Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, had a hammer named Mjölnir. Mjölnir was considered a fierce weapon that could level mountains and summon lightning with every blow. In this poetry blog, every Thursday, (Thor’s Day), Mjölnir will forge only song - sing of the mysteries and beauties of the world.

Thursday, May 26, 2022

BARCODE

What if the you you call “you”
is more like the invention 

of the barcode 
that first appeared

on a pack of Wrigley’s 
Juicy Fruit Gum 

on June 26, 1974
and later became 

ubiquitous the world over 
as the premiere way 

of conveniently carrying 
basic product data? –

but that in no way held 
or conveyed 

what the gum chewing 
experience would be: 

joyous and free
at the child-like discovery

that bubbles as large 
and larger than 

the human head
could be blown 

just by intently 
breathing into

the space within.
No, this information

is nowhere encrypted 
in the inky black lines

of that little identifier
that is scanned 

in the check-out line
at the time of purchase.

What, do you think, we are 
trying to “purchase” 

with the barcodes 
we call our identities?

Before you answer, 
take a moment to scan

your own consciousness 
to see if it is actually 

bigger than you think it is.
Does this question leave you

with an expanded sense of self 
loftier than any thinking 

the head-mind can hold
or existentially befuddled 

with a face vaguely pink and sticky 
and somewhat sugarcoated?

No comments:

Post a Comment