Sunday, July 17, 2016

In Heaven I Met Karl Marx

July 17, 2016

Dear Subscriber:

Each week we examine a theme from a variety of points of view. This week’s theme is revolution, in honor of Bastille Day, which falls on July 14.

Today’s poem is about meeting five revolutionary figures in Heaven.

I welcome comments on my poems at http://nicholasgordon.blogspot.com.

Yours,

Nick Gordon

In Heaven I met Karl Marx.
Lenin was there, too, Stalin,
And Hitler along with Jesus Christ.
There was no Hell.
I asked Karl to explain the justice in this arrangement.
He said there was no way of measuring
The good in a person's life.
He admitted he had been wrong
About history and some other things
And expressed regret about all
Who'd been slaughtered in his name.
Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin did, too,
Along with Jesus Christ,
Who was sad that more than any
Had been broken and burned for him.
All said it was a consequence
Of being so sure they were right.
None of them made excuses.
Ilyich did not blame Josef,
Adolph did not plead madness,
Neither Karl nor Jesus balanced
The bad with the good they had done.
Instead they seemed at peace
Completely with what had been,
In a clarity of repose
Which seemed quite perfect for Heaven.

© by Nicholas Gordon

Hear or watch me recite this poem and listen to the music I chose for it at http://www.poemsforfree.com/kmarx.html. For more political poems, go to http://www.poemsforfree.com/politicalpoems.html .

This week’s theme: Revolution.
July 17: In Heaven I Met Karl Marx

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