Masquerading as Public Works (A Paranoia) (1984)
©1983, 1985, 2013 by Dallas Denny. Water tower illustration ©1983 by Philip J. Hawkins.
Source: Dallas Denny. (1983, March). Masquerading as public works. Alternate Realities, 6, 10-11. Reprinted in Space Grits, Spring, 1995, V. 1, No. 4, pp. 8-9.
They’re everywhere. They scare me.
Alternate Realities Pages (PDF)
Masquerading as Public Works
By Dallas Denny
They land
Don’t you know
Shhhh!
I can see one lurking on the horizon
Eavesdropping
They’re placed strategically
Don’t you know
On ridges and rises
Stilt—walkers at rest
Unsuspect observers
And they’re everywhere
Every neighborhood has one
They spring up like so many dandelions
But who has ever seen one
Being built/transported/open for inspection
A clever disguise
But how much water
Do ten thousand people need
Certainly more than they would hold
For flushing/showering/watering of plants
Wake up! Tell your neighbors
They don’t really hold water
They land
Don’t you know
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