Schizophrenic Society

The dichotomy of society's priorities.

Around me

I hear voices

Filling my head

With conflicting messages.

Multi-millionaire athletes

Bemoaning

Lack of some fans'

Respect for the uniform

As they toss them

Onto the ice.

Homeless man dies

From hypothermia

Wearing a t-shirt and jeans

In a bus shelter

Of Canada's largest city

During January bitter cold.

Never mind

The earlier snub

By these same athletes

Towards fans

For booing them

Over their brutal performance.

Another homeless man

Is found dead

In the remains

Of a burnt out wood shed

Trying to keep warm.

Marking

A possible ninth

Out of 10 seasons

Without playoff hockey

For the local faithful.

Mayor promises

Review of cold weather policies

As he knows

Real lasting change

Only happens

With provincial

And federal assistance.

And yet

The airwaves are buzzing

Over a group of men

Playing a child's game

For money.

While

The homeless tragedy

Is pushed

To the back pages

And quickly forgotten

By the public.

Until another person

Freezes to death

Upon our city streets

Before any real action

Is taken.

Reviews

[Lyn Anderson]

I would argue the Leafs are not news worthy at all. It is always this way. We wallow in trivia and ignore the big things.

[therisa]

You got no argument with me, on the Make Beliefs, KL. Wonder what a world would look like, if we dealt the real issues, and ignore the trivia?

[willweb]

Wow, this was like a sorrowed tennis match Therisa. Back and forth, from the grumbling because their toast wasn't buttered on the right side to those who would give anything for a piece of toast, buttered or not. I like how this one played out.

[therisa]

Thank you, Will. Had this idea, on how to write this poem, wasn't sure, if it would work out, like it has.

[ANTO]

So true Therisa. Fecked up indeed it is. Sports has always figured higher than the individual - always - mankind should have its own motto like these teams
"INEQUALITY - its what we do best!"

[therisa]

Sadly, Anto, I don't see, a day, which your quip isn't reality, for many people.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

what a great juxtaposition here...what is really important paralleled with what isn't but what we put such a high level of importance upon.

one is a game, one is about survival...and which do we care about more?
a good question that comes from a really good poem.

[therisa]

Thank you, Jacob, for your praise. I wish, I had an answer to your question, which could be applied universally.

[Rene Salinas]

I can relate to this in many many ways. I have had the luck or so I say to have to decreased my hours to be "more at home" which I haven't had much trouble adjusting to. Ok maybe some trouble but nothing that a rigid schedule from the "lady of the house" hasn't solved. I have had more time so I offered to help a local gardener that focuses on growing vegetables for a soup kitchen. I seem to do a lot of donkey work if not all but I get to hear snippets just like this by people from all walks of life. Those who for one or another reason struggle economically and they simply haven't got enough for food, those who become mentally unstable and the list goes on. It seems we have lost the ability to relate to human issues and replaced them for fantasy. Your writing exposes that lost quality.

I see some of this everyday.

Thank you.

[therisa]

Your welcome, Rene. I do wish my writing wasn't so much, in your face, Rene. I know, there are people, in my apartment building, who's children go without food, on a daily basis, which I try to help, when I can.

[Matching Socks]

Our priorities are backwards.
I understand there's a benefit to professional spirits, bring communities, towns, cities together.
Creating excitement, pride, united people, boosting the economy. BUT, I don't understand the millions of dollars pay checks when people are dying of cold and starvation on our streets. It's saddening. Deeply saddening.

[therisa]

Sadly, Ana, I don't see a day, which our priorities are corrected, especially, with a federal conservative government, in power.

[MomzillaNC]

A sad commentary on the ease with which we distract ourselves… "Bread and circuses…" indeed.

[therisa]

I think, Momzilla, society has always been like this, just that we have worn a blindfold, over our eyes, for too many years.

[MomzillaNC]

Society has always been like this. And, we've always so easily worn blinders…

That quote, is a colloquialized translation of the Latin, "panem et circenses" (it actually means more exactly, "bread and games") from satirical poet Juvenal, c.100 A.D. An English translation of the section of the poem is:

"… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses"

[therisa]

Thank you, for this educational information, Momzilla.

[MomzillaNC]

yw :)