through a final muck,
the remains of all things
that will ever be
slaughtered on the pillar
of insubstantial truths men in their wisdom believed
and to their own advantage contrived
now buried in pieces
by such their brilliance they held so dear
I continue my digging
the shaft I claw is long endless
nor know I what festers inside its walls
this dark tube
its low, bleak moans nor what lies ahead
or how far I must dig
to find a place to die
in shame
at
last
the muck is thick oily and throbs
from deep beneath
sounds of pain
and smells of blood
I smear it upon my emptied thighs
and listen to its fragrance:
Muslims called me Allah
Jews called me God
Christians called me Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Buddhists called me Enlightenment
Hindus called me Heaven
Intellectuals called me Truth
Men of money called me Destiny
Warriors called me Victory
Kings called me History
States called me Law
Tyrants called me Ends
Fools called me Wisdom
Thieves called me Integrity
Pacifists called me Peace
Vegans called me Kindness
Saints called me Faith, Hope and Charity
and their lovers call me Righteousness
always all these,
their torturers called me Means
and their liars they paid, these called me Power
all called me Justice.
I fear I have awakened inside my own creation
I have only this name — Tenderness,
and all the rest are lies
all the rest are lies,
for neither dusk nor dawn can hide my light
nor shadows of the killers who claim it
my name is only Tenderness
and all the rest are lies
all the rest are lies
A contest entry
- Want some points? Philosophy, God, whatever you want... by magneticblue.
1400 points, ended July 24, 2008, 25 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 5 of 5
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Tenderness is a worthy name for you, my Darling...I shall only ever call you Beloved...for you are, indeed, the Golden One. 
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i love the vocabulary used to provoke the reader! This is not the poem I expected to read after seeing the title "Muck" but was pleasantly surprised great write and congrats on the gold!
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Simply Awesome.
Tal.
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excellent
Words full of wisdom and foresight.You exceleld in uniting common thoughts in religions of the world.These lines excel:
Muslims called me Allah
Jews called me God
Christians called me Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Buddhists called me Enlightenment
Hindus called me Heaven
Intellectuals called me Truth
thanks for sharing visit my portfolio for some comments. -
wow. A very passionate and impacting piece. I was glad to read this, it is an excellent piece and very intelligently/well done. Thank you for entering.
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