A reflection on the the perils of our polarised existence and our divided society.
A polar existence
Pummels life
With brutal persistence
Pushing it to the limits
Where just surviving
Through that cold punishing lense
Looks like thriving
And yet this is how
We choose to live
Denying the sweet climes
Where life blossoms
And the sunshines
As the snow grows
We become prisoners here
Up polar creek
Without a snow plow
Defined by opposition
To death
To life
To anything
But treating surviving
As a morbid test
A battle against the rest
To be the best
Polarised and tribalised
This state of mind
Is nothing short
Of idolised
'winning' at this dark game
Made out as
A truly great prize
But what if
These are lies
And herein lies our problem
That living in the this divided world
We don't see the true problem
The causes and do even less
To stop them
Instead, sealing our fate
By breaking from union
Its successes and joys
The shared approach
It employs
We choose the other
Selling progress
For fortune, fame
And toys
But no one just divides
Community is built
Into our deepest desires
Tatooed across our insides
No, it is the sympton
Of misinformation and lies
A virus that so rapidly multiples
Its built into our politics
Left or right
Pick a side and fight
Into our media
Media barons treating us
Like chess game pawns
In their bigger plans
Thinking themselves oh so clever
But never really
Do they understand
By doing so they and us all
Just get stuck deeper
In the existential quick sand
If life imitates art
We need a better artist
Bigger dreamers
Because now we're doing it to
Making social media bubble worlds
Where only ever one
Point of view unfolds
Never a dialogue
A verb, an act
Everyone seems to have forgot
As they fight for survival, victory,
In a house consumed
By dry rot
Its madness
But we don't make it stop
Because it must
Life isn't a test
To win or loose
Its a gift
To treasure, not abuse
Our own and every other
Despite whatever they say
On the news
One world
One fate
One solution
But many hands
And many minds
Ready to re-polish this gem
And make it shine
Because our survival rests
On this delicate balance
And how if it goes
We all do
Whatever the wealth
However ornate the chalice
It's time to leave
The polar regions
Move back to the equator
Where we can see the problems
And meet them
Life at the centre
A much more rewarding
And collaborative adventure
Listening and talking
Understanding and accepting
Connections
Enjoying the good parts
And others correcting
Maybe not a system change
But a new state of mind
There are too many questions
Each it's own answer
But we can only solve them
If we are going in the same direction
With so many of us on the case
We can make society, our world
A truly wonderful place
Dave James Horn ©
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About Dave James Horn
Based in Folkestone, Dave James Horn writes poetry to raise a smile and provoke a thought. He is part of Poet’s Corner Folkestone and an organiser of the Folkestone Language Exchange. Read his full bio here.