Darwin and the Fulcrum of Humanity

On a daily basis we witness so many wrongs carried out by the mighty and the powerful.

At the foot of ragged,

ranging mountains

that touch freedom's sky,

lie piles of bleached bone.

The ash remnants of

down to earth souls

whose only desire was to live

in peace with enough to eat

as they watch their children

grow.

Those poor people,

some god fearing,

some who have no 'saviour',

who were so wronged

by the grasping, greed of

inhumane insanity.

They died trying to climb

from the pit,

dragging themselves from the mire

created by despots.

They took to the streets,

took to the ballot box,

they took up arms

or merely stayed at home,

but they were crushed

to dust by the machine,

by the power and might

of those rulers of men

who see themselves

as judge and jury.

Some killed by their own

neighbours

at the behest of

a president, a prime minister,

a king, an ayatollah,

or interfering tyrants

from far across the ocean,

whose missiles have reach and range

and such awesome power.

Telescopic sights murdered people

in Sarajevo,

barrel bombs in Homs

and riot police

in Hong Kong.

Crushing the will

of ordinary folk

time and time again,

all over the globe

as we stand

and stare

into the abyss.

 

14/10/19

Author's Note

Reviews

[Eilis]

Can’t think of a better song than Masters of War to accompany this, John. One of the most troubling aspects of this harshness all over the globe is that it is often the regular citizen who becomes mired in the actual act of crushing. The machine is very good at turning people against one another, or at the very least capitalizing on the divisions that grow between groups of people.

In my own country, I find it so strange how many poorer people align themselves with the interests of the powerful and vote for representatives or policies that will end up hurting them in the long run. It’s a troubling state of affairs for sure.

Your list of atrocities at the end is quite powerful. A tough poem to ponder. But a necessary reminder, certainly.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

I realise that atrocities have been around as long as man but they appear more commonplace today because of social media. Besides one would expect things to calm down with the advancements we have made in science and technology. Strange how it seems to be an epidemic like the effect of global warming. Many thanks Eilis.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Ordinary folks....eeking out a living, getting by...
and then the rich who cared not for anyone but themselves...the users...the stompers...
as George Harrison sang, "it's all too much for me to take"

we cannot have a total disregard for human life and human suffering...no matter how much money one person has than another...no one is better...

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Agreed Jacob but it happens at macro and micro levels every day in modern day societies across the globe. How do we regain the sense of humanity? Many thanks.