It could bear any title
As long as it were free
To snap to position all parts
Notch into notch, smooth gears agreeing
Mind the party line.
Well, unwelcome shock
Well, intruding doubt
Well, whole heart half-living
Well, quiet now,
Mind the manual, chapter 14, article 11, clause 3A.
The important thing is to move
Move the machine
The machine deserves
Power, please don’t question
And turn off the light.
Are we making the Kingdom?
Hopeful gears think now and then
To themselves as they fit together
Click, click, click
The main thing is moving intone the machinists
Move your piece, forfeit peace, axel grease.
Great final line & rhyme!
Thanks!
I love the machine analogy and all of the detailed imagery. It does give a sense of that “keep it moving” anxiety that sometimes keeps us from asking deeper questions and shifting our thinking and behavior.
I recently read Hannah Arendt’s “Origins of Totalitarianism” with a group, and was surprised to learn that one of the hallmarks of totalitarianism is continual movement, as the greatest threat to blind loyalty is reflection, rumination, and discernment.
Unsettling. I need to think on this, and wonder if I’m complicit.
Me too.