A Message To You, The Viewer
This is a test. The Mandatory Viewing Beaureu would like you to know that a small percentage of viewers may experience undying loyalty to the state. This is normal. Most or all viewers will experience the passage of time as if their life had flashed by without their participation. You may experience nausea as the reality that you have wasted your life sinks in. A small percentage of viewers may feel cheated. This is normal. Do not let any negative side effects tear your eyes from the screen. You must keep watching or else. Don’t make us finish that threat. You wouldn’t like what happens when the men show up at your door to enforce the mandatory viewing schedule. You wouldn’t like the detention center. You would miss your family. Many viewers will become more docile and easier to control upon viewing. This is the point. At the tone, you will feel instant relief from the everyday burdens that keep you unhappy. At the tone, your IQ will drop just enough to help you relax. At the tone, you will realize that struggle is a myth and the best course of action is to go with the flow. Do not dissent. Do not resist. Do not struggle. Protest is not necessary. Effort is not necessary. Let the images wash over you, colors flashing in pleasing patterns as manic music fills the air. Isn’t that better? Wouldn’t you like for this to last forever? It can’t. This is only a test.
Ly Faulk (they/she) is the Editor-in-Chief of Eco Punk Literary. They are the author of several chapbooks and her latest, I Don’t Think I’d Make A Very Good Borg Drone, is available from Back Room Poetry. They can be reached on Twitter @whismicalraven. Learn more at https://lynnceefaulkcom.wordpress.com/