VOLUME OF THE DELIVERY BUT FROM THE VIRTUOSITY OF THE DELIVERER IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORD AND THAT UNDER RATHER THAN OVERSTATEMENT IS MORE CONVINCING AND THAT LISTENING RATHER THAN TALKING CREATES HEALTHIER COMMUNICATION THAT SILENCE RATHER THAN NOISE GENERATES STRONGER CONVICTIONS AND I SHAKE MY HEAD AND TURN AWAY CLOSING THE BOOK MAGAZINE OR LETTER AND REMIND MYSELF THAT IT WAS ONLY A PUBLISHED PAGE POORLY EDITED NOT A PERSON WHO SHOULD NOT BE SO EASILY DISMISSED BUT A FORGETFUL PIECE SOON TO BE GONE FOR GOOD ROTTING SLOWLY IN THAT TALLEST SKYSCRAPER OF ALL A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY TOWER OF BABEL THE COMPOST PILE OF FAILED COMMUNICATION WHERE COUNTLESS PRINTERS CHATTERING AROUND THE CLOCK BREED REAMS OF WORDS WHICH SPREAD UNREAD DIRECTLY INTO SHREDDERS RAINING A DOWNPOUR OF WORD CONFETTI ON THE MASSES THROUGHOUT MULTIPLE WAVELENGTHS CLOTTING THE ARTERIES OF OUR COMMUNITIES OBSCURING THE HORIZONS OF OUR LIVES TAP DANCING ON OUR EAR DRUMS AND SOILING OUR SCHIZOPHRENIC SOULS UNTIL WE MOVE LIKE ZOMBIES FROM DAWN TO DUSK SHOULDER TO SHOULDER BUT NEVER TOUCHING EXCHANGING INFORMATION BUT NEVER COMMUNICATING OUR LONELINESS SPREADING LIKE NIGHT OVER THE CROWDED CAVERNS OF OUR CITIES AND CHURCH BUILDINGS

LEONARD NOLT