NaPoWriMo 2024, Day 23, What’s My Measure?

Today, without charge or payment, NaPo poets were to write a poem involving a “superhero” (a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman [as in not human] powers).

Actually, and indirectly, I’ve already quasi done this. But is not a superhero (SH) a matter of opinion?


What’s My Measure?

Superhero (SH), Man! Impressive!!
How good are you? How real?
How many followers you got?
Seventy-four million “yeas” gets you funded,
your lawyers and other whores paid as well.

What do you call Batman and Robin
after they got run over by a … never mind.
Then, Rock-in Robin came bopping in—

When the Dell Comics (Marvel?) boys called
wardrobe for a masked sidekick for the real
Caped Crusader. Shazam!

Batman sales doubled, thanks to Robin.
The value of America’s superheroes
took a new low bow but made high book.

Robin aged-up from (tweet, tweet, tweet)
and morphed into superhero: Nightwing,
when that role wasn’t confused with,
or filled by a morphed Superman.

Yeah, Babe, it’s all about cold, hard sales—
product endorsements, shoe sales,
pizza stores, and insurance coverage
(and now bibles, for Christ’s sake).

Is there anything in this country
not all about, and measured with, money?
Is that our reality? TBF, even Wikipedia
and self-pubbed twit poets (like me) need money.

Is wealth and value our true measure?
Are our real SH’s Bezos, Musk, Gates,
Zuckerberg, and Buffet? Even God
seems to constantly need more money.


Look both ways and wonder where your money goes.
Mind the gaps for anything that makes us feel better,
anything that will push product out the door.

 

Friday Fictioneers for March 1st, 2024

Fleur Lind provided the prompt picture that Rochelle has used to pull us up (or in). Click on the pic to ride over to her majesty’s blog of purple purpose to read up on the few rules we play by.

Here ye, hear her. Her highness spoke. Now get your sweet nibs over there and write your story.

PHOTO PROMPT © Fleur Lind

Genre: Junkyard Fiction
Title: White Trash Redux
Word Count: 100

***

“Jayzus, Billy-Boy. What are ya gunna do with that old junk? You might get twenty-five buckaroos for scrap metal.”

“It cost more than that to pull it up, Roscoe. You’d never make it in the resale business.”

“Okay, recycling, then. Who’d buy it?”

“And ya lack vision,” said Billy. “It’s a vintage auto body with a story. People rebuild these things and resell them for mucho dinero.

Rosco asked about the story.

“I need to work on that. Maybe the Green River killer left a body in it or something.”

“Bull shit! You’re a lyin’ mother’s son.”

“Prove me wrong.”

***

 


Look both ways as a wary buyer.
Mind the gaps in the fenders, stories, history, and the salesman’s pitch.

Click on the truck salesman to read more fabulous stories driven by a little of lady from Pasadena.

 

And when he speaks his first words, hear this song.