Poison and Beauty
©2020 Paul Read
In a world pulsing with
Poisons, abusive self interest
And colossal self-destructive
Ignorance
Pretense
And nonsense
Unsurpassed beauty may be found
not just in spring gardens.
And not just in the museums of Paris
Or jazz clubs in New York or Toronto
Or films at Sundance or Cannes
Or concert halls in West Palm Beach or Vienna
Or in the theatres of London
But in the love of family
The words of prophets and philosophers
The discoveries of scientists who
Search the microcosmic and the cosmic
For truths to trust
And shine a light
That scares the bejeezus out of the cockroaches
Who pretend to have our interests at heart.
Why land on Mars?
Why practice hours a day and play for the door
When they can just as easily pay 170 bucks and watch
Billionaires do next to impossible things on ballfields and courts
Or maybe less
To feel the heart and pulse of 19th century masterpieces composed
And played by
Musicians
working for paltry pittances
Or painters or models posing for promises unkept.
Why squander resources on Super Bowl ads
To entertain the Culturally Starved masses and
Get them to vote for you so you can poison the air
With lies
All the while
Hating those you supposedly serve.
Who the hell wrote All the Things You Are?
What the hell is the name of ONE concentration camp
Poisoning and incinerating people
For no unearthly reason
You mean like the billionaires who try to poison us with obfuscation
Who set the traps with cheeses of misinformation?
We will survive
But, in 1000 years there will still be poison
and also beauty
And HOPE
In the Gardens of Spring
The galleries of Manhattan
The jazz clubs and theatres
and
The discoveries of galaxies and microcosms
and
We persist.
PR
March, 2020