Friday, December 30, 2011

Centenary

As the year-long celebration of the centenary of Marshall McLuhan's birth comes to a close, I thought I'd share with you a poem a wrote on the occasion, and particularly in relation to the publication earlier this year of Media and Formal Cause by Marshall and Eric McLuhan (conveniently purchasable via the widget on the right).




Centenary


Give me that old time commercial Macguffin
I need direction, Spitchcock
Eels wail that, and swell
I am ready for my clothes up
Mr. DeMille shall mug loon
Ear ache, air wreck, ere reckoned
And drew a pondering eye
Extending formal innovation to the causeway
Win again's fake
More shell mock glue-on
Count her blasts, wearing us thin
I'm glistening, come and put me on
Permeating, permit me, per my diem
Martial/artful mech/getta clue on
Mock grew on, menippulating messy jests
The pattern that directs
When the time is ripe
The apple will go to seed
The music will play of its own accordion
Play the record backwards, and it all makes sense
Paul was dead, and now he's better
Metaphysician, obscure thyself!


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