Villanelle: Think of the trillions who have gone away unsung before us
Think of trillions who have gone away unsung before us
Think what they have left us without staking any claim
Yet the prophets we recall have all been thrust upon us
Those who used this world for their own petty purposes
Those who abused mankind to hoist their peoples’ name
Think of trillions who have gone away unsung before us
Think of the common grammars that underlie languages
Think of the basic numbers logic’s foundations contain
Yet the prophets we recall have all been thrust upon us
Think of hieroglyphs cuneiforms carved into papyruses
Think of the ideo-phonograms that alphabets disdain
Think of trillions who have gone away unsung before us
Think on all ancient thinkers from King Wen to Socrates
Then think on what has been proclaimed in God’s name
Yet the prophets we recall have all been thrust upon us
Think on what makes particular faiths amenable to races
And wonder if all Life’s simply not Somebody’s idle game
Think of trillions who have gone away unsung before us
Yet the prophets we recall have all been thrust upon us
© T. Wignesan – Paris, 2015
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