Notes About The Poem
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Poem written for and submitted to “Darkside of Aquarius” poetry contest, Robert James Liquori, sponsor, August 28, 2025
RIDERS ON THE STORM - The Dark Side of Aquarius Poetry Contest
RIDERS ON THE STORM*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a storm gathers on the horizon,
bringing a reckoning long overdue~
the dharmic wheel’s broken,
mankind’s running out of time.
the storm ushers forth hell riders~
from the dark side of Aquarius
they arrive, not bearing water,
but a drought of empathy,
a famine of the soul.
the first, a shadow on wings of plenty,
a cornucopia of lies, spewing venom,
appears, dissolving truth, erasing the mark of decency~
the wind carrying the dust of what was,
into the hollows of what will be.
the dharmic wheel’s broken,
mankind’s running out of time.
The second, born of fire and brine,
a mirage shimmering on scorched earth,
plays a piper’s song of promised lands~
his honeyed words coat the bitter pill of tyranny,
the blackened tongues of lying leaders, chanting anthems of hate.
the dharmic wheel’s broken,
mankind’s running out of time.
The third descends, not on a pale horse,
but on a tide of discord,
teaching the brutal calculus of Cain~
brother against brother, man against man,
spilling man’s crimson seed on fields of hate.
the dharmic wheel’s broken,
mankind’s running out of time.
The fourth appears, eyes dilated,
pupils swallowing the light,
adrift on a chemical sea,
waiting for the acid rain to fall,
for the world to dissolve into broken promises.
He loiters, seeing the wars of ancient religious fools~
superstitious men clutching at shadows,
their gods demanding blood,
their scriptures twisted into weapons
of neon and steel.
But wait!
Across the still obsidian ocean,
on silver light he glides~
a solitary traveler arrives,
whispering hope, mending Dharma’s fractured spokes,
setting the Dharmic wheel in motion one more time.
*The title, "Riders in the Storm," is merely coincidence and not a reference to the Doors song with the same name.
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