by Lavinya Celly
For my first poem in LDD, I would like to share my recent thoughts on our current world events. I am best with my words through forms of literature, and this post shall be the same. Months ago, I had the honour of winning the Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition with my poem, Judgement Day. Today, as I observe challenging global events, I am reminded of how the themes within this poem resonate more profoundly than ever. This poem speaks to a quote by Loretta Scott King, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate acts of its members.”
Although I wrote it at a different time, a time less harsh than today, its message is timeless and particularly pertinent in our current context. I hope for my words to inspire reflection and action towards a kinder world. It is my belief that we can always be kinder than yesterday.
Judgement Day
Queue a rock: perfectly crafted by divine
And the blossom of birds and cherries and trees
Admiring His work, He goes and lays down where
The wood drake rests in a mint-like glee.
The mighty margay feeds fated ferrets by the shore
While He comes into peace of His wild wonders
Content with His creation, He beams at His little world
And adds bounties of sculptures and numbers and colours.
With a swift scrutiny of suddenness, He gazes at this all
And muses over the missingness of this gigantic globe
His eyes shimmer with solution and He sets to work
To make His own miniatures, and finish His humble abode.
Robing His veil, He bids farewell to His children
And apprises them to hold each other in dear
For they were a family who was to look after His realm
And quick for his word, he winged away with career.
Quick into rising action: The children attempted to impart his virtue
Then they ruptured their bond and pierced each others’ souls
The cascade of agonies was so loud that it reached all the way up
That the Very Embodiment of Tolerance almost lost His control.
Descending to Earth, He boomed in rage in the manuals: “To succour your own afflictions, you must concur to be kind Each human heart inspires the other, so don’t trigger a domino To live together is to enlarge the close contracted mind.”
But as some things go, children refuse to listen sometimes The Very Virtue’s own creation refrains from acts of honesty They go against the very Creator they so highly praise And are walking conflictions of greed— the highest act of hypocrisy.
Their mutual fear had brought peace for somewhile
Until individual desires were sowed and released
The downfall was spread, and its baits were in waiting But their selfish love had only kept increasing.
Now He sat down with holy troubles
For it was the darkest hour in their history
He watered the ground with His novel tears
And now insert: the very awaited climax of this story.
The children never missed a chance to sabotage
Impose selfish rules to strangulate and muffle,
And invade others who were feeble
And make celebrations at bloodshed and scuffle.
He frowned as He recited His repeated recitals in mind: “This is the still sad music of my humanity
I have chastened and subdued my own creation
Nor my fault, nor my merit, though I feel ample guilty.”
“Their strength was never estimated by bills or bread Or industries or idealistic investments
Where are their robots and reinforcements now
When all there is left is human hearts and fragments?”
“And I have never felt this for my other children:
My round ocean and singing air and crystal skies;
But in the human intellect: there was a certain distinct spirit That was the reason why my children died.”
“I failed to make their conceited souls realise
Of the wars that were going on where their spirit meets I failed to tell them of what no ears have ever heard, I failed to show them what no eyes have ever seen.”
“Even their name is a shameless melody of irony For these Humans are the least human creatures I’ve ever seen Tell me: what wonders rise, what charms unfold When there was never any compassion in those eyes?”
Le Dragon Déchaîné 