Infantile Empathy

 

They laugh in bad taste
at the crashed aeroplane,
because they weren’t on it

in celebration of life.

They praise comedian bravery
tackling third-world starvation
and machine gunners who come
for no reason, except your house
is on the wrong side of town

to show gratitude.

They stifle giggles at funerals -
the mind's fleeting obscurities that can’t
be helped - and help themselves
to more sausage rolls

because they care too much.

They read about the babies:
strangled on their own life
lines; in pushchairs, then suddenly
not; in cradles wired up to dynamite;
babies born with half a heart…and if you
make a joke, they tut and say,
“Have a heart."

"It’s not funny. That poor baby.”

You remind them of the babies
on planes and far-off continents,
who died before their time;
the tiny coffins

and suddenly it’s all different.

I don’t understand.

 

Author's Note

Does my message get across ok? I'm trying to make a point about adult life being undervalued.
Let me know what you think of this, and any suggestions for improvement.
Thanks.

Reviews

[Samith Pich]

*helping himself to a sausage roll*

i really liked the non-preachyness of this poem and that it possesses a lovely rythym in it, and the sombreness of the poem works well to further contrast our own element to laugh and stifle giggles.

In my barely qualified but over-stimulated opinion I think you need some more work on the baby stanza, seems a bit messy for a baby stanza (excuse the pun). And I think you actually don't need the stanza after poor baby and the last line. I think it could convey the same message but obviously be not as spelt out - so it reads like:

Then they read about babies -
strangled on their own life,
in pushchairs, or crying in cradles
wired up to dynamite;
babies born with half a heart�
and if you make a joke they tut and say,
"Have a heart."

"It's not funny. That poor baby."

Suddenly it's all different?


Not sure if it works as well, could use more 'strength'.

Thanks for sharing my socially conscious friend!

[Wulfstan Crumble]

Yeah the message gets across. It seems to have heaps of sarcasm early on aimed at the cold-hearted people who laugh so. But at the end you rightfully scold them with a well chosen tone. It is sickening to think of people being like that. Are they deadened to the costs of death? the emotional and spiritual costs to the living or the very real consequences to those who die? Doubt it. People caught up in the now, in hedonism do not care so much, it seems. Lastly, it reminded me of the lovely Justice Minister of Japan who said that Japanese typically value life more than foreigners, if that wasnt funny enough to anyone who knows Japan, then he said that their high value for life was the reason they executed criminals.

[F. Nazarov]

I understand, children are always the primary focus. Now I understand they are the future , but it seems like the older you get the less your life is valued. They would rather save the children than you because its a child. I don't understand why it's so different either, everyone should be equal as I consider everyone to be, despite the fact if you are a child or an adult. Society needs to go trip on a rock, yes I said it.
I'm not even sure if any I just said is even relevant to this piece, but I still liked it.

This is a very good piece because there's alot of sort of half oxymorons depending on how you interpret it- I get the contrast of value of child and adult life and there's a quite vivid, bitter sarcasm underneath it ("have a heart") that i think is trying to bring about a sense of how ignorant people can be? Maybe I'm totally off the point, but even if I've totally misinterpreted it- i like it :) it makes sense in my head either way! and it's also clear that you take a great deal of care and detailed thought with your writing which is always a delight to see- so keep it up and il keep coming back to read!:) xx

[Melanie Jane Boicourt S..]

I think I understand what you are getting at. Where are you from by the way. I can almost hear your accent through your words. I love that.
Love All, Mejasha

[Candle in the wind]

Your note makes that clear otherwise I would have concentrated on the insensitivity that we have to deal with specially when we are sticken.The stifled giggles at funerals is a very vivid image and msot macabre.

[Tai Chi Italy]

I think what you are trying to say here, is that we have not given our children the empathy required to feel for someone elses despair. I know what you mean, every other word from a lot of teenagers mouths in this country is laced with irony....they think we adults have given up valuing life because of the way our leaders destroy life on a whim, so why should they care? A thought provoking write, it needs a little editing to make it read more fluidly, otherwise a good write....Understanding is Our Key, lets hope we use it! Smiling again, Tai