Cockroach

Prejudice that lurks beneath political correctness.

The cockroach is misunderstood!

Colour? Polished chestnut wood!

Crafted legs, precision bent,

Antennae rainbow filament!

Tuned to hear a bluebell ring.

Splat! -----

Repulsive, bloody thing!

Author's Note

No matter how hard you try to be nice -----------!

Reviews

[R J Askew]

So the roach is someone whose views are not acceptable at the moment? Have I read it right? And the irony is that the act of crushing the roach, or the person of unacceptable views, is actually far uglier? It's very, very tricky getting a balance in terms of expression. But I think people seem to bruise easily these days and there is definitely a new fear in some peoples' minds about what they can and can't say. It seems one evil is replaced by another. My view is that we should be able to say and think what we wish without restraint. But that is not a popular view today. Trying to prevent people thinking and speaking in certain ways can get out of hand. Who decides what is correct?

[EMF]

Oh Ron... this is wonderful. I love it. Read what you will into it, but I loved every drop of it

[Mauricio Montoya]

Wow Ron great description almost to the point of loving the guy and in the end………..splat…….Nice work.

[Thurston]

Actually Ron, this is as nice a bit of writing as I've read from you. You establish both a literal and a figurative anticipation and one one hand fulfil this expectation of metre and rhyme and on the other hand destroy with a flourish the cockroach's sublime contruction because the sum of all the partsit strill causes inexplicable revulsion within you.
The brilliant first line uses the "is" alone and in m"is"understood, to create a pause and a rhythm all in one. You asked me once about rhythm and here you answer it yourself, the poet creates it and sets it up and then uses it.
The poem scans. That means it has a metre and therefore is a poem. That it also has a rhyme, whilst not necessay, is configurative of your own purpose because you neatly continue that on a different line with "Splat!"
"Repulsive bloody thing!".
Of course by then it is bloody literally and that neatly brings the figurative ("bloody thing") to meet the literal and finishes the poem as it finishes the coackroach.
Without a doubt this is a fine piece of crafted poetry.
I like it. I'd give a 95 and say, "Now go out and write of your experiences showing all the discipline and economy this very fine poem promises within its brevity.

[Desert Dreamer]

This creature you have killed can be seen as quite beautiful, even you have described it as such....to kill it after describing its beauty seems hypocritical to me, there is something wrong with this way of thinking. Your poem has made me think.

[Seantesunflower]

there is yet another part to this that I see as well...even the prettiest of *bugs* can carry disease and illness.
I have learned from experience that some people are pleasing to the eye, but what lurks under those good looks and fake charm ruins it all.
Excellent write!

[Craig]

I thought this short poem was great. Fun to read.

[Amanda]

a very good point here, Ron...no matter how politically correct our society seems to be, prejudice still exists... it's just wrapped up in pretty words. i agree with Suzanne on this, people can be so hypocritical and shallow, in my opinion.

nice job...thanks for sharing :)

Amanda

[Suzanne Sherif]

Very good allegory! Political correctness definitely does keep people from publicly acknowledging or discussing their real feelings about things, especially those feelings are ugly.

This reminds me of an artist whose work was basically a rat in an enclosure with a very heavy weight hanging above it, and a sign which read, "This rat is about to die!" Well! You can imagine the furor and the protests from animals rights activists and "concerned citizens". The exhibit was closed down, but I think he accomplished exactly what he set out to do (besides getting lots of publicity): he successfully pushed a big hypocrisy button! I'm sure any one of those people would have reacted very differently to a rat in different circumstances, such as say, an encounter with one in the kitchen in the middle of the night. : )

I think you've expressed a lot in very few words. Well done.