I Would Never Advise..... (1)

A narcissist to 'look in the mirror'
-either metaphorically or literally.

They might well be consumed
by their own appearance all over again.

The Hope Of Heaven

is nearly nothing to do with an eternity
where virtue is rewarded, or the certainty
of the punishment of vice.

Heaven is much more about the absence
of elections, where anxious leaders
seem prepared to do everything possible
to have their anxieties assuaged,
everything except for them to lead their countries.

Particularly when what they want done
they want done most to the public and their opposition.      

The Victories Of Tyrants

live on through the systems
built to advantage them,
politically materially and socially.
And also through guilt that corrodes
those who colluded with them,
against their free will and better judgement.

For Faster Breeding Futures

Plutocracy is to democracy
what plutonium is to renewable energy.
Both make life go faster than we expect,
but when they reach maximum momentum
both will also burn out and poison
what their sponsors meant them to support.

The Label Vs The Life

Mental health now comes with many more labels
than it did in the past, when it was a binary
and the divider that sustained both labels was fear.

Back then mental health was good or bad
and either way it had to be sufficient for the day.

But with the shiny new words come increased possibilities,
new choices of irresponsibility for ourselves and other people.

Thank You Mr de Tocqueville

for pointing out to me
how in any democracy
the great mass of people
will massage public opinion
until all contrary minority opinions
cannot be held with any credibility
within the pages of the popular press.

A Photograph

Photography is not a skill I am known for.
The number of times I have photographed my buddy
and chopped of his feet as I pressed the button is a joke
that has repeated itself far too often for our comfort.
Nonetheless I am proud to have captured this set of reflections
of a small statue in the double glazing of our local (perpetually closed) arts centre.