The Parish Church of St John-at-Hampstead

1/4/2015

Tit – for -Tat (on war-torn land)

Tit – for -Tat  (on war-torn land) 
 
t-t-t  t-t-t tit
 
twisted spittings spell bitterness at the pestilence point of anger,
though claiming to name it Justice
 
t-t-t  t-t-t tat
 
retaliation – ricochets reverberate round the cauldron of revenge,
also claiming to name it Justice
 
t-t-t  t-t-t tit
 
so those what-goes-round-comes-round grievances
burn whiplash aggression on the action-reaction roundabout,
fuelling a see-saw of vile brutality                 
where ignorance, fear and retribution
go forth to multiply 

t-t-t  t-t-t tat
both sides pound for  Our  Rights! … Who s right? … We re right!   
constructing arrogant shelters for self-righteous conceit   
 whilst, lost in time-mists, whose chicken, whose egg came first      
two rights seemingly soaked with stubbornness                  
converge in a double-edged wrong 
                            
t-t-t  t-t-t tit

terror attunes to the vortex of torment,
as underground breeding-grounds seed vicious cells
recycling hatred and cancerous loathing;
maggots of bang-bang madness                                                             
breed deadly spite within big men of might
 
t-t-t  t-t-t tat 

poison-pen ink from power-blooded
has lugubriously flooded the grave of humanity,             
an illusory glance through denial-darkened spectacles .  
and inhumanity forgot that a voice had once said    
Let there be Light!

t-t-tit   t-t-tat   t-t-tit-for-tat  

but that same voice is now left weeping, wondering why?
whilst a once-sacred ancient ground,
long swamped with sorrow
sighs … 

since world without end
may be brought to an end
and darkness again cover the face of the deep