Wildflowers bloom heartily
in the heart shaped window box
yearning for the expanse of their ancestry
not dreams precisely;
but a memory of a distant past
that they’ll never have again.
Cool, still water
grown putrid
in the murky depth of the reservoir.
A hulking feat of technology
silently undermined from underneath
by patient molecules seeking ocean.
Rhinoceros sighs.
The steel and concrete enclosure
casts a dismal shadow of lost domain
an absent sovereignty
the easy life of consuming what’s given
just to be a showpiece.
A pedestal.
Emptiness inside the virus
hangs and balances nothing.
So it’s take, take, take
and take some more
no harmony;
even simple blowing wind
is harnessed for giving comfort
to undeserving, selfish, needless, whores of industry
teeming with venom
dripping blood on the nation’s plains
leaving dirty fucking fingerprints on everything that’s touched.
A Man.
Running across the plains
with his own two feet
beating the ground beneath
as hard as his wife
who suffers a psychosis
so miserable
that she’s the one to apologize
as she wipes away the unclean stains
from between her daughters’ legs.
Nobody takes notice
because it’s all happened behind closed doors
where everything is so damn clean and innocent.
Nature waits.
For all the flaws
deceit and cause
She knows that everything will die someday
and in the end she’ll just be blowing wind
beside the spectacular ruins of something
running, growing, flying,
vile and dying.
Author notes
Inspired by a quote from Ten Bears and by the Rhinoceros.
Okay, allow me to explain. A few years I was at the zoo. Some animals seem happy and some do not but the Rhino will STICK in my mind forever. He (assuming it WAS a HE) was in a cement pit about 150ft square. This animal did not look just miserable, he looked absolutely so dejected with the thought of living that it shocked me.
I have seen happier animals in state penitentiaries.
I just don't know what it was exactly but the anmial exuded such an air of misery that I will never forget it.
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Comments
1 - 5 of 5
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I can't help but feel awful for that rhino. Your piece exudes the cruelty of the situation, and takes the prompt in a different direction and perspective. very well done.
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That cruelty is really what I was going for. There are a lot of things that were done to the Native Americans that nobody realizes and at times they were treated no nbetter than animals...and that has always disgusted me.
Thank you for your positive comment!
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First let me say, This is a haunting piece
that struck me (or should I say sucker punched me)
with raw intensity...
I had a similar experience at the zoo -- a Lion--
there was something in his eyes or maybe
something missing from his eyes,
either way, it broke my heart
and I never went to a zoo again.
Anyway, as always you have delighted me
with an awesome write
Good to read you again and
Thank you for sharing
~Pastel
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