Not Poetry. Quatrain Verse in English & Swedish. Dagsverser. On the Mundane & the Arcane.
He hid out in life
fearful of all strife
Engrossed amply, had a ball
dinked around without clues
lead no worthwhile life at all
thought Life here to amuse
Then rosy hued vigor drained
he veered off course, pace dropped
a purpose no longer feigned
Pretense gone. Thank God, flopped
Then bestowed a second chance
to pull his weight, not just prance
“Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most.”
-Thucydides (c.460 B.C.– c.400 B.C.)
If restraint implies ‘voluntary’ restraint would we these days recognize something so over the top quaint?
Yes, in Antiquity
but regarded now
as mere obliquity
Here is why & how:
Today’s absence of restraint
sustains mindless shopping
above all for more war paint
unjust wars not stopping
Fans fiery fire
absent qualms
by our Empire
dropping bombs
While voices of restraint
raised rarely, echo faint
Speedy thin ice skating
a dared dalliance
Perhaps fascinating
if as vain valiance?
When our nerve endings are worn
they’ll need most frequent jolts
When in the mundane forlorn
must keep upping the volts!
You have only use for those acts
or attempts captivating
which after hyped up to its max
shall still feel scintillating
in stale slogans-slinging babble
devoid of much style or sense
against us the struggling rabble
Here’s their campaign memoranda
First: Stoke our fear, greed & hopes
like in all good propaganda
aimed at us gullible dopes
Then: “In rightful belligerence
ride with us, shiny White Knights!
In utter sweet deliverance
“Reclaim our very birthrights!”
They keep us riled & incensed
in willful ignorance
so that we’re voting against
our own true interests
By holding up shiny Redux
they’re keeping us always in flux!
While she was quite resolute
maybe not all that astute?
Canning industry she chastised:
“Insufficient space between!
Way too crowded!”, she agonized,
“for each little canned sardine!”
Too narrowly focused
blazed away on her warpath
protests wreaked like locust
until grasped in aftermath:
Surely there’s more sardines crave
than mere space in their tin grave!
While short time now remaining
got all time presently
(in real-time, without feigning)
to listen pleasantly
While I was listening
to understand too harebrained
my heart wasn’t enlisting
back when ample time remained
Could only have playacted
as feeling compassion
when so blithely distracted
not the youthful fashion
I’ve been clueless of a lot
but right now my ear you got
The ‘One Nation Exceptional’
now resoundingly unmasked
while ‘Greatness’ just conceptional
still being pitched unabashed:
Ready for another bait & switch?
He’s prickly, prone to toddler fits
This time around plays in mega kitsch
short on manners, knowledge & wits
Howls in a hurricane of glitz
klutzy & shallow clamor
disingenuous repeat fits
A narcissistic scammer
A vainglorious con artist
from reality unhitched
Voters not informed or smartest
being too easily sales pitched!
Mindless consumer minions
though can’t be bothered with facts
entitled to their opinions
as propaganda distracts:
whether in The Beltway or backwoods
sadly they buy a sick bill of goods
+)
-The Beltway = the Washington, DC power elite
-One Nation Exceptional:
“The United States has always been corrupt, savage and brutal. It has always been wildly dysfunctional and hypocritical. But now, thanks to a president-elect who is loudly ignorant and utterly devoid of impulse control the mask is off. The horrible truth about the United States can no longer be denied. Trump epitomizes truth in advertising. We’re a nasty, crappy country. President Trump suits us fine.” – Ted Rall
Do we dare search for ‘Reality’
certain that we do want it found?
Shan’t it be abject futility
in our culture fantasy gowned?
‘Reality’ has turned plurality
awash in all sorts inanities
Ain’t it then just fumbling futility
trying sort from among vanities?
Not being guided by what’s objective
we got lost in reams of dreams subjective
At night phantasmagorias churning
suppress one, others proliferate
Fitfully asleep tossing & turning
worries pack punches, regurgitate
The petty & inane astound
like stuck inside a theme park
By heels, face down on grimy ground
dragged around in fog & dark
At last: Morning’s first light gets me reprieved
awake, sweat drenched, elated and relieved
Rushing is so much fresh fun
as ‘my sweet life’ has just started
must have a great rat race run
for which I’ll fight lionhearted
Life ought not ask anything from me
exect to enjoy indulging!
Just love staying busy, can’t you see
cupboards, debt & midriff bulging
Out of breath, speech smattered
need to somehow find more time!
Heart & mind all scattered
got no time to waste on rhyme!