Now and Then

[Frank E Gibbard]

Now and Then

 

In England's fine country's early days

were prototypes perfected and paths

blazed in stratagem and malign ways

to secretly operate in areas where a

conscience rarely strays. Pioneering

proponents of the dark arts of secret

policing dwelt, the denizens of rooms

inside deep wombs of hard grey stone

palaces. Torture was meted out within

while chalices were raised up nearby

but out of earshot in a prince's chapel.

"For God and the King," high praised

while a poor wretch's "aargh" echoed

somewhere far beyond a prayer's ear,

a hell where only the unhearted dwell.

Confession would out, without a doubt,

for none could withstand that evil skill.

 

Horrors later, in Iraq, archly presaged

in earlier time by actions of the rack as

practised in response to terrorism of a

conflicted highly devout guerilla gang,

conspiritors of 1605's Gunpowder Plot.

Guy Fawkes' stretch upon a rack but

a precursor of water-boarding perhaps.

Opinions vary except among the racked

and water-boarded who would uniformly

cry out in the Tower, Cuba or Iraq with

admittedly a subjective humbled opinion.

[dedalus]

I see you are getting into the possibilities of internal rhyming, if only in a tentative way: this is very dangerous, Frank, very Gaelic! Obviously there are rules, certain conformities that can be placidly overlooked upon occasion. It cheers me to see you having a go!

[David W. Parsley]

Hi Frank, I like the piece. Internal rhyming often brings a comic effect - here it brings irony. Obviously I resonate well with the poem's "message" as well. More of what the future just keeps on daring. Can't we learn and improve, keep the lesson?

 

Thanks,

- Dave