Thus I Wrote

One to the east
And one to the west
The world spins
On some new quest
Things fall apart
The centre can’t hold

America is lost
Broken in two
Republican selfishness
Breaking anew
Things fall apart
The centre can’t hold

China arises
From its slumber
Values are questionable
But can’t ignore numbers
Things fall apart
The centre can’t hold

Europe straining
Between two poles
Holding centre values
Taking its toll
Things fall apart
The centre can’t hold

Britain a wrecking ball
Breaking away
A barking dog following
Republican America
Things fall apart
The centre can’t hold

100 years ago
Similar words were said
As wars ravaged
And many were dead
Are we turning into
New conflicts to behold
Things fall apart
The centre can’t hold

There appears to be
No clear right or wrong
There is weak
& there is strong

There appears to be
No agreed perspective
Only effective
And ineffective

Some use the law
Or some wise insight
Some have to break things
To relearn it’s not right

And so boundaries
Are pushed on until
Another pushes back
With strength and will

And so lessons are learned
An agreed perspective
Over what is effective
And ineffective

They have no shame
Because they are taught to be so
Fair play is for the many
A controlling show

They have no boundaries
No rules they follow
Under their act
Inside they are hollow.

Norms and convention
Are no shackles for them
Decency and humanity
They abuse again

Holding power is all
Using any culture war
They keep friends near
And others far

They hide in plain sight
They are a rich elite
They blame others
To distract from this deceit

There’s a fall
In democracy
There’s a rise
In autocracy
I look to the future
But it’s closed to me

We’ve grown
To 8 Billion strong
Doubled in 50 years
That’s not long
I grew in that time
But I’m only one

Relatively it’s been
A season of creation
A spring after winter
Such co-operation
But this can change
Winter lurks in rotation

I’m on an island
Disconnected
But I see us evolve
Through chaos & time

To changing perceptions
Of new truths
Of new values
Of a new effective

We compete
Upon foundations
Of our culture
Hidden & taken for granted

I fear a crack
In the foundations
Of our culture
Hidden & taken for granted

There is no agreed meaning to life…
There is a void.

There is no agreed measure
No agreed target
No agreed acceptable end…
There is a void.

It is left to us
To create our own meaning…
To try to fill the void.

The pursuit of growth
Of wealth, of power
Became a dominant meaning
Within our culture.
Those who have want more
Those who have not aspire…
To try to fill the void.

Over millennia, humankind evolved
To cover the earth
Until certain European countries
Acquired power & wealth
By colonisation of peoples
By breaking their resistance
Through efficient
Killing from a distance…
To try to fill the void.

Religion and science were used by the powerful
To enable and justify the genocide.
Laws were created to control the weak
Whilst the powerful lied
To grow and maintain their privilege
And so the wealth of other civilisations was pillaged…
To try to fill the void.

To colonise the rest of America
American colonists went on
Through genocide and theft
Of the indigenous population.
So also in Africa
So also in Australia…
All trying to fill the void.

In the 20th century WW1, WW2,
Some recognition of what was lost
Lions led by donkeys
Hiroshima & the Holocaust,
Trying to fill the void.

From a distance,
Living standards have increased
Humanity has evolved
Violence has decreased
But dark actions of the past are hiding
Under the veil of progress.
Were those civilisations given a choice?
In how we reached such progress?
Could we have chosen a different path
To reach such progress?
Did they share equally
In the benefits of such progress?
All countries, peoples and tribes
Want the freedom to choose
Their own unique way
To fill the void.

Those once persecuted
May persecute in time
See the Middle East
Israel & Palestine
We humans have good
But also bad inside
We must find better ways
To fill the void.

Is it all just
Communication now?
Is it all just
A soundbite now?
Put lipstick on a pig
and present it as a cow?

Is it all for one
To win the game now?
Is it all for one
To win the league now?
While those for all
Don’t reap what they sow?

Would society succeed
If we did not care?
Would society succeed
If we did not share?
Do enough people
consider it fair?

I believed the best ideas should win
The best people should be ruling
But they don’t want change

I listen to them, I try to talk to them
But it’s only lies or jokes from them
Cos they don’t want change

They distract with Nationalism
They abuse with Patriotism
‘Cos they don’t want change

They multiply culture wars
To divide into different parts
For subtraction & distraction
Cos they don’t want change

Free assembly suppression
Free speech oppression
Slogans with lies
And speeches with noise
They don’t want change

They hide their power
Add money by the hour
Hold statues of wealth
Above equality & health
They don’t want change

Gotta fight power
Gotta take power
Gotta win power
This world must change

It’s the sound you hear
That of crashing glass
From your broken bubble
Will this too now pass?

The cold winds of change
The harsh winds of hate
Now threaten your world view
And threaten your fate

With ugly, ignorant intensity
Empty vessels make much sound
Many float on hot, false hopes
I stay lonely on the ground

I speak those shallow empty words
Filled with so many lies, I sound absurd
But I accept no responsibility
I use insults and I use attacks as news
As clickbait in social media that I use
I pollute everything with incivility

I’ve undermined what experts say
The rule of law is now my prey
I’m your prophet, listen only to me
I call it fake media and I call it fake news
Cos I wanna own your reality too
I’m your prophet, listen only to me

Have faith, blind faith in me
Have trust, blind trust in me,
I wanna be your reality
Have faith, blind faith in me

My lies keep you divided and confused
I’ve hidden real problems with that ruse
I’m so full of ignorant intensity
I’ve defeated those with passionate conviction
Who used foolish truth instead of fiction
And I don’t care about inequality

Have faith, blind faith in me
Have trust, blind trust in me,
I wanna be your reality
Have faith, blind faith in me