Conspicuous Consumption Poem by gershon hepner

Conspicuously to consume
is now the way to live,
the bust has been replaced by boom,
excess has much to give.
So welcome life without reserve
enjoying all its bounty
which surely richly you deserve
if you’re in LA County.
No need to be obsequious
to people who abstain
or shun the word conspicuous,
so drink up your champagne,
and eat the finest caviar,
wear clothes that have a label,
and get yourself a fancy car,
put foie gras on your table.
Don’t be afraid to be de trop,
it’s good to show bad taste;
conspicuous, consume to show
you haven’t gone to waste,
although the food goes there when, wealthy,
you consume far more
than you should do to be as healthy
as you are a bore.

In a program on All Things Considered about the production of foie gras in the Catskills, the Israeli who is the organizer of the enterprise suggests that people eat foie gras in an attempt to internalize its elite
qualities.

5/11/98,9/12/08