Overcopied

Originality,
 Something in this world that is a rarity,
 in the grand scheme of things,
 One person creates something towards a common good,
 one of a kind, a masterpiece, knocks right on wood,
 and many others copy,
 it becomes the portrait of atrophy

 Articles written by scholars,
 become a plentiful bounty,
 for many college students to copy,
 cut, paste, paraphrase, adjust margins accordingly,
 producing many papers all the same,
 with several cites to throw the instructor off their scent,
 where have the principles of academic honesty went?

 That bag under a woman's arm,
 supposed to be a Michael Kors original,
 yet its design, shape, and interior,
 are copied by over 100 other designers,
 trapeze, twist-lock, chain strap, buckle,
 messenger, tote, crossbody, envelope, satchel,
 they're all the same
 at the end of the day,
 the only thing a gal pays for is the name

 Smartphones we all use, to talk, text, and tell time,
 the slim, sleek, minimalist design,
 copied over and over,
 the only way to tell one from another,
 is the Wi-Fi, 3G, and operating system

 The shirt, pants, skirts, and shoes we wear,
 conditioners, shampoo, and relaxers in our hair,
 the producers all copy one another's ideas,
 then in the media have an all-out mudslinging fest
 on whose creation is best

 Every popstar, rapper, country singer,
 techno DJ mixer, and rocker,
 all copy from one another,
 rappers taking samples from each others' songs,
 and over their lyrics, singing along,
 popstars using sounds from previous tracks
 and merging them with others,
 to create a b*st*rd child of a new release
 in which the damage is done, they can't go back

 Originality,
 the idea of creating something useful on one's own,
 now completely foreign, an unknown,
 it is easier to copy,
 the thoughts, ideas, and schemes of others,
 and use them to create another,
 it is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,
 that imitation creates innovation,
 instead, it is the sincerest form of travesty,
 and moral depravity