Brave New World

As well as the age of the rationale
    it's the age of the speechless denial:
the sullen threat of the lipless snarl
    to guard the untrodden mile
and the healers hands that no longer bless
    and the loss of acres wild
and the lure of opulent emptiness
    and the sadly abandoned child
and the age of the mindless egotist,
    the age of the sullied soil
now that any new venture will needs be grist
    to the mill of expansion's turmoil –
and it's oh! for a simple glass of stout
    and a grin and some good old cheer
just to reassess what it's all about
    and what on earth for we're here...

As well as the age of the megabyte
    it's the age of the wholesale slaying
now settled old maps get changed overnight
    to the flower of the nation's braying
of well-calculated callousness
    and pleasures without bound:
a virtually quite real caress
    to turn our heads around
and the age of video sentiment
    that we all are clamouring for
to forget all our various discontent,
    so emotionally poor -
and it's oh! for a simple pint of stout
    and a grin and some good old cheer
just to reassess what it's all about
    and what on earth for we're here.