Afraid of Our Fellow Man

We're as fake as the plastic melting under our skin

The collective imagination of a societal binge

Our beauty is a mask, a lie told to us by magazines

The product of industrial dreams, all fantastic schemes

We live in a Barbie Doll world, where we worship fake breasts

We lift weights at Gold's Gym while we pound our huge chests  

We know nothing of true beauty, under the façade of the Glossy

 Eight by Ten

 

We cover our blemishes and we can't even be comfortable in our own skin

We are infatuated with the surface, skin deep, lustful of the pretenses  

Our masks hide our vulnerabilities and our true intent

While reality is crumbling at our feet and we hide beneath a veneer of

A glossy face shot, the airbrushed images on the cover-girl-poster-boy-pin-up centerfold

   We've lost sight of the aged and the gifts they hold

Celebrities ride around in window tinted limousines, so they can't be seen but we're so pretty that we have to preen

 

The paparazzi all want the next shot for the next scandal but they airbrush that too

We are so busy believing the lies that we have become afraid of the truth

Camera's are as ubiquitous as grass and our privacy is all but laughable while our smiles aren't genuinely affable

We post pictures of ourselves on Facebook, yet our self esteem could use a second look

We talk each other up and beat each other down, but we're keeping it onehundred while hiding a frown

We've become fast paced and slow witted, we're breaking the seams that our families knitted

We place beauty on a pedestal and worship at its alter, but we fail to foster true beauty in our children and wonder why they falter

 

We listen to society and shun our parents, our role models have become degenerates

We allow our little girls to  dress like tramps and wear makeup and our little boys don't respect them and treat them like toys

And we wonder why they cut themselves  

We pay movie stars and football players millions so we can entertain ourselves

But we can't pay our teachers enough to educate the masses

yet it's okay to collect a check and sit on our asses

And our troops don't have the armor they need because of our self indulgent greed

We forget about the little guy as we climb the corporate ladder to survey the sky at the top

But when the s**t goes down, we can't pick up a mop

We won't lift a finger to lend a hand because we're so afraid of our fellow man

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Reviews

[Rita L. Sev]

Wow - you hit it all squarely on the head, Realmwriter. It is a sad state of affairs - and we don't even realize it... A well-written and provocative piece.

[realmwriter]

Thank you very much for the sentiment. I am one whom likes to squarely place misguided ideals in the faces of those that hold them as truths.

[Tate Morgan]

Real life is nothing like the fake sights and sounds of the paparazzi.But as you know many do the same on facebook and it is responsible for many of the suicides by children who feel their lives so inadequate compared to friends so sad isnt it . The truth is looks fade lives crash it is not what you have it is whether you can get back up when you fall thank you for this it screams truth 1

[realmwriter]

Thank you Tate. I really do appreciate that. Means a lot

[Briana O'Connor]

This is very deep, straight to the point and inspiring. This piece tells the brutal truth of today's world. I felt as if I was drowning in each word. The emotion left to room to falter and left a lasting impact. There were a few phrases that seemed to be less rhythmic than the rest. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed the read.

[realmwriter]

Might I ask to which phrases you refer? If I can I 'd like to make them more rhythmic to the rest of the piece, as I intend to do this as a spoken word slam.

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

You hit a home run with this poem! BRAVO! Loved that first line!

[realmwriter]

Thank you very much. Glad you liked it.

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

You are welcome!

[Ashira Macy]

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!!! This is my favorite piece that I have read by you so far my friend. Freaking amazing. Read like a slam or a rap, and definitely should be read out loud, otherwise you can't see just how brilliant the rhythm and rhyme is. We are so shallow nowadays, and we are raising our children with backwards morals. Everything about this poem speaks so much truth. I would much rather hear this on the radio than rap talking about "b*****s and a*s". Brilliance emanates from this.

[realmwriter]

I was going for a slam and I'm going to read it like that then post it here. I am so glad that you liked it. I can't stand the examples some people have set for their children and think that it is perfectly acceptable to live like that. No respect or knowledge of true beauty and that extends far beyond what we see on the outside. Thank you and you totally get it.

[TheLostMind]

I like this one. This one brings out the true colour of the society we live in. The third and fourth stanzas send out a really strong message. One thing which I noticed - you are concentrating more on "skin and make-up".

"But when the s**t goes down, we can't pick up a mop
We can't lift a finger to lend a hand because we so afraid of our fellow man". Quite true.

All in all, its a good write.

[realmwriter]

Because I find beauty to be so much more than what's on the surface I guess I put a lot of that in my poetry. Make-up need not be hat which defines beauty. To me a woman is beautiful without it. I mean, I like it but only as an enhancement to what is already there. To cake it on with a paint brush is, to me, more grotesque than what is being covered by the person wearing it. I'm glad you liked it and thank you so much for the thoughtful review.

[anne]

everything so truely penned....good job... :)

[realmwriter]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it.

[AprilRN1210]

You know I am a fan of your tell-it-like-it-is attitude and approach... there is so much truth in these words... I enjoyed this... it started strong and somewhere the rhymes fell off a little then picked back up, but I was so lost in the words, in the message that I didn't care... the flow of the second stanza was my favorite, felt like a "rap"... you should recite this one so can hear how it is supposed to be read... would enjoy that... few little things I noticed...



"We lift waits at Gold's Gym"... did you mean "weights?"

"We can't lift a finger to lend a hand because we so afraid of our fellow man"... did you mean "we're so afraid?"



overall really nice job... awesome message... delivered well.. :)

[realmwriter]

Typos and misspellings may very well be my undoing. I usually go back and edit right after I write so as to catch those but I was out of time and I couldn't do that. Thank you for pointing them out. I will go back and fix them. I'm glad you liked it. It is somewhat a rap I guess though I wasn't really thinking that as I wrote it. I was really thinking more like free verse, on the spot I guess. Still, glad you liked it.

[AprilRN1210]

hey, happens to all of us sir!... love it when someone catches mine--means they were paying attention :D
It is always a pleasure:)

[realmwriter]

I reworked a few lines and added a couple. I think the rhythm and rhyme work better. Let me know what you think.

[AprilRN1210]

It does flow Better and can't tell a big difference what was added or removed so well done! :)

[realmwriter]

Thank you. Good to know

[Jack Wolfe]

a lie told us by a magazine (I would insert 'to' to avoid hesitation).

You have a lot of repetitive words in close proximity to each other, which can work either for or against you, over use can create a run on jumbled feeling.

(Our) masks hide our vulnerabilities and (our) true intentions
(Our) reality is crumbling at (our) feet and we hide beneath a veneer of

Also 'We' glance down your left margin. though is doesn't distract from the overall meaning, it's best to throw in variations (just a suggestion for future writes).

I believe you and I share the same ideologies, as I agree with all your statements, and your final line really pulls this into perspective, because its true; our sociological endeavors are caused by US priorities take a back seat to what is pleasing, self-indulging, we've become a solo state of one, rather than a united front for the greater humanity. Thank you for pointing out these common truths.

[realmwriter]

Thank you for coming back to read it. And for pointing out some changes that I could make. I did insert "to" and then I took it out but as I read through it, I do hesitate just a fraction so I'm going to put it back in. I want to do this as a spoken word So I'm going to have to rehearse it many a time over before I can get it just right.
Thank you again my friend. I truly appreciate it.

[Jack Wolfe]

No problem, just suggestions.