Bent

All that is necessary for evil to win is for good people to do nothing

Bent

I see you

Your suggestive slant

The way you lean

Propped against the

Building of your lies

 

I see you

Your encroaching anger

The words and the thoughts

Behind your plaster gods

The wind between your teeth

Making you swell

 

I see your grab

Your insidious miracles

The way you paint

Your snake oil cure

A panacea for the downtrodden

Dressed in the rhetoric of tyranny

 

I see

And I do not believe

I will not wear your subtle chains

Or march for what you sell

As truth

 

I will wrap myself

In something greater

A freedom you will never see coming

And in the dust of your pitiful revolution

I will rise

 

-Zoe Richardson

Author's Note

Thank you for your time and your thoughts. Help yourself to the virtual candy on the table!

Reviews

[LostSage]

beautiful.... I get it.... I got stabbed in the heart with a poison knife...I think this is why us poem people write...to let the pain bleed out...from your always friend jeff...P.S. I know you well enough that you will disagree with my review.... so don't bother...have a sweet day sugar baby darling

[Zoe Richardson]

Actually, I don't disagree. It can be read that way. There's a lot going on in this poem. Is it political?Religious? A personal statement?[ What is important is what the reader brings to it, and what they take from it. Good poetry is deeply personal to both writer and reader, and contains many meanings.

[barleygirl]

Even tho the narrator of your poem appears to be describing "hot" characteristics (such as anger) about some "other" (who the poem describes) . . . I also read this as the narrator spewing a similar level of toxicity, which is a clever rendition to SHOW instead of tell, illustrating how divided sentiments between groups of people are often seen by each group as being traits possessed by some "other" (group), when casual observation reveals that all sides are stewing in the same toxic fomenting (((HUGS)))

[Zoe Richardson]

It can be read that way. It can be seen as a burst of anger, a reaction to a reaction. It's intent, though, is to be a personal statement. I will not be what anyone says I must. I will think for myself, say what I want, and I will not give in. I like to think of it as lighting a candle, and cursing the darkness. Because you can do both. Thank you so much for your insightful and thoughtful review. You always contribute something beautiful!

[Fran Marie]

Good for you Zoe..always
march to the beat of your
own drum..i like the way you
wrote this .. Independently
free .. well done

[Chris Shaw]

You see right through this person, group or maybe it's a religion. Bent is a strong title. Whatever, the wool isn't being pulled over your eyes. You aren't going to be sucked in to something you don't believe in. Shows a strong mind, someone unafraid to do their own thing. A leader, not a follower. Thanks for posting.

Chris

[Zoe Richardson]

How wise you are! It is a declaration of independence. When you have been controlled, you cherish freedom. Thank you for your kind comments!

[SirEdwinSantosIII]

Well there's a great deal of angst here.

[Zoe Richardson]

I wouldn't call it angst. Rebellion, maybe? I have lived my adult life under the control and abuse of men who sought to suppress my fire and my freedom. Individual liberty and personal freedom mean everything to me, for very personal reasons. I thank you for your comments, and your time. They are appreciated.