The Big Mistake

Lost, in the world
   wandering through a wilderness of civilizations
   through the mutations of the wind
   through the black-and-white radiation of mistakes
   standing on our heads
Spinning into Kali Yuga

Nowhere left to hide
   except inside
Under the mountains
   with our buried ancestors

Into the underground
   supported by exhausted sleep
   of the unbalanced, deep
   unfettered stress
   duress
   illusions, delusions
   delirium
   insanity, profanity
   induced mirages
   holographic, psychedelic butterflies
   bridges built of uncharted skies
 made of the unreachable essence of seeds
 made of the geometric needs
   of the hearts of geodes
   fragmented into crystalline abodes
   into incomprehensible sounds
   singing, ringing, out of bounds
 made of the glass grounds
   of weathered, desert sands
   and rains of tektites
   falling from unbelievable heights
   zooming through yesterday
   witness to ten thousand extinction events
   and, collapses unavoidable, uncountable, insurmountable

Sing, oh fools, radiation flowing out of your mouths
Sing of yesterday's potential and today's folly
   swallowed by dollar signs and psycho-toxic medicine
   hysteria and estrogen
   microwaves, x-rays
   mutated microbes
   lobotomized frontal lobes
   and instant gratification
Fukushima is no longer in the future
Chernobyl is buried but not dead

Anxiety ringing the doorbell
Worry and flurry
Stressed out and full of furry
Scurry, baby, scurry, scurry
Insomnia eating every soul it reaches
What is it that it says?
What is it that it teaches?
How to rush into Travidium
   to wait for the monsoon on the beaches
   to wait for the end
   suspended on a wire rope
   stretched out taught and thin
   awake in an earthquake
   drown in a great lake
   lost in the great shake
   bitter is the heartbreak
Do you think this could be the big mistake?
What did you think it was going to take
To cut all the strings, and then everything's
Going away?

August 3, 2015

Reviews

[Ken Simm.]

I was brought you after reading and empathising with your remarks to one of Einstein Noodles poems 'Timothy Leary deary'. And I find a treasure trove.
I am reminded here of Jung's waking dream of falling through the depths of the world. There is so much more beyond the obvious and more than laudable arguement against the nuclear age. One I find a lot to agree with by the way.
The Kali Yuga is most definitely upon us. I like the way you troglodyte like disappear under the earth to perhaps seek for answers. Excellent word wizardry to describe the dystopian world we are inheriting or at least inheriting for our children.
A wonderful rich piece.

[Norman T]

Your portrayal of the dystopian view of modern progress brings home the dangers of scientific ego and profit
Everything these days seem to be tested to destruction in the guise of "research".Your use of short clipped lines emphasises this misplaced urgency.

[DirectTangent]

A bit of wizardry with words, here.
The message is, indeed unsettling. I think I'll go and put my head back in the sand as we seem to be encouraged to do.

You support a notion that it may have to be the artists who prod us to action - our leaders could not convey such an important message as this nearly as well, and that is a profound detriment for humanity.

There is a repetitiveness to the phrasing that is potent - pointing out some of our foolishness in an age of vice, and then the results -

stretched out taught and thin
awake in an earthquake
drown in a great lake
lost in the great shake
bitter is the heartbreak
Do you think this could be the big mistake?

The answer may well be that, yes, it is the big mistake. You expose our short-sighted motives, our frivolous pursuits. Complacency, you are a villainous adversary.

[alifeacoustic]

Poetry in every sense of the word. I loved the word play you use that seemed to dance off the page. A very vivid picture you paint. Thank you for sharing.

[MelissaAndres]

Very well written! As flawless human beings we are doing a great demise to our world, our environment and the other human beings around us - intentionally or unintentionally. What will our future be? What will the future be for our children, grandchildren and generations beyond? Good job!

[marcus]

Yes! Really amazing Lily!! I loved the format, and the message. Really enjoyed it!!

[Vishuddha]

Rats! I didn't want you to enjoy it! But, thanks - just in case what you really meant was well written.

[Avinash]

What we have done to our beautiful world. The thing which we call progress in pushing us close to our on destruction. At times those questions trouble me deep as well.

[Vishuddha]

I learned much about motherhood from my cat. She once gave birth to six kittens, purred and licked five of them and buried the sixth in the litter box. Horrified, I tried to rescue the rejected one only to find she was malformed and could not be saved, even by modern medicine or surgery. Perhaps the gods have similar judgments when they view a species which injures its mother as we have. Let us hope this is only a test, a wake up call and we take heed. We have so much potential and always the ability to learn and grow.

[andrew mitchell]

A profound write but we are all on a train to self destruction, just look at climate change! A well thought write Lily

[Vishuddha]

True. Each of us, individually, are moving forward toward our own end. As a species we have never been in this position before. One could argue the invention of the bow and arrow, the boomerang or the gun brought the threat of possible extinction but it would be a long stretch. A continuing radioactive event is quite a different matter and we are entirely responsible whereas, since parallel warming and cooling trends are recorded on Mars which has no human population it seems reasonable to assume our climate change is not due to anything we are doing.

[Rudi J.P. Lejaeghere]

I don't know if it's too late to go back, to turn around from the point we are now. You describe it so well and still there are pictures in it that are a warning for mankind, for our children. I hope it doesn't goes like this. Great poem, Lily. :) Rudi

[Vishuddha]

Since time moves in only one direction it appears we cannot go back although we do keep trying to invent that time machine thingy and we are awfully clever. Meanwhile, we are hopefully seeking other solutions. I worry that we may be ignoring the problem which is no way to solve it.

[Rudi J.P. Lejaeghere]

Indeed, you're so right, Lily. :)