Saturday, January 14, 2012

Dead Dictator

Professions of anguish, assertions of grief
Must mask the vacuum of your belief.
To save your own skin, to advance your career
You praise his false exploits and bow low to his bier.

You tell of his genius, you repeat all his lies
While ignoring the evidence of your own wary eyes.
His guidance impeccable – his opinion supreme:
A belly was full if he deigned to so deem.

So weep!  And bow low, to your dead dictator...
And pray you’ll survive to a saner later
When, taste on lips no longer bitter,
You’ll tell the truth on blog and Twitter.

Photo: Korean Central News Agency, showing the funeral of Kim Jong-Il
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12 comments:

  1. Ron ThompsonJanuary 17, 2012 at 3:07 PM

    Posted to dVerse Poets Open Link(http://dversepoets.com/2012/01/17/openlinknight-week-27/)on January 17/12.

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  2. Buddah MoskowitzJanuary 17, 2012 at 4:11 PM

    This was brilliant, I'd put you up in the ranks of Calvin Trillin for this! Excellent!

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  3. ClaudiaJanuary 17, 2012 at 4:50 PM

    great...i could say lots...but think i don't even start, otherwise your comment box will be too small to hold the comment...love that social media gives them opportunity to spread the truth...even though it's still difficult and they are brave when they do

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  4. Brian MillerJanuary 17, 2012 at 5:38 PM

    haha what you say open and what you say anonymously can be far between....did you see where they doctored the pics of the funerl...oh my...smiles.

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  5. Pat HattJanuary 17, 2012 at 8:04 PM

    LOL that last line was great. The truth and fiction always seems to be blurred.

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  6. TashtooJanuary 17, 2012 at 8:28 PM

    Ha! Honestly...you had me with the title, but these 100 words shout the power that is poetry. Hear these readers raise the cheer...I don't travel well with soapbox, so I'll refrain from the Tashtoo propaganda bandwagon...but I like what what your spittin'! :) Awesome!

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  7. Vernon Wildy, Jr.January 17, 2012 at 8:46 PM

    I felt the same way when I saw the TV coverage from Kim's funeral. Way to summarize those images.

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  8. Chris G.January 17, 2012 at 9:06 PM

    Oof - a blistering ode to recent events, and the ridiculous nature of propaganda. Great ending too - too bloody true.

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  9. Shashidhar SharmaJanuary 18, 2012 at 2:30 AM

    Smiles... the life and living in another country has a different taste than the others.. sometimes its all about perception... though I don't support people like that... but I do support the people who bow, because of their own personal needs and beliefs... and some times to just live...

    Shashi

    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/2012/01/whispers-haiku-on-how-i-write-poetry.html
    At twitter @VerseEveryDay

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  10. ~LJanuary 18, 2012 at 9:30 PM

    so good!!!!! I read through twice... and was in a deep awe... and then that list gave a little smile and then read it again... it all was perfect... reality... it's what we do!

    Great Poem
    ~L

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  11. UnknownJanuary 19, 2012 at 10:10 AM

    piercing expression...but with an eloquence in the flow and tempo you have created. Well penned ~ Rose

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  12. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2012 at 10:50 AM

    Loved it.....aamina. I read it thrice and absorbed something new every time,

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