"Genome for Commercial Taste" by Christopher Collingwood

My dreams were served

with Cabernet – seduction by

commercial taste, peeling vanity

off the apple’s core,

taking away unwanted skin,

marketing by genome.

My first bite into liberty,

left me naked as a peach;

the vigour of a romance,

supple breast the waves caress,

the fragrance sells itself.

Cereal competes for calories,

a promise in each crunch -

the body awakening to Adonis,

brands flexing muscle,

a grain-built fantasy.

Steak breeds success,

the money is in the meat;

a raw ambition, grilled to

potential, seared in vision,

relishing wealth - a job well done.

Fondant into luxury,

a flavour of the elite,

a spoonful of temptation,

the suit, the heels,

the liquid status;

a tongue-seducing product.

A different world –

a sense of the exotic;

spices awakening adventure,

open streets– stir it, fry it, buy it;

piercing the mundane,

perfect holiday is a scent away.

The last bite –

the perfect placement;

mouth-watering potential,

taste the subliminal violence;

sales are up, reproduction is down,

nutrition is not our biggest seller.

A word from the author: Poem is a speculative satire playing around with the ideas of consumerism and genetics