deepundergroundpoetry.com
Almost Midnight
Earth staggers from the shadows of the universe
torn and dirty silk underwear trailing
round her ankles.
It seems hard to believe
she had once looked so serene
the perfect jewel in God's sky.
Now her skin heaves,
a greedfest of human parasites
the ultimate bacteria,
frantic as paintings by Bosch
busy playing art-for-art's sake
bickering petty little
I love you-I hate you's
while their airplanes and automobiles criss-cross
the pockmarked ruin of her thighs,
stained forever by rivers of poison semen
that dribble down
her crumpled tatter-slash stockings.
Earth's sweetest breath
a stinking methane and dioxide cocktail
sighs lingering clouds laced with toxic gristle
splattering the tangled deforestation of her hair
Glacial meltwater streams sorrow from polar eyes
the last of the ice glistening weakly into space
transformed to spiritless desert.
Her rape began almost gently and slowly
more than a million years ago
leaving her ravaged from fevers of global warming,
magnetic field reversed she lurches in orbit
the cheapest drunkest whore
descending from chemical high
grimly clutching the hapless wreck
of one shattered high heeled shoe
waving its mangled patent leather ugliness
an affront to passers-by
her stump tooth forest smile
bleakly touting for business to pay for the next hit.
The 2020 Galactic New Year's Ball is underway
and no-one notices when unable to speak
Earth passes out on the kitchen floor.
Her sister planets step over her comatose form
to reach the ice for their drinks
--after all
it's almost midnight, they must charge their glasses
to toast in the New Year.
Almighty God, her compassionate creator
hasn't glanced his lovely's way for the longest time
but when he does he will know at once
that the kindest course,
as with any fatally wounded creature
would be to put an end to the misery of these death throes
snapping her neck
in the swiftest mercy killing
It's almost midnight now...
if you were God
what would you do?
Published 29th Dec 2009
| Edited 15th Jul 2012
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likes 3
reading list entries 2
comments 10
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Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
Anonymous
29th Dec 2009 6:32pm
Easily your best poem, and one of the finest on this site. The darkness, the cynicism, the sheer brutality of the language so beautifully expressed, and that metaphor - more delicious than a buffet cooked by Zeus - that comparison of Earth to a miserable and suicidal whore, is truly, utterly, madly, obscenely, disgustingly, tragically beautiful. There are no adjectives to describe how much I love this piece. The mingling of celestial themes with a story about some poor wretched woman was inspired.
*add more superlatives here*
*add more superlatives here*
29th Dec 2009 6:56pm
Jack stole my comment! This is by far your best piece, as Jack said and the comparison of Earth to a whore is absolutely outstanding and so original! I can't get over the beauty of this piece which is shown through the most distraughting images one could possibly behold.
29th Dec 2009 7:47pm
I don't quite know how to respond to such heady praise, Jack. Coming from your learned self it is praise indeed. I can't tell you how greatly I value your opinion. Thank you for such wonderful feedback.
As I said in my reply to Jack, Arryn - I really appreciate such wonderful feedback
it makes the effort I put into this worth it.
it makes the effort I put into this worth it.
Anonymous
30th Dec 2009 1:47am
poem A. The violence in the words and the brutal imagery really speak the tragedy so well. And that words standing alone"whore", it really chokes me.Awesome work, Jack has said it all, one of ur very best:-)
Thanks P - I had hoped I could achieve some quality for an important message like this one. For me poetry with no message or lesson will always lack something essential.
30th Dec 2009 9:01pm
31st Dec 2009 1:12pm
1st Jan 2010 7:24pm
Deep, yet sobering poetical commentary on the licentiousness engraved upon mens' hearts distilling mother earth's riches.
2nd Jan 2010 9:15am
Thank you for your kind feedback, Syandene - after the season of celebration all mankind's deepest problems remain unfortunately.
