The Jester

A little poem that speaks of broader societal issues and the answer to resolve them.

The Jester 

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

"The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity." - George Bernard Shaw

God appeared in fool's attire 

Preformed a play of harsh satire

Before the King and crowd 

A huddled mass to disavow 

The jester played to court

Mime and gesture in contort 

He danced in silence before the realm

In painted face of ashen elm

In pantomime and grace sublime

He moved through world to capture time

A fool whose painted with a frown 

In pantaloons of ghostly clown

What sadness plucked to heart's travail 

A joker's angst would soon prevail 

What wickedness did he see

Beyond the veil of company

The Queen in guilty face

Looked away in sharp disgrace

For in the dance she saw

The wretchedness of us all

In angered rage gave King command 

His soldiers smite this hapless man

And there before the throng

God was slain at end of song

What lessons are we to learn

When one is silenced and truth is spurned 

Speak and oppose inequity 

For silence is concession to iniquity.

Author's Note

A quick little parable of poetry written as my muse was sleeping and talking in her sleep. Sometimes she holds out on me with some of the good profound art. It's like trying to lay a trap for a real sneaky smart mouse. Only to find out later I was the mouse all along and not a smart one either. Can't sneak anything passed a woman. They truly are smarter than men. Oh, she's waking up gotta go. Feel free to leave thoughts or comments. Thank you all.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I love the jester as a character and a concept . . . your poem does this idea full intriguing justice (((HUGS)))

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you I also have a fondness for the Jester as well. I feel they are more self aware and intelligent than most would believe a fool to be. There are so many themes running through this piece of poetry. I felt it vitally important as a social commentary to make this particular character God. It adds more weight to the ending and packs a strong emotional response to the piece over all. What can I say we sure love our Icons. I'm sure the symbolism isn't lost on many who read this. A person will either love it or hate it. But as you can tell Margie I do enjoy writing on controversial topics and themes. I'm an acquired taste like mayonnaise on French fries. Omg who even does that? Gross. Or ketchup on pancakes. Ew...just ew. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this poem. I loved writing it for the controversy alone. But I also believe so much in its message which is saying a lot because I don't believe much of anything now a days haha. JK...or am I? Hehehe

[barleygirl]

I wuz wondering if I should make french toast out of this very garlicky bread . . .

[Laz K.]

"Speak and oppose inequity"
It seems like the right thing to do - although easier said than done. However, since I like to play devil's advocate, I'd say Jesus himself didn't utter a word in his own defense. This, in a way, was emulated by the likes of Gandhi, Thoreau, and Martin Luther King jr., all of whom believed in "ahimsa," the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence.
The poem is very thought provoking, and therefore a success...:)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Laz for your thoughts on this poem. I strive to elicit response and dialogue when possible in my writing. Not everyone may find agreement on many subjects but a common ground can be reached if both parties approach a conversation with mutual respect for the truth. Though now a days proven facts are not seen as absolutes where some may use the "what about"-isms to defend their disingenuous position. They try to win through emotion rather than intellect. A generation has a misguided view that being a troll is virtuous, as oppose to just being an a*****e. And these same people view ignorance as a noble trait. When a person views themselves with such little regard it is difficult to plead with them toward their better morality. It's distressing to say the least that common sense is no longer so common anymore. At least here in the states that would seem to apply. Thank you again my friend for your comment.

[Gee]

Hmmmm, so many look down their noses at those who they perceive to be a " lesser" being.
Enjoyed this but for me I'd have liked an even rhyme throughout, just a personal preference. You may well tell me that the form this is written in has a name and is a recognised style :))
Hope You are well

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Gee I appreciate the nice comment and thoughts on this piece. I'll be the first to admit it's a bit stilted in places as far as a rhyming scheme goes. I mostly concentrated on its vital message. That being we must never stay silent in times of hatred and inhumanity. Because doing so we give license to its foul actions and outcomes making us just as guilty as the offenders. There are times in my manic state I will devolve from a rhyming scheme to free-form. Usually I tend to go back after ruminating on a piece for days. But this one spoke to me as is for some reason. It felt different and yet right in some of its imperfections. Perhaps as time goes by I may feel differently. We as artists are rarely satisfied with most of our works haha. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts I truly appreciate it.

[Chris Shaw]

The Queen is perceptive. Not so the King. The all powerful King. Reminds me how power can be destructive. A little power can cause a whole lot of damage. Thank you Carlos for this reminder.

Chris

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

I feel and have always felt women are more intuitive to societal issues more then men. It is in their nurturing nature to empathize more. For from them springs life and creation. Women innately know the connection they have with nature from feeling and bonding with a living being growing inside of them. They know the sacrifice they give in this process and the emotional journey from it as well. This poem has multiple messages but that definitely is one of them. Thank you Chris for sharing your perceptive thoughts on this piece.

[Vertigo Cat1111]

I apologize it took me so long to get to this since last time I was on! But this is a brilliant piece full of heart I thoroughly enjoyed! There's a whole story you fit here and I can tell how much work you put in it. So many people react to simple, true things with absolute fits of rage and sometimes it goes to show they're not always the best people- honestly, most of the time. I especially loved the last few lines. So beautifully written!

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Colacat for your comment on this poem. I truly appreciate it. The message to this work really resonated with me because it reflects the times we live in. We can't allow lies and purveyors of disingenuous information to steer the direction of our society toward hatred and divisive rage. If we sit silent and idle then we are as guilty as those who incite this violence. These are turbulent times and what is needed most is art to reflect the urgency to awaken the sleepy minds who fail to see the importance of this moment. Our community is made up of artistic writers from all over the world. It is my hope to implore them toward using their art to speak truth to power. For there will be a time soon where silence is no longer an option. Thank you so much for reading this morality tale.

[John the Baptist]

The jester, or fool, has often been used in literature as a conveyor of truth. Shakespeare in "King Lear" comes immediately to mind. Here the poet presents God as a jester demonstrating truth to a haughty monarch. The queen, more perceptive than her spouse, sees the truth in the jester's words and actions and is correspondingly smitten with guilt. The king, however, his ego bruised, commands the jester's death. The moral: The seemingly mighty are actually often weak, and react to the truth with fear and rage.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Very much a message that resonates the times we live in. Those in power such as political elites and the ultra wealthy often fear the truth and will do their best to hide behind disinformation and disingenuous statements to retain power. If we as a society turn a blind eye than we are culpable as they are to propagating this cycle towards our own demise. Excellent comment my friend you got the moral of the tale.