Andrew John Poet Free verse

Schadenfreude

That wind so wild can cause those wooden limbs
to shake from side to side as though to slap a face.
It is worth watching through your window
feeling the weird warmth within, while witnessing
another's violence, as viewing a movie.
How vain do you feel inside
seeing the outside wind and rain?

Have you watched a ring fight,
heard the punches with leathern fists
on a face that takes chastisement
that you and your fellows cannot feel
on your own flesh, without or within?

Have you seen or known of the past
of rockets, guns, arrows, swords, spears, pain, death,
been sheltered by your country, your land, your home,
felt warmed, protected, on your flesh, in your core?

And how did your ancestors watch and hear
an agonising burning at the stake or crucifixion?
How unworldly is that hideous view
that can of course, from such a small distance,
generate a weird warmth within.


(April 2022)

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Andrea Dietrich April 23, 2022 at 10:37 AM a very interesting theme. I sometimes think about it. How we as humans do not have the capacity to even imagine others' torture unless we can feel it for ourselves. Maybe this is why God gives us physical ailments so that we at least can learn empathy for others. As society it's so strange how we are drawn to movies about brutality. I prefer pyschological type movies. Andrew John April 26, 2022 at 2:40 AM Thank you for this. The third stanza is new. Needed something else, so wrote that this morning. I hope you find it acceptable. I think we needed something to link modern-ish fist fights to executions way back in the past. Anything wrong with it, or does it read OK with you?