Everyman

Sweet sweet serenity 

Is but a myth in this day and age 

For man has no sovereignty 

Only the need for strife and rage 

I gave him all the glory 

Handed on a silver plate 

But he found no satisfaction 

Distortion pervaded his face 

I gave man infinite power 

Of a hundred thousand gods 

He reigned until mortality 

Dismantled his cosmic facade 

So I then gave man immortality 

The potential to over live time 

But after the twelfth messiah 

Every minute and hour 

Made death a matter of prime 

He was begged for dominion at his feet 

But there's one thing he couldn't avoid 

Cause with all that man prevails 

He'll always feel an empty void

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I'm not sure I understand every aspect of your message, but what I'm getting is that God (or some other deity) is speaking to mankind, saying he tried giving this or that, but mankind is still messed up. This is actually a lot like I feel about humans in general . . . it really bugs me that there's such a need for strife & rage, so your first stanza sucked me right in & I was ready to hear this. I also feel your message contains some hidden lesson about how it isn't about getting MORE of anything, praying to God to fix this & give us that . . . rather, the more meaningful solution is left to the reader to grasp. You kinda say what's NOT working, but you seem to imply that your reader is astute enuf to see the answer in your portrayal of the problem. Reading a poem like this helps me try to understand nuanced messages better.

[Aphitenza]

The poem simply communicates the hopelessness of man, and the inevitable dissatisfaction of our current state in life and in general. The speaker is the higher power, who gives man the great power and resources that they wish for and ironically becomes a slave to man. And so it just shows that whatever we may posses, there will always be that void in us all that constantly wants more and more. Out of pure hopelessness I wrote the poem to say that we are malcontent beings and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.. It's the sad truth of the way we are...Thank you for reading and reviewing, your comment is really constructive.

[barleygirl]

Thanks for the added explanation . . . I especially liked your idea that the higher power becomes a slave to man . . . that's very original & thought-provoking, something I never imagined, but this is what makes for good writing, having a unique way of looking at things.