Darkness descends upon the land
The evil deployed far & wide
return home to devour our flesh
Our enemies revel in our undoing
vengeful gods spewing discord in the wind
The brave are silenced & threatened with evil
teargassed & spirited away in the night
Who will save us from the hateful heart?
Who will save us from the faithful
holding onto false promises?
Who will save us from collaborators
bought with wealth & power?
Candles flickering in the darkness
guide our faltering steps
Sha'Tara said:
Poignant and powerful poetry, Rosaliene. With few and perfectly stated words it recognizes a national reality too few have yet to grasp, accept and learn to deal with without selling themselves to their national hubris. I must repeat though that what Americans have ignorantly, often willingly, allowed their empire to impose on the rest of the world during its heyday is now their legacy. You reap what you sow.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks for reading, Sha’Tara. We do, indeed, reap what we have sown. Our bitter harvest is now fully ripe.
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Sunshiny SA, Kavitha said:
I pray it dries and with it the promise of rebirth and renewal.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Kavitha, we the people of Earth are desperately in need of rebirth and renewal.
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drgeraldstein said:
The coin is in the air, but some of the winds blow fair. Keep the faith, Rosaliene. As the cliche goes, it is always darkest before the dawn.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Dr. Stein, may those winds grow ever stronger. I await the new dawn with an open and grateful heart ❤
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Rebecca Cuningham said:
I can’t make it all better, but perhaps together we can.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Rebecca, I see no other way. We’re in this together.
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Rebecca Cuningham said:
We are, and we’ve got a good team of smart, determined, dedicated people.
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Yeah, Another Blogger said:
Trump and his ilk are the worst. And there are plenty of them all over the world.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Neil, that makes the global scene even more dangerous.
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Sunshiny SA, Kavitha said:
Even here in SA, they exist 😔
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klmalcolm2014 said:
Beautiful and heartbreaking.
Hopefully, our better spirits will save us before it’s too late.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks, Kim. It is my hope, too ❤
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Mother Wintermoon said:
Powerful and heartrending. Standing in solidarity. Love, MW 🙏
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thank you, MW ❤
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Laleh Chini said:
Wonderful poem, very related to the world right now.❤️
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks, Laleh 🙂 I wish it could be different.
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Laleh Chini said:
Hopefully soon the world will come to peace.
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gb fragmented gumdrops said:
This poem speaks to my depression during this pandemic. I do not feel so alone. I wished we all were not struggling so much these days. Thank you for the amazing poem!
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
So glad you dropped by, GB 🙂 I’m learning that anxiety and depression are normal responses during our new reality. Failed leadership only serves to worsen the situation.
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gb fragmented gumdrops said:
Our leadership has, indeed failed. Instead of protecting us, they created a traumatic playground. The traumas of today are ongoing, so our anxiety and depression are normative responses to ongoing daily traumas. The trauma will eventually end, but until then, our bodies and minds are on high alert, in survival mode. Failed leadership both caused and worsened the situation. This pandemic was preventable. The failed leadership was widespread, global.
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gb fragmented gumdrops said:
Prayers and thoughts that you are comforted during this time. You have a big heart, and you deserve love and healing during this time.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
My heartfelt thanks ❤
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derrickjknight said:
Powerfully stated poetry
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
My thanks to you, Derrick. My daily virtual strolls through your garden helps to brighten my day 🙂
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derrickjknight said:
I’m pleased 🙂
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cath said:
Yes, even though one candle flickers, it can be enough to guide us. A beautiful poem, Rosaliene, nicely balanced.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks, Cath. At times, the poetic form is my only means of expressing what disturbs my mind. Let’s light more candles.
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Crystal Byers said:
I feel your emotion, Rosaliene. “Candles flickering in the darkness, guide our faltering steps.” That’s a beautiful ending. There is a glimmer of hope.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
So glad you dropped by, Crystal 🙂 There are lots of good people in our world who are doing good in the face of all the hate and violence. They give me hope that we will dispel this darkness that has descended upon us.
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JoAnna said:
“The brave are silenced & threatened with evil/ teargassed & spirited away in the night,” This is particularly frightening to me, and part of me doesn’t want to think about it too long. But your poem reminds me how real the darkness is. May candles flickering in the darkness be joined by the light of the moon and stars, fireflies and even lightening. May we hold the light up and somehow save ourselves from the darkness.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
JoAnna, what’s happening in Portland frightens me, too. The collapse of our Union would serve only our external enemies.
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JoAnna said:
True.
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DutchIl said:
Thank you for sharing!!.. hope all is well in your part of the universe…. 🙂
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do…” Pope John XXIII
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
So glad you dropped by, Dutch 🙂 The situation is not so good here in Los Angeles County, as in the rest of California. The resurgence of COVID-19 cases has meant a pulling back in reopening our businesses.
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Bumba said:
We will save ourselves! We will have to find it in us.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
I agree, Bumba, the future is in our hands.
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Chandra Lynn said:
Wow. Heavy, heavy truth-speaking. God, help us all!
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
So glad you dropped by, Chandra 🙂 We live in dark times. As you say, may God help us all.
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