Madnesses

By Cliff Lake

 

Madnesses

 

They were the mad.

Angry yes,

Bitter and isolated,

Never mind their choosing withdrawal,

It gave them room for complaint:

They were the mad.

Unreasoning,

Unappeased,

Unruly and unrepentant.

Without empathy,

Without regret,

Without bound or bond.

In their anger they chose rage and resentment:

This would rule.

They chose a madman to lead them,

And us.

His retribution would be theirs,

His outrage was mimicked, 

Excused,

Expected,

Exalted and emulated.

Yet in their madness they forgot:

Such temper would rule them also,

Believing themselves different,

Apart and special,

Unknowing that their distinction was simply that

They were the mad.

Thus, with every revelation,

They felt that they were cheated,

Finding that the lies they accepted,

Were not just for those they despised,

But included themselves,

A situation they could not imagine in their ire,

But lately begins to dawn on them,

And it makes them mad.

 

Cliff Lake 1/18/2025

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

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