Wordle 199: empty, held, memory, saintly, crack, track,
wrestle, pebbles, cue, act, science, angel
3WW : Devious, frown & venomous.
No Relation
Politics have no relation to morals.
Niccolo Machiavelli
Act I
Promises made,
But not held,
Fall like pebbles
Into a black lake
To ripple briefly
And then vanish
From sight
And memory.
“No more questions”
Says the minder.
The guy with the tie
Turns, on cue,
Walks in side
Protected.
People frown,
Wrestle with the
Devious ambiguity
Of what they think
They may have heard.
Ripples fade.
Act II
A pit of vipers,
Venomous, spiteful,
Spit empty words,
Across the chamber.
Sharp though.
Meant to hurt,
To wound.
But it’s all an act.
Acting out a battle
With no winners
And no end.
Act III
Two tribes
Core troops
Crack troops
Face off
Meanwhile,
In the middle ground,
Between the two,
The undecided
Swither.
Which one
Is the lesser?
Act IV
Science is wrong.
The facts lie.
Trust me.
Act V
The lighting.
The make up.
Flags.
Suit.
Tie.
The saintly presentation.
I am an angel.
I will save you.
I promise.
I promise.
Trust me.
Love me.
Vote for me.
Act VI
Behind the saintly façade,
Black dogs,
Attack dogs,
On the track dogs,
Bring down
And maul
Their prey.
No prisoners.
[Repeat]
.
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
---
One of the reasons people hate politics
is that truth is rarely a politician's objective.
Election and power are.
Cal Thomas
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Politics the world over but especially so in Oz just now...poor us the voters, but we are not so badly off as the refugees, there's no hope for them. We at least can vote.
ReplyDeleteBut what if there is no legitimate one to vote FOR?
DeleteThat, of course, is our problem.
DeleteA sting in the tail of this piece...not just politics...negotiating the mental health system seems similar..although it's more rainbow socks than suits and ties..cleverly penned!
ReplyDelete"Acting out a battle / With no winners / And no end."...How true!!...this is the way of the world :)
ReplyDeleteAlas we seem to look so more for ties and simple words than truth and tolerance.. I have difficulties trusting anyone and we vote on symbols rather than solutions.. But still the alternative is so infinitely worse.
ReplyDeleteWonderful response !
DeleteCleverly done.
ReplyDeleteI'm South African. If you have any idea what happened during the State of the Nation address in parliament on Friday, you will know why I would not disagree with a single word or implication you have written here.
ReplyDeleteYou've said it like it is, Cosmo! Whether in time and space politics and morals never vary! Great way of presentation!
ReplyDeleteHank
I wish I didn't see so much accuracy in this!
ReplyDeleteit is political season again....ha....that pretty well sums it up....
ReplyDeletei was talking politics with my 12 year old yesterday as we were travelling
together...they are all crooked...and our system is broken...
Damn! Act 6 changed a melodrama into a tragedy--such is the truth. I loved your made up word: "The undecided
ReplyDeleteSwither.
Which one
Is the lesser?"
(They are all the lesser who chose weapons to fight when standing strong might show the most might!)
This is chilling!
ReplyDeleteThe ache, the pathos, the passion, the despair all "tied" up so beautifully
ReplyDeleteIt's the stage direction at the end--[Repeat]--that clinches the whole play (and makes me angry that the play goes on!).
ReplyDeleteReplay: To Double Your Whirling Pleasure
I have relatives in Australia and what they tell us about the past few months is quite chilling. I think Björn sums up the whole political game quite accurately.
ReplyDeleteThere may not be an ounce of truth in their promises, of which you have so clearly seen through. The imagery in the first two stanzas illustrates this perfectly.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a lovely week ahead.
Poppy
colorful thoughts.
ReplyDeletealways stay upbeat.
That final Repeat made my shoulders slump...because it is all so real.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
i love how you break up the poem into acts :)
ReplyDeleteconvincing elements,
ReplyDeleteI like the style and how to managed it...
ReplyDeleteZQ
This is the sorry truth, so intelligently presented. Sigh. Especially love "it's all an act....with no winners." Our news carries a lot of clips (too many) of the ostentation and swaggery huffing and puffing of the politicos in the House of Commons.....embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteYup! This is sad and truthful! And cleverly done!
ReplyDeletewhoa! the rise and fall of empires depicted in this piece.
ReplyDeleteWow. The Devious Ambiguity is calculated and cunning indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe roles and characters are real at this play/stage!
ReplyDeleteexcellent.
ReplyDeleteGreat inspiration for an amazing poem.
ReplyDelete