As I’ve stated several times and places before on this web site, my early interest in poetry came from the lyrics, and in some cases, the poetry of Rock musicians.
In 1974, as a last hurrah for his Glam Rock period, David Bowie released a concept album titled Diamond Dogs. At the time, the world was still living in the shadow of potential all out nuclear war. 1984 and what it signified in terms of Orwell’s prophecy was still 10 years away, and so these aspects were worked into the songs.
On the inside album cover was a painting of a post apocalyptic city skyline (an eerie foreshadowing of 9/11), and the below poem. I liked the poem so much that I memorized it by heart, and would often recite it at parties, and was well received by my friends; a hint of things to come for me. Thankfully, the world didn’t turn out (at least not yet) the way Bowie envisioned it.
Future Legend
And...in the death--as the last few corpses
lay rotting on the slimy thoroughfare--the shutters
lifted in inches in Temperance Building--high
on Poachers Hill and red mutant eyes gazed
down on Hunger City--no more big wheels--
fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the
size of cats and ten thousand peoploids split into
small tribes coveting the highest of the sterile
skyscrapers--like packs of dogs assaulting the
glass fronts of Love Me Avenue–ripping and
re-wrapping mink and shiny silver fox--
now leg warmers--family badge of sapphire
and cracked emerald--any day now--
the year of the Diamond Dogs
“This ain't Rock'n Roll –
this is Genocide."
