The New Normal People
Normal people
(nôr′məl pē′pəl)
What does it mean
Anymore
Not what is used to mean
They called it mainstream
We all understood
We were different but similar
Unique but united
All for one and one for all
Stars and stripes
And heed the call
But today
Nothing’s normal
Words don’t mean
What they used to mean
Hijacked
Repurposed
Symbols too
And the masses
They bow down to the few
Double speak, triple speak
Careful what you even think
But I digress
Off on a tangent
Like some kind of radical
Normal people
Normies of today
They’re good followers
Good consumers
Buy the ‘right’ things
And identify
Now goods and ideologies
Have become the same
I’m not buying anything
I’m buying everything
Hook, line, and sinker
Conforming is contagious
Purchasing is obeying
Allegiance to the corporations
Everyone should follow
But if you can’t be everyone
Or choose not to be
They’ll correct you
Preach until you listen
Demand, shriek, or cancel
Until everyone is everywhere
One voice under a financial god
With commerce, cash flow
And goods for all
You’ll be told your opinions
And what is right and wrong
Even when right is wrong
Just don’t stop singing the song
Follow the crowd
Walk in lockstep to your local store
Spend, spend, and spend even more
Shining examples of public education
It’s so wonderful
Indoctrination
Teaches us to think as one
With a hint of totalitarianism
To remind us not to speak
Unless the words are approved
But again, I must deviate
Asking out loud, why
Why do so many follow
Allow the norms to change
What is there to gain
Nothing really
Just a false promise
Same as the ones given
To the cannon fodder on the front
Glory and recognition
At least for a few days
Be wary of the ruling mob
The wardens of the new normal
But the question remains
Who watches the watchers
Checks the fact checkers
Decides what best for you and me
It’s a path to misery
Happiness a foregone conclusion
Unrelentless in this current version
Maybe there’s a shot or pill
Fix my sadness, fix my will
Instant gratification
Another route to consuming more
Keep the money flowing
The corporations pay the politicians
Who make laws to protect
Not, we the people
But the corporations
Lost in the great translation
We call bureaucracy
Everyone owns everyone
Sheep against sheep
Instead of the shepherd
It’s normal to give up what you had
For someone undeserving
Complaining is what keeps them going
Everyone at the same time
As long as I’m ahead of you
Is this the new normal
Are we normal people
What is normal
Hello
Is anyone still listening
Additional Reading
To read more from this author, visit his author page
- Distraction, You See - September 14, 2023
- Exhaustion - August 27, 2023
- Tis Now Yours to Carry Muse - July 6, 2023







Hello! I am listening and I hear you. Normal? Normal is boring but your poem is great and inspires one to be unique. I love the bouncy flow and skillful phrasing. Well done, Ralph – I love it.
Ralph, So much of the dialogue today, if there is any true dialogue going on, is political in nature. I’m hoping that we all can recover from that unfortunate detour and focus on the other important things in life. I know there are important political issues, but life is so much more. Thanks for sharing these insights in such a creative way.
Great work as always Ralph. Of course, I would expect nothing less than that from you…
Interesting conversation you started here Ralph. Jamie
Yes. Exactly Ralph. How long until the things we thought of as out in left field are center stage…..oh wait they already are. How many times can the devil take centerstage amd we don’t question. Where do they take their queues from? Something has to be propelling this…but who is the question…
Nice work. Very thought provoking.