Poison and Beauty

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 19^th 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.

March, 2020