Monday, July 11, 2016

Everything We Thought Was True Was Not True

July 12, 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 former American communists coming to terms with their dreams of revolution.

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

Yours,

Nick Gordon

Everything we thought was true was not true.
Everything we thought was right was wrong.
The leaders whom we idolized were madmen,
Mass murderers, whose crimes we helped along.

We were the volunteers for genocide,
The dupes who gave out leaflets for the devil,
For whom obscene dictatorships were good
And our own democracies were evil.

We were the organizers of the poor,
The builders of unions, champions of justice,
Sacrificing self only to serve
A mortal yearning for significance.

We were blind in service to our passions.
We were deaf in service to our need.
Now we must drive the truth straight through our hearts
That we might die at peace with what we did.

© by Nicholas Gordon

Hear or watch me recite this poem and listen to the music I chose for it at http://www.poemsforfree.com/every2.html. For more poems about politics, go to http://www.poemsforfree.com/politicalpoems.html .

This week’s theme: Revolution.
July 12: Everything We Thought Was True Was NotTrue

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