Evil Exists--Utopia Does Not

EVIL Exists; Utopia Does Not

		You may remember them--
		a wildly-diverse band of individuals--
		a strange ensemble comprised of 
		various races, age brackets,  
		backgrounds, and philosophies.
		By the mid-seventies the philosophies
		had been replaced with one mindset, that
		of a leader with irresistible power
		who compared himself to Jesus Christ.
		He banished societal norms some followers
		had brought with them, replacing them
		with his own. Many in this insulated
		community didn't seem to realize they 
		were not in the utopia they'd been promised.

		Now, close your eyes and try to see them--
                hundreds of them--parents, their many 
                children, friends, and lovers--lying close together,
		some with their arms around each other,
		looking so peaceful after partaking of
		Jim Jones's cyanide-laced fruit juice.

Guyana, South America, 1978, the Jonestown compound
909 dead--about one-third of them children
Jim Jones, one of the most notorious cult leaders of all times

written June 27, 2016, for Brian Davey's Evil Is Everywhere Contest
Copyright © | Year Posted 2016


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Date: 6/28/2016 11:48:00 AM
Hi Janice, your poem is very nice but sad, lots of powerful thoughts, but the form you have selected is not ghazal. Poetry soup has a good example for this style of poetry....Pashang
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Salehi Avatar
Pashang Salehi
Date: 6/29/2016 5:34:00 PM
I thought so, they are next to each other.....
Canerdy Avatar
Janice Canerdy
Date: 6/29/2016 12:51:00 PM
Pashang, I clicked on "ghazal" by mistake; I meant "free verse"! I have correct the error. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Janice
Date: 6/27/2016 8:01:00 PM
A very sad event, you have given this story a voice, loved this, A7!
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Canerdy Avatar
Janice Canerdy
Date: 6/27/2016 8:08:00 PM
Thank you so much, Arthur! I do love those 7's. Janice
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