Poetry – Cruelty our Ecstasy – an X-rated poem (not for the weak hearted) about mankind’s inherent love for inflicting agony.
You might not want to read this one.
I wrote this in response to the callous, inhumane way that the sectarian killings were being carried out. There seemed no limit to the desire to inflict pain. If someone could be tortured longer and more cruelly then that was the aim. The electric drill was the favoured tool. The only limits were those imposed by our imagination.
Humanity has a propensity for enjoying the pain and agony of others. At our worst we are vicious, callous and indescribably evil.
Every war sees its range of torture, brutality, rape and despicable violence.
We create tribes and gang up on each other. We bully, use derogatory terms, racial slurs and put-downs to upset and destroy others. We can be so nasty that we cause self-harm, suicides and destroy individuals We create stereotypes of whole races and nations that end up in wars.
The inhumanity shown to animals is almost unbelievable. I watched a film where a crew were catching hundreds of sharks, slicing their fins off and flinging the living fish back over the side. It was not possible to imagine the agony those fish suffered.
Round the world there are cock-pits, bull-rings, bear-baiting, dog fights, and badger baiting. The crowds gather to excitedly jeer.
In China they are reputed to kill the dogs by boiling them alive in their dog festival.
I don’t know how the torturers of people and animals manage to sleep. I don’t know how they manage to reconcile what they do with any code of morality, inner conscience or religious views. Some of them are doing this in the name of religion. Somehow they believe that their god sanctions such barbarity.
It almost makes me believe in evil. Except this isn’t evil. It is part of human nature. We did not get to be the dominant species by being nice. We are the biggest, meanest motherfuckers on the planet.
I believe we have to recognise this tendency and prevail against it. At our best we are altruistic, pleasant, friendly, loving and kind. That is the side we need to nurture. That ‘Evil’ side needs containing and controlling. We need laws, counselling, education and assistance to be the best we can be.
I believe we can create a better, positive zeitgeist and learn to live without needing violence, division, bullying, cruelty and evil. We can put it behind us.
We can become civilised!
Cruelty Our Ecstasy
A drill through the leg, the liver and the head.
We love it!!
A ring for the bull, the badger and the fool.
We love it!!
Agony
Cruelty
Our ecstasy.
We love it!!
Red hot poker through the eye, crush your balls to hear you cry.
We love it!!
A shock deep in the cunt, a smack with something blunt.
We love it!!
Inject the acid, burn the brain, til we’ve driven you insane.
We love it!!
Agony
Cruelty
Our ecstasy.
We love it!!
Shoot, burn, stab and kick, do it slow and never quick.
We love it!!
Gang rape the little boy, treat his sister like a toy.
We love it!!
Hunt the tiger, stab the whale; saw the head off the little girl.
We love it!!
We love it!!
Tease with a word, a joke, – a lie, a leer, a sneering poke.
We love it!!
Bully for you, another wog another jew,
We love it!!
Another push, another kick, another threat, another pick.
We love it!!
Display the skin, the horn the head, shoot them all full of lead
We love it!!
We love it!!
Cruelty
Agony
Our Ecstasy
We loooove it!!!!!
Load the nails in the grenade; imagine the mess you will have made.
We love it!!
Pull off every one of the wings, cut off the legs and all the fins
We love it!!
Cruelty
Agony
Our Ecstasy
We loooove it!!!!!
We love it!!
Opher 23.5.07
((Opher)) Bravo for your truth and bravery! People steal from one a other immensely. Hearts, words, promise!But there are those of us who are confident and have learned from our living and experiences make us Brave, humble, and loving? Bless the hearts of the young who are still learning! I hope they become brilliant survivors of everything that they hear, see, and live through. Survival of the fittest, kindest, most loving? Demise of those who call themselves, the friend, the confidante, a lover… for self-satisfaction, personal gain! And everything you wrote it is all there the real truth! Right on the money as sad as it is. But this is exactly why I love your writing! Cheers to you too Opher,! I love that sentiment by the way!
Myth – you are a star – you give me sustenance in these difficult times!
And now, we have cameras to record EVERYTHING we do for the Next Generation to witness the evil in which you write …
Just think if we had had cameras to record the torture and horrors of war and cruelty of the past in all its gory detail. What a miserable picture of us it would have captured.
I reckon the future will still look back on us with horror even though we have improved!
Wow…. I’d click ‘like’ but I cannot. I sit writing this through tears. We are indeed a savage species and your words have captured the crimes of humanity in a way that makes me wonder if we’ll ever change. The nature of nature is nurture…. something that humankind doesn’t seem to be able to grasp.
Well written.
Thank you Roxi. The darker side of our nature appalls me. Sometimes I feel disgusted to be called human. Thank heavens we have another side. We can be empathic and compassionate. Let us all hope that brighter side wins through.
I hope for the same. Until then, we must be a voice for those who cannot speak. The Dalai Lama wrote, “We share the earth not only with our fellow human beings, but with all the other creatures.”
I’m with the Dalai Lama. We’ve got to learn to share not abuse! We have to be a voice for all who cannot speak! Thanks for adding that Roxi!