Postmodern Blues

as the century ends and
tradition turns in on itself
as Boulez screams and yells
his music is put on the shelf
repetition is back,
a rose is a rose, said herself
Bill Gates has won
i've got the postmodern blues

1900 began the obsession
with function as form
with a hammer and nail and a [bad word] and camera
they storm [bad word] and Bolsheviks
conquer, the masses want
more
Karl Marx has gone
i've got the postmodern blues

line is fragmented, Isadora
invented modern dance
philosophers ponder [bad word] squander their 
chance
illusion is captured in
Cubism's reign over france
Picasso's gone
i've got the postmodern blues

the stock market rallies as 
futures are tallied and sold
pensions are raided and 
parachutes painted in gold
conformism packaged to save 
us all from the cold
Cezanne is gone
i've got the postmodern blues