Zeitgeist

competing cousins, interbreeding homo-sapiens
  hominins humming mostly human song
  altruistic generalisers, ever close to dying ways
  opportunistic, never staying long

  self-aware, inquisitive, enlarging brains, empathising
  real representative intelligence
  modelling worlds beyond, longing for more joy than pain
  purpose transcending dumb irrelevance

  climate driven, hunter-gathered along extinction's edge
  numbers cusping, shifting on tomorrow
  ritual farewells, early-taken ones, skyward elders
  starry hunting grounds rewarding sorrow

  cosy continuity cuddling, rebirth, warming shelter
  displaying awesome memory art
  collectivising food, possessions and skills, knowledge sharing
  automated roles each knowing their part

  shaping shadows flicker, the wind mimicking coming dread
  the stalking others, encroaching unknown
  external threats part-placated by soothing fateful hands
  therapy of rarely being alone

  living life on the moving margin, populations prescribed
  unfolding or sudden catastrophe
  developmental phase, contributing key strands of zeitgeist
  less full-stopping, much more apostrophe

  time to pause, to look around, neolithic revolution
  surplus farming, settlement sustaining
  people multiplying, specialising, militarising
  monarchy, lords, chieftains, priests ordaining

  pictures depicting, symbols inscribing image and thought
  mathematical logic, written word
  probing reality, codifying behaviour and rules
  enlisting wrath of gods to be incurred

  fear underpinning earthly and heavenly hierarchy
  enforcement of body, quelling of mind
  forgiveness of sins, guilt progressing on backs of many meek
  advancement of soldiering, warring kind

  exciters of opulence with little worldly trickle-down
  forms of fiendish felony emerging
  inheritance and justice pausing until after demise
  godly inquisitions, devil-purging

  slaughter of innocence in the false name of omnipotence
  persons enslaved for pleasure, power and trade
  empires extended by blowing sail and the march of armies
  proxy potentates privilege-played

  territory scaling up, alliances, subjugation
  life, death, glory in name of nation state
  early multi-million holocaust, slavers shipping plantation souls
  wealth, invention, landed-gentry estate

  god-favoured powerful tribes, attributing superiority
  homing-in on surface racial features
  subservient others, inferior womenkind, sexual norms
  missions inculcating pagan creatures

  more surviving than dying, zeitgeist precariously perched
  industrialisation ramping-up
  march of ideas, science, technology, the ascent of man
  women just visible in filling-cup

  ambitious families seeking to maintain, extend their hold
  recruiting sergeant, " your country needs you "
  trenches dug, troopers gassed, bombed and mown-down
  stench of zeitgeist as your army feeds you

  unintended consequences, the second modern holocaust
  empire's horror, humiliation's breath
  evil crawling into view from crevasses of twisted minds
  the grim industrial chambers of death

  diving downwards into dark pits of civilian descent
  fire-storm blitzing, children nowhere to hide
  atomic flash, brilliant glowing souls, justified for greater good
  skin-stripped napalm kids, grinning genocide

  wings of progress furiously flapping against thinning air
  barely ascending nearby mountain peaks
  rockets city-pointing, collateral stand-byers bartered
  avoidable death as the drone-eye seeks

  positive news, millions uplifting from disease and hunger
  others migrating not accepting fate
  entry deniers spotlighting needs of alternative lands
  these are our people who are at the gate

  united nations evolving, space-station orbiting hope
  information age informing the young
  power balance shifting away from old orders of might
  zeitgeist composing new songs to be sung

  delicate blue orb demanding international review
  disrespecting boundary border-blocks
  sovereignty sharing, globalising, near-space investment
  focusing on ecological stocks

  still humming hominin song, much human wisdom required
  beware viral spread, zeitgeist retreating
  return to greatness, narrowing national interest
  hooligan fakers, planet reheating
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

A comment has not been posted for this poem. Encourage a poet by being the first to comment.