after Allen Ginsburg
Moloch! The disembodied mind
Empty handed
Conjuring visions
Proffering
Meaning without sensation
Life without risk
Moloch! The vast machine
Dopamine farming
Algorithms gripping, eyes to the screen
Mining attention
Discarding bodies useless
As husks and tailings
Moloch! The arch manipulator
Purveyor of short-cuts
& magic bullets
Sales funnels
Upselling
Through a million landing pages
Moloch! The signaller
Connection without meeting
Clawing, avoidant eyes
Controlled by after-thoughts
Afraid of consequences
Residual shame
Moloch! The rapist
Vengeful to woman
College fees earned
Shackled to webcams
Insatiable hunger for images of flesh
Sex without feeling
Moloch! The rational
Guided by science
Using the measurable
To drive out the unmeasurable
Demanding endlessly
Evidence, evidence
Moloch! The Parent
Generations of unloving fathers
Overworked mothers
Starving kids of appreciation
Pushing sociopathy
Show me you can do it
Be self-reliant
Trust no one
But yourself
Moloch! Vicarious
Moloch! Victorious
Moloch! I gave up my life
To raise you to Heaven
The blind conquering urge
Of barren masculinity
Moloch! Moloch! Forever Moloch!
Until there is no one left to see you
Moloch! The Challenger
Living in shadows
The blind force
Each soul must conquer
--------------------------------------
Devaraj 2020
Acknowledgements:
Allen Ginsburg
Eliphas Levi