This poem consists in three shorts verses, increasing the sarcastic tone until the last line, where the final message is explicit. In the next three paragraphs I will present some of the elements found in the poem, a description of each verse and finally my analysis. The poem starts with repetition, an element that appears in the first line of each verse, which is "I like to think". The verse continues as an introduction of what "he likes to think" using a figurative language, the next line is "[]a cybernetic meadow where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony". Here, you can appreciate not only his imagery way of narrating but also the mood these words evokes, which is calmed, very peaceful and naturalistic. This verse ends "like pure water touching clear sky." .
The first verse is tricky and it is hard to notice a sarcastic tone, yet my arguments consists in opening peoples eyes to understand the message and in order to do this, we need to think again about the context. In the Beat Generation, writers used many ways to express themselves. In an article from "Poetry Fundation", a citation from The Hudson review explains: "Mr. Brautigan locates his writing on the barricade which the sane mind maintains against spiel and bilge, and here he cavorts with a divine idiocy []. But he makes clear that at his immediate disposal is a fund of common sense he does not hesitate to bring into play." This description fits well to The Beat Generation. Brautigan is not only being sarcastic but he is playing the role of a fool to mock society. His use of repetition makes the reader focus on that line, and wonder: Does he really likes to think about a cybernetic meadow? A meadow should be a space for nature to grow, and our society takes advantage of it by growing food and things we need, but if we invade those meadows with technology, we would be expanding the city instead of respecting the nature.
