The poem below in some small measure tries to capture some of the disquieting and destructive forces that seem to be at work in the world today. Its title, “A time will come” at first sight suggests that a kind of prophesy for the future is being presented. Or, perhaps it suggests a warning to us from the future about what to expect?
Then again, the poem might just be highlighting what kind of problems humanity has been confronted with throughout its entire history. It is not so much a case of a time will come for certain things to happen as it is being a case of the time having always been here with us in some form or other. The time has come to pass; the time is now and……...
A time will come
when sirens sound signaling
Satan’s welcome into the White House,
his entry gained through a back door,
his presence one of shock and awe.
When people and events are but the mirrors
through which he sees himself reflected;
the perception both corrupted and infected
by disunity and division, turmoil and confusion,
by lies and deception, ignorance and deflection:
mere tools to achieve a lasting legacy:
an image carved on Rushmore for all eternity.
when his machismo pals in other lands loose attack hounds
upon those they rule who they deem as enemies of the state,
who only wish to be rid of the tyrant’s abuse of power;
Yet while their photo-ops to posterity are taking place,
You can smell their fear from here as they sense the hate.
A time will come
when nations are torn apart along seams
and fault lines layed deep and low
below
the surface, up through which a boiling layer
of molten anger will rise to engulf each soul.
when cities shatter from civil war and civil strife,
and points of view are paid for in human life;
small change in the pockets of the power elites,
coins tossed amongst wreckage strewn on streets.
when nations and their people's snipe and shout
at one another over walls and fences built of fear
while the ground under foot crumbles and rents
as more and more pieces of the whole secede.
when Czars once again rule for life
on thrones propped up by force, terror,
fear, division and false promises:
poisons administered to kill off dissent.
when red Dragons flex new-found strength,
and breathe scorching fires of intimidation,
their inmates stare cowered by the spectacle,
while vassals stand awed under a shadow, sullenly
beholden to an immense, immature and insecure bully.
when the eagle no longer soars aloft but falls
like a spent leaf
to slowly settle and float
when sirens sound signaling
Satan’s welcome into the White House,
his entry gained through a back door,
his presence one of shock and awe.
When people and events are but the mirrors
through which he sees himself reflected;
the perception both corrupted and infected
by disunity and division, turmoil and confusion,
by lies and deception, ignorance and deflection:
mere tools to achieve a lasting legacy:
an image carved on Rushmore for all eternity.
when his machismo pals in other lands loose attack hounds
upon those they rule who they deem as enemies of the state,
who only wish to be rid of the tyrant’s abuse of power;
Yet while their photo-ops to posterity are taking place,
You can smell their fear from here as they sense the hate.
A time will come
when nations are torn apart along seams
and fault lines layed deep and low
below
the surface, up through which a boiling layer
of molten anger will rise to engulf each soul.
when cities shatter from civil war and civil strife,
and points of view are paid for in human life;
small change in the pockets of the power elites,
coins tossed amongst wreckage strewn on streets.
when nations and their people's snipe and shout
at one another over walls and fences built of fear
while the ground under foot crumbles and rents
as more and more pieces of the whole secede.
when Czars once again rule for life
on thrones propped up by force, terror,
fear, division and false promises:
poisons administered to kill off dissent.
when red Dragons flex new-found strength,
and breathe scorching fires of intimidation,
their inmates stare cowered by the spectacle,
while vassals stand awed under a shadow, sullenly
beholden to an immense, immature and insecure bully.
when the eagle no longer soars aloft but falls
like a spent leaf
to slowly settle and float
before sinking
under a sea
of irrelevance
while still
clutching bolts
of fire and fury
and dreams
of what might’ve
been….
once…..
again…..
A time will come
when virtual worlds are sought by refugees
fleeing an unfeeling fierce reality,
filled with false truths and alternative facts:
a world view born of a demented psyche.
When freedom and privacy is traded for promises of safety,
and security now sought in the warm embrace of the Devil
who knows your face, what you’ll do and who you’ve seen,
how you feel, what you think and where you’ve been.
When people shelter from swirling currents of truth and knowledge
within tents covered by the fabrics of myths and falsehoods,
and words are chopped short leading to chopped logic
as we ‘pivot’ oh so ‘agile’ and ‘nimble’ while ‘going forward’
and the young are being robbed of their hope and memory.
See how that girl jumps and jiggles with glee
as a mindless mob topples another statue of Robert E Lee,
and a young fool leaps off a burnt-out car in ecstasy,
with eyes shut tight through a tribal dance and a mindless ditty.
when one can no longer bear to offer a hand of friendship
nor give warmth and comfort with a hug and embrace,
and where we measure the cosmic distances between us
and count our numbers before being ordered to move on:
Transgressions noted and reported and compliance ensured.
when staying apart is said to help keep us together,
when the right to protest is thought of as inalienable,
while those sworn to serve and protect are unleashed
to beat some sense into those who sense such contradictions.
when a constant state of anxiety is the order of the day:
fear of lost jobs, infection, unrest and recession,
and the elderly are offered up as sacrifices to normalcy,
to ensure the smooth turning of the wheels of an economy.
When we peer up into infinity through the haze of false light,
to be spied on by eyes from on high festooned through the sky
by Musk-o-vite madness that seeks ingress into our brains,
with implant tendrils hungry for what the mind contains.
when waters rush in and wash away monuments to stupidity,
and the surface bakes while wild winds topple false certainty,
fanning the flaming judgment of a divine inquisition,
and the whole earth is finally wrapped in a Christo-like creation:
plastic cling wrap covering every feature and living thing
that struggles with its last breath to softly sing….
A time will come…..
A time will come…..
A time will come….
(Note: Click on blue lines “A time will come” for links to sound FX if you wish)
©Chris Christopoulos 2020
of irrelevance
while still
clutching bolts
of fire and fury
and dreams
of what might’ve
been….
once…..
again…..
A time will come
when virtual worlds are sought by refugees
fleeing an unfeeling fierce reality,
filled with false truths and alternative facts:
a world view born of a demented psyche.
When freedom and privacy is traded for promises of safety,
and security now sought in the warm embrace of the Devil
who knows your face, what you’ll do and who you’ve seen,
how you feel, what you think and where you’ve been.
When people shelter from swirling currents of truth and knowledge
within tents covered by the fabrics of myths and falsehoods,
and words are chopped short leading to chopped logic
as we ‘pivot’ oh so ‘agile’ and ‘nimble’ while ‘going forward’
and the young are being robbed of their hope and memory.
See how that girl jumps and jiggles with glee
as a mindless mob topples another statue of Robert E Lee,
and a young fool leaps off a burnt-out car in ecstasy,
with eyes shut tight through a tribal dance and a mindless ditty.
when one can no longer bear to offer a hand of friendship
nor give warmth and comfort with a hug and embrace,
and where we measure the cosmic distances between us
and count our numbers before being ordered to move on:
Transgressions noted and reported and compliance ensured.
when staying apart is said to help keep us together,
when the right to protest is thought of as inalienable,
while those sworn to serve and protect are unleashed
to beat some sense into those who sense such contradictions.
when a constant state of anxiety is the order of the day:
fear of lost jobs, infection, unrest and recession,
and the elderly are offered up as sacrifices to normalcy,
to ensure the smooth turning of the wheels of an economy.
When we peer up into infinity through the haze of false light,
to be spied on by eyes from on high festooned through the sky
by Musk-o-vite madness that seeks ingress into our brains,
with implant tendrils hungry for what the mind contains.
when waters rush in and wash away monuments to stupidity,
and the surface bakes while wild winds topple false certainty,
fanning the flaming judgment of a divine inquisition,
and the whole earth is finally wrapped in a Christo-like creation:
plastic cling wrap covering every feature and living thing
that struggles with its last breath to softly sing….
A time will come…..
A time will come…..
A time will come….
(Note: Click on blue lines “A time will come” for links to sound FX if you wish)
©Chris Christopoulos 2020
