Pages

Followers

Friday, July 20, 2012

A Light Against the Darkness

Candlelight by Charles Rondeau


Evil is not the monster under the bed
Or the boogey man lurking in the shadows.

Evil is real.

Evil walks the earth in human guise,
Bathing in acid rivers of hate,
Stripping away any shred of humanity
To commit unspeakable acts of violence.

Evil is a coward,
Preying on the innocent and unsuspecting…
An explosion of rage that destroys a city bus,
A destructive shower of bullets
In a movie theater or at a summer camp,
Silver wings transformed into lethal missiles
Raining terror down upon an unwary nation.

Evil leaves toxic footprints upon the ground,
A poison strong enough to evoke
Images of the most horrible atrocities
Just at the mention of a name…
The gas chambers of Auschwitz,
The killing fields of Cambodia,
The bloodied plains of Darfur.

Evil is a powerful adversary,
Bloodthirsty and ruthless,
But just as surely as evil exists,
Goodness exists, 
With more power and greater numbers.

Let the good-hearted people of the world
Stand together against the growing evil,
Casting aside that which may divide us
In pursuit of a nobler cause,
With faithful hearts and fervent prayers
Sent heavenward because only
The light of love and tolerance
Can stop the encroaching darkness.




~~~~~ Today’s prompt over at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads asked us to consider the devil and evil in all its various forms, a prompt that seemed especially timely given today’s horrible tragedy in Colorado.  I’m also linking this up over at Poetry Jam.

14 comments:

Daydreamertoo said...

I suppose when everything has an exact opposite, goodness has to have evil but (I think) it is the way it is because it's been allowed to grow this way through man's endless greed for money and power, when they started worshiping money as the new God and greed as a consequence, evil was given permission to rise in its many forms.
We reap what we sow. This is a powerful write because of its truths. A very sad day time for all of those affected by these atrocities.

Maude Lynn said...

Really powerful write.

flipside records said...

Oh, I really like this: "Evil leaves toxic footprints"

Mary said...

You really put a lot of thought into this poem, Mary. Evil is indeed a powerful adversary, and we can hope that that the power of good is stronger....and pray for that!

Bodhirose said...

Powerful and passionate.

Susan said...

"Evil walks the earth in human guise,
Bathing in acid rivers of hate,
Stripping away any shred of humanity
To commit unspeakable acts of violence."

It is overpowering, but the idea of people being taken over by a force rather than BEING the force, makes it seem a bit more possible that "Goodness exists, with more power and greater numbers."

Let it be so.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Mary, I was so grateful for the note of hope, goodness and love towards the end. I have to keep believing that the tide will turn, that there will be more of us wanting goodness and peace than those who want discord and horror.

Thank you so much for the note of hope on a very hard day.

Kerry O'Connor said...

It is true that there are more good people in the world than evil ones - they just don't get the publicity.
However, "evil thrives while good men do nothing" is also a strong reminder that we are all tasked to keep the wickedness of human deeds in check.

Laurie Kolp said...

I agree... good can still conquer evil (at least I hope so).

Marian said...

i'll stand with you.

Peggy said...

Lots of wisdom in this Mary. I have read it several times and each time discover a new piece of what seems true to me. thanks for sharing this.

Fireblossom said...

You said it right and you said it strong. Thanks so much for being part of my FBF challenge!

kaykuala said...

"Evil is a powerful adversary,
Bloodthirsty and ruthless,
But just as surely as evil exists,
Goodness exists, with more power and greater numbers"

Yes, rightly said, Mary! While evil is there lurking all the time, goodness is in a more potent form as a balance!
Great thoughts, Ma'am!

Hank

Mystic_Mom said...

Well said! Yes! I agree with this so much, you have a strong voice on this and powerful words.