he should never have been allowed to rise again.
And yet we, as a supposed decent people, have failed again — unimaginably!
The war to dismantle America began without a single shot — and we’re losing.
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Cruel Sun” by: rob kistner © 2/15/24
Vivid
in this waking dream
this nightmare
I see shapes of faces
scabbed unsmiling lips
their void curve
denounce this time
they’re escaping the scald
fleeing the cruel sun
as fate is dancin’
broken in the moonlight
the victimized
yet unseen
blackened and charred
by the agenda
of this abomination
this cruel sun
they bemoan
their soul’s duality
realizing
the divergent reality
through which
their truth
stumbles blind
to move in the world
rough as a rope
taut as every false promise made
frayed as feigned wisdom
leaned in
whispered from behind
obscured by the backhand
I reach
to grab at time
like dropped money
ever more precious
doing so
I feel the shiver
the sad imbalance
it’s a confliction
in the omnisoul
in my soul
so
I’ll practice non-attachment
because I can
knowing
I must
in this time
and observe
the lonely lost
who’ve trapped their truth
in dreams
locked in a wired cage
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Caged Dreams”
by: rob kistner © 2/15/24
wholly removed
indifferent
but still
pieces of me
of my sorrow
stick to them
to whomever
gets too close
you may have seen me
sobbing
silhouetted against the sky
that coldest night in November
cowering
under the frozen moon
then that moon and I
sought to escape
running down corridors of time
from genuine memory
through illusion
hiding from the devious
cruel sun
the whole world
close enough to touch
yet distant
distracted
past false truth
past illusion
past hypocrisy
past monomaniacal delusion
heaped and layered
thick and deep
oh please
peel back
these poisoned layers
peel them away
to clear the way
for a clean
quivering soul
uncertain
but imbued with
curiosity for possibility
because these stale
cutting thoughts
infect my thoughts
making them too pressing
too heavy to hold
or chew
or swallow
or lug
in this massive bag
of regret
my thoughts
my madness
spawned in the bone-white lies
of morality plays
immorality plays
mortality plays
I will play a dirge
sing a bittersweet song
as we come together
as we join
to peel back
all these noxious layers
these brackish
thought
layers
held fast and firm
by this oppressive
cruel sun
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Oh Horrors”
by: rob kistner © 11/8/24
seared into my soul
by that caustic smile
that baboonish grin
that devious faux smile
that sours to bitter
in the brittle grey
that settles
like a shroud
through the overcast
in these dark days
a brandished
weaponized smile
a lethal smile
his radar eyes
scan the forgotten creases
and clandestine getaways
in our minds
squelching our truth
standing over
he looks down
icy eye’d
he sees my scabbed lips
cracked and dry
“cruel sun gotcha”
he smirks
with lethal contempt
let us all cry out
“no more”
let us rip away
this venom
this lethal virus
this heartless evil
so that a new dawn
a new sun will rise
spread its light
and warm our hearts
with the radiance of rebirth
let enlightenment rain
let love pour down
drown this cruel sun
and rekindle the flame of hope
or perhaps a brave savior
wielding the lightning
to solve this blight
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Flame of Hope”
by: rob kistner © 2/15/24
*
rob kistner © 2021-2024
Poetry at: dVerse
A dramatic shift in how conflicts now unfold has successfully occurred. Rather than relying on traditional military might, nations and groups now effectively leverage the power of information, ideas, and technology to shape public opinion, influence political outcomes, and create division. This type of conflict—often described as “information warfare”—involves the strategic use of propaganda, misinformation, and blatant lies, supported by clever cyber tactics to undermine traditionally strong societies from within.
In an interconnected world where people get their information online, the battle for hearts and minds now takes place in virtual spaces. Cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, and the manipulation of social media to stir mistrust and dread, while disrupting economies, weakening trust in institutions, and sowing discord among citizens. These tools are as powerful as, if not more so than, physical weapons, especially when they influence the very fabric of a society’s beliefs and values. World War III is upon us, being waged with weapons more devious and destructive than military. WAKE UP!
You have really put some thought into this one, Rob. Unless something happens, we won’t have much to choose from this election. But then again, anything could happen between now an then!
Well done.
This poured forth from hearing this diabolical fool spewing his misbegotten bullshit once again. It was essentially stream of consciousness that requires a reread on my part, and a minor bit of editing, which I will attend to tomorrow.
“let us rip away
this venom
this lethal virus
this heartless evil
so that a new dawn
a new sun will rise”
Yes! This is such a powerful, powerful poem Rob!
Thank you Sanaa… 🙂
One Hundred Percent with you. He’s such a smear on the landscape of America. A zit that needs popped. A fool that needs banishment. “Peel back these poisoned layers.” Ugh what is wrong with people that the poison goes unheeded? I’m often reminded of the Hitler years, his early rise and what happened with the German people. Let it not happen here.
It’s frightening Yvonne… 😐
He is toxic, and so are all those who support him. I fear what will happen if ANY Republican (as in if he dies) gets elected because that agenda is in place–the fall of our democracy.
It’s frightening Merril… 😐
I must say I fear the world will spiral down so much faster….
It’s frightening Björn… 😐
And now, alas we know that people preferred to dance around the golden calf to anything else the scripture promised…
As I heard: The sermon of the mount can no longer be preached as it is too woke.
You in your lifetime, will witness the final dismantlement and fall of a bold social experiment, succumbed to human greed and ignorance. As the american educational system slowly degraded in this country, so did the functional presence of logical thought. In 77 years I have never been embarrassed to be an American. well… it was a great run. Now we are led by a spoiled bigoted racist high school kid, who has bullied and lied his way, wholly unprepared to lead the decent and aware. Things will strain to a breaking point within 24-30 months. Curious to see what breaks. If there truly are decent humans left in this country, I think I know what will finally snap!
DETACH DETACH! I scream it to myself hoping to embed it in my psyche. Alas, it is not possible for “IT” permeates every fibre of my being, and the collective being. He is real. This is real. We cannot escape it. Even if sanity prevails come November, we in so many ways are doomed.
The ugly venomous genie is now out of the bottle, and there is no putting it back. The insidiousness has grown beyond the monster. I wonder how long this destruction of our democracy has been planned, and who really is the architect. This is much like the seed of evil that was planted in Munich in 1920, being mirrored here in our country a century later. Despicable and deadly dangerous.
I don’t live in the USA and I dreaded a return to Trumpism. You’ve captured his poison in this poem, Rob, so well that it gave me palpitations. These lines are particularly evocative:
‘to move in the world
rough as a rope
taut as every false promise made’
and the phrase ‘monomaniacal delusion’.
I am encouraging my family to consider the possibility of Canadian citizenship. My son and daughter-in-law both work remotely, and the medical industry in canada isn’t bad. This country is now run by greedy morons, who don’t even have the courtesy to disguise it. But I am old, so I will just work on dying faster.
I stand by my earlier comment, except that now it has happened.
He is toxic Merril —/and he is the President of our country. 🙁 I think the urgency of the pandemic stalled his full implementing of what I feel certain will be his dark agenda. No COVID NOW. Darkness now descends.
I’d go into hiding if there were such a place.
Let me know bro, if you find one… Kathy and I are thinking of Canada if things really go to shit. Only 2 hours north of here. I think you’re even closer Ron. All we can do is wait and see my friend. Kathy and I are both getting passports next month. 😐
Wow this is powerful and boy the whole world stand to lose so much with this toxic, shallow and cowardly man in power. It was such a soul destroying day for the whole world.
Devastating. I can only point to our failing educational system here in the US. People do not know how to think logically anymore. They fall for scams, and the orange fat-man is a major scam… and I fear mortally dangerous. 😐
Nicely captured vitriol and has inspired me to write, somewhat in reply (to publish sometime in the future). Time for a revolution?
Thank you Shaun, so have at it — hard!
Hi Rob, this poem involves a detailed thought process which I found fascinating. Beautifully done.
Thank you! Just hoping to keep my thought process intact long as I can Robbie… 😉
Bad, not just for the U.S but the entire world! I can feel your anger, Rob.
I am so embarrassed and disappointed in my country. I cannot fathom how anyone could be in support of such a racist, bigoted, misogynistic, megalomaniacal, criminal liar. This must be the lowest point in the history of this nearly 3 century “great experiment” called democracy. We have morphed into a fascist country, with a low-life as our leader. FAILED EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM! A country of fools unable to apply basic logic to their tools for living… 😐