Inhumanity

“Inhumanity” by Narayanan Ramachandran

 

surges of dangerous malice
rush into the voids
in a mind come estranged
from emotional traffic
in concepts of kindness

so utterly failed by a nasty
and brutish experience
leaving with ripening age
abject ethical ignorance
risen to moral confusion

in years that for most
bear the custom of certainty
even the innocent sin
of ambivalence caters
insensate indifference

is this then the crucible
pouring forth ignoble
hate into ingots of evil
that damned awful specie
that pays the apocalypse

fear and take guard of
this mind most unkind
for its visions of terror
its cold acquiescence to
the worst parts of man

*      *      *

“Man is capable of as much atrocity as he has imagination.”
                  – William Parcher: an imaginary character in “A Beautiful Mind”

Primus

“Decorative Graveyard” by Christopher Stead

 

grabbing mendicants by their humility
you fling them insouciant like ragdolls aside
smacking down the least threatening talent
that so much as lifts up a competent hand
your swaggering insensate skin undeterred
clears a fat assed man’s path for your greatness
to wrangle the rainbows and sunbeams
in sheaves of light holstered alongside
your chariot glowing like warrior’s fasces
enarmed with your monogramed blades

swelled pride for your bootstraps and ladder rung toes
leaves no space in your heartscape for mercy or care
loveless journeys enable your conquering ways
and your raising up castles of unpeopled gloom
in each land where you crowned yourself king
but unable to see either people who hate
or dismiss you as tinhorn nonentity
you never quite realize that no other people exist
or that you will leave only one mark on the world
the unadorned print of your much pissed on grave

Seriously

“Anger”
Painting by Ingrid Morgen
From schaapcoaching.eu

when the hell did the world
become so inhospitable
what the fuck could it possibly
cost to be kind
show compassion
pay out some respect
give a shit about somebody
something or someone
who suffers beyond one’s own
self-centered shadow

where is civil behavior
toward loyal opposition
those teachable gestures
conveying polite understanding
of contrary viewpoints
what killed off the
empathic impulse
to tender regard of misfortune
who the fuck let loose
the dogs of derision and scorn

I am so God damned tired
of conflict reduced
to a mud-level meanness
a pissed-off cold cruelty
in place of plain decency
epithets hurled where
there used to be discourse
we’ve entered an age
when ad hominem vomit
is now de rigueur

not for me do I bristle and
seethe I’m retired from most
of life’s sparring arenas
but I have a passel of
grandchildren reared
to embrace reverent ethics
of honor and dignity
oh how I pray they were
not ill-prepared for
this vicious new world

(dear reader – excuse my language – it’s not at all my habit – I just couldn’t help myself)

Killing Time

“Just Killing Time”
Painting by Tommie Olofsson
From haltavista.com

smashing clocks
with delicious
delirious anger
fed up with the
cruelty of time
bash the face
break the hands
kill the tick-tock
that arrogant
voice of a thief
sneering even
while dying in
grip of your rage
like he thinks
you a fool like he
knows something
special a secret to
take to his grave