They wield poison pens

fancying themselves erudite

erudite thirsty for power

erudite scattering ignorance

ignorance spread in minatory threads

ignorance draped in a need for justice

justice meted out by frigid hearts

justice in desperate need of stark reflection

reflection distorted in a puddle of shadows

reflection disguising all that lies underneath

underneath that need for revenge

underneath that call for action

action inviting dire consequence

action designing the unthinkable

unthinkable storm clouds gather

unthinkable war drums beat

beat drums beat

beat drums with bloodied hands

hands clenched as animosity spews hollow words

hands scribing plans to capture the innocent

innocent relative to perspective

innocent holds meaning no longer

longer and longer these diatribes rage

longer and longer as reality shifts

shifts mark this new society

shifts as the world comes undone

undone no longer an option

undone left to linger forever

forever redefined in a place undefined

forever captured these fits of anger

anger once that which was acknowledged and released

anger now fuels bitterness as the masses gather

gather false victories meant to deadlock

gather the wicked around electronic cauldrons

cauldrons bubble and overflow

cauldrons fill with new black magic and curses

curses once reserved for dark places

curses now commonplace language

language holds power

language is power

power misused too easily

power misguided annihilates too many

many possess that poison pen

many might be tempted

tempted to succumb to a moment

tempted to embrace that weakness

weakness, the trait we share

weakness, the dark side of emotion

emotion

shared

 

 

photo: Vivian Maier

 

prompts: WordPress Daily Post, #PoemTrail, MLMM Wordle 190, Poetic Asides April PAD