Godless

He was often at the market

Signing books that no-one read,

If they had, and known the target

Then they’d not be lying dead.

For the mystic glyph inscriptions

Pointed men towards their fate,

He would say, ‘You’d better read them

Or perhaps you’ll be too late.’

But he seemed so insignificant

They wouldn’t heed his words,

Threw his books in their collections

So they wouldn’t be disturbed.

For the few who really read them

Dived right in and turned the page,

Suffered instant palpitations that

Expressed themselves in rage.

Though they didn’t realise, he was

A god from outer space,

Who had come down with his minions

To save the human race,

But the human brain had limits that

Could not absorb much more,

Than the irritants that stimulate

And lead them off to war.

It came to pass that leaders heard,

Surrounded him with trucks,

And trying to suppress the word

They seized, and burned his books.

They didn’t want the people having

Knowledge, at the least,

That could interfere with politics

And might burst out in peace.

The dollar ruled that ammunition,

Bombs that could be lobbed,

And hand grenades, and tank displays

They all came down to jobs.

And so they closed the market down

To end the sale of books,

That warned about conscription, and

Aspiring army cooks.

And so the god from outer space

Climbed back in his machine,

He’d tried to help the human race,

The human race was mean.

He took on board his minions

And said, ‘It’s getting late,’

Engaged the afterburners and

Then left us to our fate.

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Tazeen Ahmed]

Prolific and wise poem.
Relatable- very few people actually read "holy books" that contain the message of God.
Ignorance is the root cause for wars.
"For the mystic glyph inscriptions
Pointed men towards their fate,
He would say, ‘You’d better read them
Or perhaps you’ll be too late.’"
I liked it.

[Tony Jordan]

The smartest creatures to walk the Earth can be pretty dumb at times. This reminded me of the film 'The Day The earth Stood Still' and who could forget the phrase 'Klaatu Barada Nikto' !!!
Superb piece David. You're the Faberge of rhyme!