Ahellas Alixopulos Poet Free verse

Fear

In the fifties leaders told
an innocent trusting
populace
to duck and cover.

Years later they felt
so foolish
for the easy way
they let their fears
be strummed.

It had worked so well
that with ignorance
and forgetfulness that goes 
with time,
and the arrogance that goes
with power,
and a populace drained
of will,
and hyped by televised fears,
many rushed out to buy
duct tape.

Now in a land
birthed in religious freedom
we argued over mosques
while desperate matters
are left unresolved.

Somewhere in this land
a jackass is braying.

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Lee Brownlee January 16, 2016 at 9:44 PM Political pieces are so hard to write as the reader won't always agree. That said, I think this is a well-written piece. Although it appears you are saying that people's fears are hyped, not justified. Interesting point of view. Enjoyed the read.

Gerard Keogh Jr. January 16, 2016 at 11:28 AM You have a viewpoint here and a moral point of view; but it ends too quickly. You need to expand the last verse into the same cadence that you had in the first three stanzas. You have set up the reader and then it comes to an end too abruptly. "Now in a land..." needs to be augmented with more versus/stanzas before the jackass line can have any sting. It needs more balance on the back end. Regards, Gerard

Brian Davey January 16, 2016 at 12:10 AM Awesome you captured it all in just a few lines, sarcastic, witty, and very true.. Well done

Frank Black Blacharczyk January 15, 2016 at 10:25 AM 'Religious freedom..' nice sarcasm seems just for the chosen few... well written

Daniel Turner January 14, 2016 at 4:33 PM I too am disenchanted with the status quo and think perhaps the jackass has been braying for quite a while now. When will we learn. Excellent poem

Ralph Sergi January 14, 2016 at 3:34 PM Hi Ahellas: you really epitomized our sign of the times in such an awesome satire. My compliments!

Kelli White January 14, 2016 at 12:35 PM So sad that wealth and power and greed are in fact a new breed death to those of love and peace and kind of soul. Where will people be. Powerful write

Funom Makama June 11, 2012 at 4:12 AM This is great... I really enjoyed it. Nice to get such a blessing in such a beautiful monday afternoon.

Dr.Ram Mehta September 1, 2010 at 5:22 AM Nicely worded theme of fear, ahellas

Wayne Sapp August 31, 2010 at 5:29 PM How very true! We have a common enemy, that being wealth and power, and we allow ourselves to be duped into fighting each other instead over minutia.