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Accountability

Submitted by Eumolpus on Thu, 2018-10-11 22:40

Will our children ask, “Why didn’t you act?” Al Gore

Perhaps when it all comes out in the open,
All the white lies, the little lies, the epic lies,
Of how we responded to the crying planet,
All will be said in a courtroom of compassion.
The lawyers remove their heavy wigs
And plead my case of guiltiness-

“Your honor, the defendant was no more
Able to change the tide than a red ant
Among billions on a jungle floor.
He took his few tons from the planet-
He took what he needed but no more;
He attended all conservation events.
He voted to save bees and elephants,
He abstained from swordfish to save the oceans,
Avoided pesticides and toxic lotions;
He purchased ripe fruits from Whole Foods.
He recycled books, old boots and shoes.
He forbade polyester to touch his skin.
He kept his flushes to a minimum.
His got 28 miles per gallon in town.
He never was seen throwing garbage around.
It’s true, he killed a rooster and a kangaroo,
But evidence shows they were clearly confused
Loitering on the roads without a permit.
From where I sit, the court must acquit!”
This man is unjustly accused, and if I must say,
Writes poems about the birdsong in May.”

The trial continues daily, like reality TV,
But nothing seems to alter prophecies.
What good if I set myself ablaze
Like the Buddhist in the center of Broadway?

The next generations are inconceivable beings-
They will fill the seashores in the rising tides
With plastic corals and robotic fish;
They will play in virtual forests with android slaves;
The genetically enhanced will be off to the galaxies,
With perfect teeth and perfect pitch,
In search of planets to greedily consume,
To spread the seeds of earth and start anew...

What can a simple man know of such things?

The jury gives verdicts dispassionately-
For now I’m out on bail, I’m free to go,
No more guilty than the brethren of old
Who slayed the mammoth and fantastical dodo.

Last few words:

Might be too long for the contest on the environment. Either way, my take. Raj, could not find a solution for italics, the destination only showed me how to do a shape poem.. I've never seen italics on the site...might not be possible.

Editing stage:

Editing - rough draft

Comments

chevyvent

Fri, 2018-10-12 12:24

When it all comes out in the open

"When it all comes out in the open", Write words filled with wisdom.
This piece is thought protective in the notion of its piece
Even though we can't see each other it is customary to leave a note of further logic
The door of innocence grounds me in this unique style
You have chosen excellent words to this timeless piece
Everyone can learn something to the wording of this magnificent piece
The aura filled with power is extended
Further the lies that people told,
Thank you with this piece

Mario Vitale

Rula

Fri, 2018-10-12 17:22

To use

the Italics feature
1. Choose the advanced format
2. highlight the line/word/stanza you need to put in italics
3. at the same time press (control+ I)
The highlighted text should change immediately
For bold
follow the same steps, but choose (control+B)
For underlined text
Choose (control+U)

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https://www.neopoet.com/swamp-witch/blog/sat-2014-03-22-2100

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scribbler

Sat, 2018-10-13 10:54

Hi

If you want to enter this in contest go ahead. Just be sure to put Oct. contest next to title and hit contest tab at bottom of page. I don't think the judge will DQ due to length but even if he/she does what does it matter? These contests are for Fun after all.......stan

zebra

Wed, 2018-10-17 16:33

a conscience in crisis

I just love it! Is there point when a writer is in full, studied, his heart, mind and soul intact? Should I critique or knit pick John Dunn, Sylvia Plath, or Ocean Vuong, etc.? Hell no! and I wont critique you either except to say "Great Work".I loved the read, every beautiful, eloquent, sturdy, able bodied, unwavering moving line !!!!!!

PS Some one thought your poem may be to long. This doesnt make sense at all to me. Is there any such thing? Tell it to William Blake. A poem either fulfills its own rational or not.

Eumolpus

Wed, 2018-10-17 18:09

thank you Zebra

love the name, I've been lucky and seen a lot of Zebra. The most famous poem on Zebras is by Roy Cambell. Do you know it? (Cambell was also a great translator, especially Baudelaire, was Australian. Unfortunately, fought for Franco and was a proud fascist. Go figure)
You are certainly fine to critique this light piece. Right now I write many of my poems about a page, page and a half. Just a larger canvas to fill. I wrote short poems for many years.

The poem is light headed but the subject is real. Interesting with the latest countdown of 20 years before the planet will be in crises due to climate change (famine, flood and draught) it is #15 on the latest poll of important issues to most people. I'm 70, but if I were 20 I think I'd be freaking out!

I studied Blake for many years, was my thesis in college. In a recent poem to him, I wrote

William Blake, I had a choice.
Study you or live my own life.
There is no room for both.

Cheers, Mark
..

Eumolpus
I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance
ee cummings

author comment

zebra

Thu, 2018-10-25 17:10

Hi

Sorry mark for the belated response Takes a bit for me to figure stuff out on new sites like where's the buttons, windows steering wheels etc.

I read somewhere that 83% of Americans do not have the vocabulary of a 7th grader i.e. we live in a great ideocracy who vote against their own self interest because they have no idea what is good for them and what is not and until of course it bites them in the ass, so the world cycles into another dark age, an age of the ghastly medieval glazed over corn fed compounded with the destructive technology of the Gods.....ouch!
Ready for the lemmings leap and so we die leaving the world a heap of catastrophes
We lived in a short golden age, after the terrors of WW2 and now before the seas eat the land and the sun burns parching. I fear for my kids and theirs who I cant help but love beyond measure

As for Roy Campbell I do not as yet, but just googled and look forward to finding out about him and reading his work
You are forever enriching, so very appreciated!!!!!

Neopoet

Accountability