STATE LINES
California Poetry
It’s about time someone wrote a poem about the great American spectacle known as Disneyland. MK Chavez, a mainstay of Oakland’s vibrant poetry scene, pulls no punches in her poem about the Magic Kingdom experience. Every one of Chavez’s details, from the “cartoon rides,” to the semi-employed actress whispering in our ear, to the sugary treats fueling the park’s frenzied energy, depict Disneyland as a symbol of the country’s degraded psyche. The park is our fun house mirror of fantasy, but Chavez polishes its surface so that we can clearly see our soulless American selves. Even Disney’s iconic frontman, Mickey Mouse, tells us to escape while we can.
Disneyland
Cartoon rides & big sad eyes. Mickey signs with his deformed hands, get out while you still can. The witch, a semi-employed actress takes a polaroid with you and whispers into your ear, don’t go to sleep. All heads nod. Have you ever noticed that Mickey has no balls? says a man. Some husband gnaws on a big fat bone and yells at his wife, Better shut your pie hole. Candy apples, tacky taffy, and pink sugar-cotton-coated fingertips. That magical moment when your body is propelled into the sky. Silly clown, you’re bound to come down. Oh Dumbo, this is not the happiest place on earth. “Disneyland” is from “Dear Animal,” © 2016 by MK Chavez. The poem appears with the permission of Nomadic Press. All rights reserved.
MK Chavez of Oakland is co-founder and co-curator of the reading series Lyrics & Dirges, and the recipient of a 2016 Alameda County Arts Leadership Award. “Dear Animal” is her first full-length poetry collection.