of freedom. A sick joke
you shove at others
that looks nothing like
true choice.
Even your so-called beliefs
are just spray paint and spangles
over elephant excrement
cosplaying as patriotism.
You don’t even bother
to pretend familiarity to those ideals
when they become an inconvenience.
But I will give you this much—
your repeated hypocrisies
are the best advertising
for the virtues of the other side.
You think being awake is an insult.
I call it the first step to breaking free.
to pretend familiarity to those ideals
when they become an inconvenience.
But I will give you this much—
your repeated hypocrisies
are the best advertising
for the virtues of the other side.
You think being awake is an insult.
I call it the first step to breaking free.
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
Song Choice: Vengo by Ana Tijoux
Liner Notes for this Groove: This poem was created for Poets and Storytellers United's Friday Writings Post.
EDITED TO ADD: Forgive me dear Groovers, but I was distracted this week. It was only when I got back home that I realized I had rushed things and didn't give the title as much thought as I ought to have. 😰 I have changed it on 7/13/22 and will have more to say in the next post. Mea culpa.
"spray paint and spangles / over excrement" -- the perfect image!
ReplyDeleteVery well said indeed! (Great illustration, too.)
ReplyDelete"your brand of freedom"... well said... world over, people are being robbed of their rights to keep the power boats afloat... for how long????
ReplyDeleteYour words made my heart skip a beat, the hair on my arms stand at attention ... beautifully conveyed.
ReplyDeleteImportant, timely and brilliantly conveyed. The concept of freedom seriously needs to be interrogated...
ReplyDeleteThe part about becoming an inconvenience tells a lot. It's the way it will be. Your write, as a whole, really shows both sides of a coin, without telling who is where. Well written. Well said!
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of authoritarian regimes that control every aspect of life of their people. some democracies appear broken but still we have a choice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing me to Ana Tijoux. That's an artiste i can explore. :)
So very powerful Rommy. It pierces the portend veils of politics, of religion, of social, of economic, of gender — the “other side” opens the question of perspective, leaving it as a quandary, to be answered and embraced by the individual reader. In that way, it speaks universally in a personal voice, giving it broad impact. A most effectively engaging piece.
ReplyDeleteTruth all around. The words, the tone, the outrage I hear in each line make this poem so very powerful. I wish I had written it.
ReplyDeleteWell I guess this title must be clearer to Americans. I got it first time around! (Are these the names of the judges who overturned the ruling?)
ReplyDeleteI mean that I got this with the original title. And obviously the new one was not so immediately clear to me. Without your following post – from whence I came back here – it would not have been clear at all! But I do see that it is probably much more important you get the message across in the country where this atrocity has taken place.
DeleteThat second stanza rocks!
ReplyDeleteI could swear I'd commented on your brilliant poem, already. Even with the first title, I think I got it. :) But I also like the current title, the poem reads more like an open letter. Love it!
ReplyDelete