A poem is meant to capture the soul and spirit of an idea. This poem is in tribute and dedicated to all those suffering the unspeakable hardships and misery now being perpetrated in Syria.
Misery and Horror
By John Herlihy
Who can cry out about this unspeakable misery;
Cry out with a voice with the timbre of enduring pity?
Who can cry out about this unspeakable horror,
That fills our hearts with an alien sorrow?
Who can cry out with a voice sufficiently loud,
To match the cries of suffering of a swelling crowd,
Of multitudes of men, women, and children shoved into a swarm,
Wishing for their lives never to have been born?
We sit in our living rooms smoking pipes,
Watching television and snacking on chips and crackers.
We have the capacity to endure hateful sights,
That appear at dinnertime on the evening news,
Without comprehending who the perpetrators are,
That fill us with mixed emotions akin to moody blues.
Our world seems immune to the ravages of sadness;
We have given up corners of our heart saved for gladness.
My heart trembles like a leaf at this fearsome onslaught.
I see an aura of make-believe that these events cannot be true .
I reach into my heart seeking for a way to regain my sanity.
I search into my soul seeking the reason for such inhumanity.
I cry real tears that fall to the ground like the blood of this carnage.
Like a child, I look in wonder turning to horror at what I see.
As an old man, I stare face to face at my own impotence.
There is nothing I can do to protect the face of innocence.
For all of our knowledge, accomplishments and insights,
We live in a forsaken age of frustration and rage.
We live stylish lives of elegance and sophistication.
Our progressive intelligence takes on the wisdom of a sage.
No matter how far we may run from the vision of a true reality,
The one thing that escapes us today is a noble sanity.
We go about our business without any sense of blame;
We forget what we see on television and tuck away our shame.
And proffering this "rage" with glitter and narcissism beyond belief is our so-called leadership running for office to do more of this despicable creature-like alienism to who the human race is. Such a travesty.
Like you, I cannot look away and try, through my writing, signing petitions and trying to persuade others, to address these situations in the most positive way possible. However, two things are self-evident: First, we tend to see the worst on television because it is sensational. But, that is a very small part of life that is generally quite kind and benevolent, moving forward all the time and, most importantly, improving. Secondly, we all have to work towards the real culprits in this equation: individual and corporate greed leaving a great disparity the poor and the rich and finding a way to ease population growth so that well-being can catch up with everyone.
yes, this poem is a slap in the face of all of us, no matter a beggar one or a presidential contender. . . the globalization is growing up to squeeze the global consciousness, and islamists (IS - islamic state organization) take the key part in this process, killing their own people.
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Ron