A sonnet for the Emperor of Cathay
Xerxes of Asia, with a fawning court,
Inky bore now ruling a huge nation
Jamming its minds with enforced adulation
Implanted through his daily dreary Thought.
No moment when he is not hailed as great
Propaganda pumped in every ear:
Instant sanction for too weak a cheer
No apathy allowed in his New State.
Gulags policed by electronic spies
Complete the conquest of all private space,
His cameras trained on every human face
Inspecting those which might reject his lies.
No need to deconstruct his Thought each day:
All bear one message - “Cheerfully obey.”
Richard Heller January 2025