April 17, 2007
-
New Poem: "Constant Carnage"
"Constant Carnage"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
4/17/07 6:15 a.m. pdt
Columbine still fresh in memory
Weekly accountings of killings
listed in Monday's "local" section of the newspaper
Horrendous reportage doesn't cover the scars
and last week's headlines pale in comparisonThen another young disillusioned iconoclast
with a gun
goes huntingA first barrage isn't enough
Where are the authorities
when the second barrage
eradicates the lives of over 30 souls?Is anyone safe anymore
Even in America?
No, we knew that in 1999
and we certainly knew that in 2001
and we know that even better today
Are we living on borrowed time
while the misbegotten
are allowed to lock the doors
of our innocence
and barricade themselves
inside our psyches?Are we moments from our final exit
as police and government seem to
ignore the realities of constant carnage
in the workplace and at school
even as the unsanctimonious shards of insanity
sever our serenity with sudden reports
from hidden gunsAll too
easy access to weapons,
All too easy access to
support groups for homegrown
terrorism
Are there clues on
thousands of MySpace pages
portending the slide into
anarchy?Another day passes from memory
But the events prove
that even the last shocking act
of inopportune mayhem
is not going to be as shocking as the nextAnd the next
And the nextAnd will there
ever
be an end to the constant carnage
???
Or will you and I be counted among the dead
next time.....
????
BEHIND THE POETRY: I wanted to pen some poems to post today, and this wasn't on my mind when I planned the post yesterday morning, but it's certainly on a lot of people's minds this morning. The poem wrote itself. Sadness isn't the first emotion that comes to my mind. It's anger. Thankfully I don't watch television news so I don't "see" a lot of the "visible" coverage. It leaps out from the internet however, and will be draped across the headlines of today's newspapers. HERE'S A LINK to the latest Reuters report of the Virginia Tech shootings. Every time I read about events such as this, I think that we're that much closer to the kind of world where undestanding and common sense are soon to be forgotten ideological ideals, and anarchy will rule. Last week the main topic of discussion centered around the rude and irresponsible remarks of an ancient shock disc jockey on the radio. I thought of that as a "non story". The disc jockey in question, and others like him have been bad mouthing for years. But what about a nation in which almost anybody with a grudge can gain access to weapons fairly easily and blow away a whole class of innocent students? It seems to happen with more regularity as the years pass, doesn't it? And who's to blame? Is it ultimately the shooter? Is it lax gun laws? Is it society at large? No wonder most of us are afraid. We never know when or where the next "attack" will come from. If I tell a coworker she looks good in that dress, she can have me fired for sexual harrassment. So I've stopped being a gentleman, for fear of losing my job. If I don't give a customer a good price, or if I unknowingly cut someone off on the freeway, will he get his gun and blow me away? Lately it seems as if he might. MFN. EDIT: 8:15am. LATEST NEWS IDENTIFIES GUNMAN as South Korean resident alien student.
Comments (58)
There shall come an end. In this I find my hope.
Wonderful words so tragic, Michael.
Thank you for sharing your gift in such a meaningful way.
Peace be with you.
Steve
:sunny:
I'm not going political or anything, and this really isn't a very fair comparison because we're not in a state of civil war, but killings of this magnitude and worse happen just about every week in Baghdad right now. Just something to think about.
I've got to head off to campus now...
:heartbeat:I don't visit as often as I used to here on Xanga! I do meander and sneak, peek and lurk around. This whole thing at VA. Tech scares me since my son is away living on campus in his first year of university. He is a diligent student and so are his three suite mates. God what those people are going through I can't imagine the horror.
Thanks for the comment neighbor, take care
Karolyn
I will check out your video.
P.S. My son's guitar video is only a practice vid ;but when I miss my son I play it and think he is in the next room. We IM each other almost everyday even if it's just 'Hi'. The funny thing is :rolleyes:he really is not that far away.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cho_Seung-hui
^ how can there be a wikipedia on him so soon?
when will we get to the point where we can identify someone in so much pain that we can get him help before he loses completely? how can we ignore the signs of a kid in trouble and expect to not pay the cost? so sad! so heartbreaking!
What are we doing in our personal capacity in the situation? Live an example of hope and potential...and hope others will follow?
Hi Mike,
It does sometimes seem as if the world is going to Hades in a handbasket; who can fathom all the reasons. It was a sad a tragic event yesterday. I choose to retain my innocence,and my inherent belief in the goodness of man, and hope, pray and trust the goodness will spread.
Please do not stop being a gentle man. (Perhaps a more pc comment would be, "you look happy today".) I do think common courtesy is all too uncommon, and if we would all just slow down a bit, and take things without getting our egos all ruffled, it would be a nicer world. You are no fool, you are a good man.
~ Peace ~
Dear Mike,
I always love when you come to visit because your comments are so, I don't know personal and flattering. I know that when you come to visit you actually read what I write and that is nice. Sometimes I am just rambling, but sometimes I actually put time and effort into what I write. Sadly, as Aldous Huxley predicted in Brave New World most people don't read books anymore.
It is appropriate I think to pen some thoughts on the events of yesterday... and 1999 was not so long ago. The sad reality of this world is that it is sad, how else can you say it... just sad. There is no more intimacy, people are afraid to get to know other people, we are isolated with our i-pods and blackberries. My mom's comment was I pray for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. So sad, that even the old can not die with the comfort that the family they leave behind will live in a world with any semblance of humanity.
Today I started "Walden"` with my students. Transcendentalism escapes me, because it is something I understand, but not something I can explain well. I think part of college should be a semester leaving civilization...living off the land as Thoreau did... communication with nature and self discovery would be mandatory. I like that Thoreau said change doesn't begin in sweeping reform, but one person at a time. Who knows, if just one person had been humane enough to reach out to this shooter in Virginia... how different things might have ended. Someone who had transcended the hypocrisy of our world that is willing to reach out to a strange stranger... well I am babbling and still not making sense.
I was saddened by Vonnegut death, but more saddened by the fact that I have not actually read Slaughterhouse Five.... arghhh... so many books to read and so little time.
Okay Mike... my friend in Cali... stay in touch.
Hugs, Tricia :wave:
My husband and I were particularly shocked by this incident as we both teach at a University. We are friends with a prof at VT. "30 souls" is too many. Way too many.
Your poem captured the thoughts on a lot of people's minds beautifully.....such events are shocking....what angers me is how quickly people seem to forget and how quickly we return to our regularly scheduled program of ignorance.....and nonchalance.....33 lives.....it's a ridiculous number....especially since the killings were broken up into two parts.....it shakes me being a college student.....and being wakened to how much we take our safety....and our lives for granted......I liked how you ended....will you and I be counted among the dead- next time. It's frightening how true that is becoming each passing year.......
My mom and I were really glad the killer was not Muslim; that would have caused a whole lot more uproar. I am interested in the cultures and availability of guns in other cultures, especially Western European. We know that other countries have it worse than us in many ways, but at least (?) some of them are fighting for ideals or food, not just going on killing sprees. Can we talk about this shooter being Korean and blame something there? I don't know what to say. Things like this are indicative of culture, but they are also isolated incidents. People have free will. And if somebody really wants to kill, he'll make it happen. Beautiful poem, by the way.
Thanks for sharing this poem, Mike.
:wave: Just stopped into say "Hi" as I see your comments on other sites, most recently on Twoberry's. I appreciate your poem. I partly agree with jerjonji. This student was urged to get counseling on campus. His anger at all of them precluded that, however. News of this kind is so disheartening. All I know to do is to live as best I can with faith and hope even as so many events are out of my control. May God have mercy on us all.
~~Cheers, Donna
I cannot get it out of my mind
Great poem, Mike. You are the master when it comes to topical expressiveness. I wanted to thank you for the very flattering comment you left me. I haven't felt so highly praised since Terry Cuthbert used to dote on me. I really don't deserve it. I may be able to rhyme, and I have a fair vocabulary, but I can't pick and choose what I write about very well. That's why I have never joined these groups that have a topic of the week or month. I mean, I can do it, but I never feel I have expressed myself satisfactorily. I can only write whatever is born inside my head based on how I am feeling at the moment. I actually tried to write a piece about VT but all I felt was numb, and to me, numb=dumb. I was outraged, sure, and sad and most of all, frustrated, that I, or anyone could not have done anything to prevent it from happening. I mean, even if we outlawed guns, outlaws (crazies and zealots) would find alternatives. Once again, I verily appreciate your kind praise. It meant a lot, especially, coming from one so literate as you.
Nice poem!!! I have several theories about why such things continue to happen, occurring more frequently as the years pass. But if I explore and write about these theories, I'd be hated by way too many people and corporations. Enjoy your 'power walks'!!! :wave:
Thanks for your incredible comment on my site. One thing about the gunman. They say he never talked. Since junior high. So he made it to a senior in college without talking? Don't they have entrance interviews where a potential student has to say more than "yes" or "no"? It seems to me this guy gave about 10 years of clues that he was going to explode.
Keep on working, great job!
Fine way of explaining, and good paragraph to take facts on the topic of my presentation focus, which i am going to present in institution of higher education.
Good day! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me
of my previous room mate! He always kept chatting about this.
I will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he
will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!
These are in fact wonderful ideas in concerning blogging.
You have touched some nice factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.
Right here is the perfect web site for anyone who hopes to understand this topic.
You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that
I personally would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a
fresh spin on a topic that has been written about for many years.
Excellent stuff, just wonderful!
Link exchange is nothing else however it is simply placing the other person's webpage link
on your page at proper place and other person will also do similar
for you.
I have been exploring for a bit for any high
quality articles or weblog posts in this kind of space .
Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Studying this info So i am happy to convey
that I have an incredibly good uncanny feeling I came upon exactly what
I needed. I so much unquestionably will make
sure to do not omit this web site and provides it a glance regularly.
Currently it looks like WordPress is the best blogging platform out there right now.
(from what I've read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
It's a pity you don't have a donate button! I'd definitely donate to this excellent
blog! I guess for now i'll settle for bookmarking and
adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and
will talk about this website with my Facebook group.
Talk soon!
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that
I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to
your feed and I hope you write again very soon!
I just like the valuable info you provide on your articles.
I will bookmark your weblog and take a look at once more right here frequently.
I'm relatively sure I'll learn many new stuff right here!
Good luck for the following!
I'm not sure exactly why but this weblog is loading extremely slow for me.
Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my
end? I'll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group?
There's a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content.
Please let me know. Many thanks
Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be
at the net the simplest factor to keep in mind of.
I say to you, I certainly get irked while other people think
about concerns that they just don't recognize about.
You managed to hit the nail upon the highest and also defined out the entire thing with no need side effect , other people can take a
signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thank you
I must thank you for the efforts you've put in writing this site.
I am hoping to view the same high-grade content by you later on as
well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own blog
now
I know this if off topic but I'm looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is required to get
setup? I'm assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
I'm not very web savvy so I'm not 100% certain. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kudos
I was very pleased to discover this great site. I wanted to thank
you for your time due to this fantastic read!!
I definitely savored every little bit of it and i also have
you book marked to see new information in your web site.
Asking questions are truly pleasant thing if you are not understanding anything entirely,
however this paragraph presents nice understanding
yet.
It's nearly impossible to find knowledgeable people in this particular topic, but you sound like you know what you're talking about!
Thanks
Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your site iis magnificent,
let alonme the content!
It's impressive that you are getting ideas from this post
as well as from our dialogue made at this time.
Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your site in web explorer, could check this?
IE still is the marketplace chief and a big part
of people will pass over your magnificent writing due to this problem.
I absolutely love your site.. Great colors & theme. Did you build this web site yourself?
Please reply back as I'm looking to create my own blog and would love to
learn where you got this from or what the theme
is named. Appreciate it!
I blog often and I seriously appreciate your information. This great article has truly
peaked my interest. I will take a note of your website and keep checking for
new information about once per week. I subscribed to your
Feed too.
Thank you, I've just been looking for info approximately
this topic for a long time and yours is the best I've found out
till now. However, what about the conclusion?
Are you positive about the supply?
Remarkable issues here. I am very satisfied to peer your article.
Thanks a lot and I am having a look forward to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
I was suggested this website via my cousin. I'm now not certain whether
this submit is written by means of him as nobody else realize such specific about my difficulty.
You're incredible! Thanks!
It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it's time
to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you
few interesting things or suggestions. Perhaps you could write next articles
referring to this article. I want to read even more things about it!
Hello, Neat post. There's an issue along with your
web site in internet explorer, may test this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace chief and a
huge component to people will pass over your wonderful writing because of
this problem.
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was totally right.
This submit truly made my day. You cann't consider just how
much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
I all the time emailed this web site post page to all my contacts, as
if like to read it afterward my links will too.
These are in fact impressive ideas in regarding blogging.
You have touched some good factors here. Any way keep up
wrinting.
What a stuff of un-ambiguity and preserveness of precious know-how on the topic of unexpected emotions.
If you desire to take a great deal from this paragraph then you have to apply such techniques to your won webpage.
Hi would you mind stating which blog platform you're working with?
I'm planning too start my own blog soon but I'm hhaving a hard time selecting between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
The reason I ask is because your design seems different
then most blogs and I'm looking for something completely unique.
P.S Sorry foor geting off-topic but I had to ask!
Why visitors still make use of to read news papers when in this
technological world all iss presented on net?
Hi there! I could have sworn I've been too this website before but after looking at many of the posts I realized it's new to me.
Nonetheless, I'm definitely delighted I stumbled upon it and I'll be bookmarking it and
checking back frequently!
I waas able tto find good information from your articles.
I think everythin posted made a lot of sense.
However, what about this? what if you typed a catchier title?
I ain't suggesting your content isn't solid., however what if you added a post title to possibly get folk's attention? I mesan New Poem: "Constant Carnage" | WhenWordsCollide is kinda vanilla.
You ought to peek at Yahoo's front page and note how they write ness headlines to grab people interested.You might add a video or a picture or two to grab readers interested
about everything've written. In my opinion, it might make your posts
a little livelier.
Usually I do not leawrn article on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so!
Your writing style has been surprised me. Thank you, very nice
post.
each time i used to read smaller articles or reviews whichh as well
cleaar ttheir motive, and that is also happening with this piece of writing which
I am reading now.