[Once there was a man . . .] and [give me peace o my world . . .]

Once there was a man who was neither happy,

nor was he sad, in his case this shallow state

grew deeper from year to year. Finally he landed

in a hospital for the nervously disturbed. To stimulate him,

he was told to listen to the news and read

the papers. Indeed, he listened and read, but it’s hard

to say if it influenced his views or not

(nor is it known if he had any at all).

The doctors decided he should spend whole

days on end watching TV quiz shows, serials

and adverts, he was given gratis, boundless

wireless access to the internet, but his behavior

did not change at all. He was bombarded

with pornography, he watched doggedly, without emotion.

He was brought a whore, he took advantage, he was done

within the allotted time, and he said thank you. But

this had no effect on his usual state of mind. He was dropped

with a parachute, earlier he’d heard he was flying

on holiday to the mountains, with a tent on his back.