American Dis/Grace Poem by Chen-ou Liu

'This Brave New World, ' XVI
a tanka sequence about the richest man's an '11-minute, supersonic joy ride'

a billionaire
blasting off into space...
a masked old man
turns off the soup kitchen TV
and takes his place in line

New Shepard
penetrates the o-zone --
neon lights
on a line of rocket dildos
in the window display

600 tickets
already sold for space tourism
next year...
through my attic skylight
I imagine the pandemic world