Popcorn

Growing up was like walking into the end
Of a movie
Called the twentieth century

Nothing left but the PFAS
From the empty lukewarm popcorn

Maiden put out the Final Frontier
Like all music had now finished
Songs soaring into final black abyss

I asked about noisy guitars
Slow chords like shimmering bricks
In monolithic walls of noise,

We did that in the eighties!
They laughed
Said I had to be there

All the maps had been drawn
All the continents found
All the poles scraped
Lunar litter already left

The careers counselor
Had me fill out a survey
There aren't any jobs
we can match you with

Every path had been trodden
Every road needs refinishing
The council never upgraded the pipes
In the heyday of prosperity
We were conceived during.

Now we ride the rollercoaster
Of blown out dopamine
Microplastic surprises
Cost of living crisis

And unwanted advice
From a century we were never invited to.
We can't afford the popcorn now
And we don't have time for movies