You are nothing, son.
Passed over by those
Who only acknowledge
Your existence by saying
You inhabit another world.
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Nothing explains
Murderous disparity.
Inequality decimates
By withholding
Surplus quantity.
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A lottery on a
Global scale;
No ticket, no life
Nothing to sell.
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You were born Zero,
A Negative Theology.
"Decimate" literally means to kill every tenth person (a punishment originally used in Roman times to punish mutinous legions).
ReplyDeleteSince your poem is directed at one child (as a symbol) do you perhaps want to use the word "annihilate" or "destroy"?
I am aware of the Historical Origin of "Decimate" in Latin. I thought the arbitrary nature of famine---hoarding and overconsumption of the haves---is much like a lottery which I cited in an above line--I wanted to bring in an evil sense of chance--where there is really no choice--annihilate doesn't fit, IMHO--but excellent point.
ReplyDeleteThe one child's face is zero. Millions of zeros still equal zero. He is nothing to the haves.
Also decimate implies an arbitrary sense of order.
ReplyDeleteZero can't be decimated. You can't reduce zero by one-tenth. It seems to me that that he is being arbitrarily obliterated or destroyed.
ReplyDeleteIf you treat a person as a zero he or she is already decimated. Mathematically your statement is true. I'd hazard to guess that nearly 1/10, or maybe more, of the people on this planet live in famine like conditions. Therefore, as he yet lives(Nero), this "zero" a human child, is decimated before birth. Again, there is nothing to explain it, no equation--it is simply the injustice of nothing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for drawing attention to those who the haves pretend not to see.
ReplyDeleteDecimate has taken on the the broader definition of reduction in number. So it fits. So does obliterate - since they are forgotten even before they are gone.
ReplyDeleteWhile I love your intention, there is an asymmetry to the thematic schema. What I read is your intention to make the invisible visible ... Bey
ReplyDelete