the palette of colour.
earthy desire awash with rustic tinged passion, hues of emotions sketched, aflame with strokes of roses,
your lips, mine, tracing feelings deeply etched, autumn browns, winter charcoal,
infusing each breath hungrily, teasing out love from the palette of colour, a desire imbibed not by bright reds,
but by the wild swirls of abandoned flower beds.
on the precipice.
less than a hundred years ago, the most technologically advanced nation on earth fought two world wars.
in the second of which, a concerted, highly mechanised, and utterly ruthless campaign was orchestrated to kill every man, woman, and child of a specific religious group – 6 million souls perished in that barbaric attempt.
there were tens of millions of dead throughout the world at the end of that world war.
nuclear weapons were used for the first time to horrendous effect on the people of hiroshima and nagasaki – effects of which are being felt still.
all of this happened during a time of “progress” in the fields of science, technology, medicine, amongst other human endeavours that were hailed as great leaps forward for the human race.
the ideas of individuality were supressed by the rabid jingoism of nationalism and appeals to baser human emotions.
robust intellectual discourse was overshadowed by the instilling of fear of the “other”.
human beings were seen as fodder for the wars that were fought – both cold and military wars.
this idea of “us” and “them” on a grand scale persisted until less than thirty years ago, and it’s talons are sunk deep within the mindsets of many today.
there is the simplistic nature of political discourse that once again pits “us” versus “them”.
there is the maniacal jingoism that appeals to the very worst of human emotions.
the most powerful technology is being usurped by the powerful to keep the weak in “check”.
today, once again, appears to be the age of the demagogue.
the politics of hate and fear is being promulgated by the very powerful against the not-so powerful.
entire races of people are being made scapegoats, entire religions are being vilified, entire ways of life, and of loving are being branded as being “sinful”.
wars of aggression are being waged, human beings once again cannon fodder for the powerful.
people are living under the jackboot of oppression and occupation.
the obscenity of the accruing of personal wealth trumps the needs of the many.
following the two world wars that were fought less than a hundred years ago, the world came together and said “never again”.
the time is now for those two words to take on a new meaning.
never again!
Scribbled Verse 