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In My Head
“The business of the advertiser is to see that we go
about our daily lives with a tune or a slogan throbbing
in the background of our minds.”--Marshal McLuhan.
As a kid I can still remember slogans from
radio broadcasts, or reading them on highway
billboards, but boomers recall that during
the 1950’s, as televisions moved into
every household “Imagination at work--GE”
we started becoming willing victims of
Madison Avenue conditioning “A little dab
with do ya’--Brylcream”, as repeated viewings
of commercials “I’m not a doctor, but
I play one on TV” began to imprint jingles
& catch-phrases into our “Think outside
the box--Apple” subconscious.
Even the necessity of sustenance became
besmirched, as we needed to always
“Eat fresh--Subway”, but we should not
forget that we eat “Just for the taste
of it--Diet Coke”, before we begin
the burping & uttering “I can’t believe
I ate the whole thing--Alka Seltzer”,
delirious that we “Had it our way--
Burger King”, even though several times
during the feast we took “The pause that
refreshes--Coke”, and too often we did
rush lunch “Sorry, Charlie--Starkist”,
but hey “There’s always room for Jell-O”
before washing it down with “the real thing--Coke”
or sometimes swigging the freshness of
“the UnCola--7up”, or really hoping that
“this Bud’s for you.” because we all know
“Where’s the beef--Wendy’s” for it resides
within, right alongside “Finger lickin’ good--
KFC” chicken, which in Chinese translates to
“eat your fingers off”, which make me smile
ever since I found out that “Got milk?”
translates to “are you still lactating?”
but I do regret that the mere sight of golden
arches reminds me that I’m “loving it”;
and tell me, how in the world did the simplicity
of coffee, always “Good to the last drop--
Maxwell House” become a behemoth,
a worldwide phenomenon “one person,
one cup & one neighborhood at a time--Starbucks”,
and why is it that I can never drive past
a Rolls or a Bentley without rolling my window
down & inquiring “Pardon me, would you have
some Grey Poupon?”,
and although we would like to think we have a degree
of sales resistance, every time we see a pretty girl
“Nothing beats a great pair of Leggs”, knowing that
“You are worth it--L-Oreal” while adoring the fact
“that nothing comes between you & your Calvins”,
we still find ourselves spending too much on our
sweetie’s spark-lies because “A diamond is forever--DeBeers”.
Although I have never been a smoker, I still love to
“Flic my Bic” and I would “Never leave the house
without it--American Express”. I would never
“Walk a mile for a Camel”, completely reject LSMFT,
and don’t give a damn that “Winstons taste good,
like a cigarette should”, or that some others are
“Outstanding, and they are mild--light either end--Pall Mall”.
Even in my own bathroom I am plagued with
“It keeps going & going & going--Energizer”,
or while standing at the sink “Look, Ma,
no cavities--Crest” thinking I “Wonder where
the yellow went--Pepsodent”,
and I freely admit that I am partial to
“Cheap Sunglasses--ZZ Top” & cheap watches
“It takes a licking & keeps on ticking--Timex”
while fully realizing “Sometimes you feel like a nut,
sometimes you don’t--Almond Joy”, knowing that
every single day we should strive to “Be all you can be--
US Army”, for at present when I “Let my fingers
do the walking--Yellow Pages” they are stroking
divers keyboards “Do you...Yahoo?”, smiling wide
as I am welcomed “to the Human Network--Cisco”,
always happy to “Hello Moto--Motorola” .
But seriously, there is something amiss when
you discover that “Just do it--Nike” was realized
when Gary Gilmore, while strapped to his death
chair, uttered his last words,
“Let’s do it.”
Glenn Buttkus
August 2013
Posted over at dVerse Poets Poetics
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