Now comes the hangover
and slow return of sight
from grip of fear and aching
in trembled long dark nights
or was it in the barrage of colors
tragic alarms; I think chartreuse could save
or it meant our government could ignore
a city swarmed by storms and waves.
Now comes the slow unfold
of the body politic from sleep,
hibernation, nuclear words of winter cold
as challenges mounted outside the cave, so deep
mounds of sifted snow, a blanket obscura unfolds
and eyes stretch wide to see what has been won
all done in the name of liberty; nation building
with bombs, where have all the flowers gone
[and the bees... the air and trees a-wilting]
the fishes of teeming seas, ozone and dead zones
oily minds made car wheels bigger, now we bail
the rich taking money from the poor, as more fail
and again we bail, a ship so frail...and to a present day
when sanity fell upon the spun masters at play
faster than you can say 'Oh Mama'...they have justly
been sent away, [Oh, blessed election day!!] well mostly;
but like stuff on the bottoms of our nation's shoes
as when dog owners fail duties; some remain, a toxic residue
continues, makes pain in airwaves, pseudo-news.
I think it has finally come, a day of bright sun
people everywhere will rise as one to say
Enough... let us go repair the harms done
with war and waste of epic proportions,
of vast favors for friends behind disarray
hard earned blessings of forebears, of whole generations,
I know it is unfair to lump so many into a pile
but to sort the good would take a long, long while
we have much to do, so leave us to start
with hurts and our soiled shoes, and for our part
we will be more careful of whom we rely upon
and about where we step... from now on.
In a list
A contest entry
- Stereotypes by unknownpleasure.
401 points, ended February 26, 2009, 19 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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The slow descent into ever more forced and painful rhyme is the catastrophic failure of this piece of poetry or a wry mark of brilliant ironic genius. Sorry, but I deeply suspect it is the former. What stereotype are you addressing here anyway?
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The background subject is American politics and effects on our society, spending so much to gain so little...Iraq/financial bailout... imagery was like a binge of a drunk, then the slow realization afterwards . A nation led astray and the same wrong-headed leadership seems willing to oppose/stop the recovery efforts aimed at people rather than corporate greed. so the stereotype is politicians led by greed rather than public service... Thanks for the comments...PK
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Not intended to
degrade this poem, I could not help to think of the film: 'The good, the bad and the ugly'. How often we think along these lines. I loved the intellectual stance given here. The line: 'to sort the good few would take a long, long while', caught my eye - even here we seem to categorise and stereotype! Good luck. Frans
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Frans-
still not too late to say happy new year to you and the family, hope all is well.
Sterotypes... i have a feeling that we learn the things we really believe as children, the words of the adults who interpret the world for us then...on mom or dad's knee...and so often they teach us to judge; so for me, it is always useful to acknowledge that some of our thinking is this way...
Thanks for reading...it is always wonderful to hear from you..my friend...PK
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i really like this...very clever and insightful!
also, just very well written!
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The winds of change are blowing in the USA and I think your new president is facing quite a challenge...the last part of your poem says it all..yes.
~ Nicolette
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