A Brief History of Dystopia

Photo by Toni Oprea on Unsplash

Bradbury saw disaster
In the way we’re absorbed
By garish lights, half-truths,
Burning books for the sake
Of shallow lives,
While outside, remember,
Lawless gangs would race down
Any old brain that had escaped
By thinking too much.

This week Donald Trump proposed
A ban on all Muslims.
My neighbors bought assault rifles.
We checked our phones for information,
Unsure how to proceed.
Outside, the gangs grew quiet.
Lawlessness became the law.
We were left to take turns
Shooting in the dark.

— Gardnerville, Nevada, 2016