A Tale of One City Over Time

[theirishsea]

A Tale Of One City Over Time

though always savage
the knives, bombs
beneath the silk, top hats
the Victorian chatter
and the old priest mumbling in his breviary
there was that veneer
that politeness
a man giving his chair to a Lady
and not with any sexual hope
just the convention of respect
he and his tails would remove to a corner
hands folded behind his back
posture braced
and he and the Lady
certainly unmindful of the man
except the respect for a gentleman
as the chamber players
readied their violins, flute

for many decades now
all pretense has been swept from the table
an arm sweeping the silverware to the floor
the style of eating medieval
the conversations peppered with the impolite
the fuck you's, the shit and "this wine tastes like piss"
and many a gesture the middle finger
and the laughter
such that humanity looks like Da Vinci caricatures
the jaws, the boiling eyes
oh life is a B movie
and the imagination is not spared any gore
the animals leap across a table
taking the whore to the floor

oh the police
that conscience of a city, a civilization gone amuck
the heavy-handed skull crackers
keep the riff raff down
tamp down the dust the shitheads make
the man of Gawd yelling his blood-vessel gorged face off
the businessman hiring armed guards
it is just that the gentry have better weapons, more ammunition
to win skirmishes
the police, with shields, batons, tear gas
sweep the street of the crazed

I think
just an opinion
life was better when being a hypocrite
was in fashion
at least the children had models

[Arcadia]

I think
just an opinion
life was better when being a hypocrite
was in fashion
at least the children had models

yeah, we are not sure of what we are eating anymore...! gracias for sharing the poem, theirishsea!

[stilltrucking]

a tale of two times
the worst of times
after us the savage god

I liked your poem, just riffin on it
thank you for posting