Living Memes

Living Memes

let's accept
there's a subtlety
a nuance
a richness
to jazz
or concert music
that's not present
in the pop
of rock
hip-hop
country
dance
etc

then let's accept
there's a nuance
a subtly
a richness
to living
that's not captured
in our memes
presenting
in the simplest of terms
facets
of what we are
or
more accurately
what we want to be

let's acknowledge
there's more to us
than the way
we feel
or the way
we want to be
or
the cheap sell
of the way we want
to be seen
and 
understood

let's acknowledge
there's more to being
a christian
than kneeling
and praying
memorizing verse
money in the collection plate
and wanting to be
more like
the prophet

let's acknowledge
there's more to being
a loving caring compassionate
human being
than the mere feeling
of wishing to be
while refraining
from murder
theft
and rape

let's acknowledge
there's more to being
a patriot
than standing
saluting
removing hats
waving flags
and reciting
empty rhetoric

let's understand
the way we want to feel
isn't necessarily
the way
we really feel
and that feelings
even genuine
are just feelings
like the glee
at another's misfortune
is glee
better than avarice
but still
glee
for the wrong
reason

let's not confuse
the memes that we share
for what
we truly
are

let's understand
most of our memes
are cheap advertisements
not of what we are
but what
we want to be
like the comic books ads
selling x-ray specs
promising 
gullible young boys
glimpses
through bras and blouses
for only
99 cents

let's understand
the memes
of ourselves
we share online
in letters
and over dinner
their success
as our success
measured
by likes
shares
and retweets
rather than
any measure 
of closeness
of the meme
to our true
selves

let's understand
like the difference
between
beethoven 
and garth brooks
there's a difference
between profundity
and triteness
in a life
lived
according
to memes