Berlin Wall
carpe diem haiku kai
a symbol of fear
different ideas a danger
to controlling fascists
barriers don't work
truth will find a way in
walls reduced to rubble
the pecking order
some can some can't
selective justice for some not all
political correctness
inauthentic speech
another nail in the coffin
of free speech
freedom to divorce parents
children have rights
must not be subjected to nagging
by parents who are stifling
self expression by applying rules
this teenager opted for
what he thought was freedom
and is now dead
karl lagerfeld is in love with his rich cat choupette
and wants to marry her
choupette earned 3 million dollars last year
if freedom is marrying
who you love regardless of gender
then it automatically follows
species discrimination in marriage is
politically incorrect and zoophobic
this woman married a dolphin
she has known him for fifteen years
if a few of you are aghast at this phenomenon
of inter species marriage
the idea of same sex marriage received the same reaction
up until quite recently when the majority of folk
once considered marriage to be an institution
between only a man and a woman
this has become unacceptable thinking now
labelled by the politically correct thought police
as homophobic bigotry in our brave new world
freedom to marry inanimate objects
could be on the cards as well
this korean guy fell in love with his pillow
married it, giving the connotation of "pillow talk"
an entirely new meaning
i'm looking forward to marrying and making
a commitment to my wet suit
it is the thing i love best, close and connected to my body
it wont be a life long commitment...a divorce looming...will be replaced in five years
just like a modern marriage really
we sure live in interesting times
a lot of insanity maybe, but freedom? i don't think so !
I like your post.. a difficult prompt... I remember it going up and then of course down... your capture of the events, excellent. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYour opening haiku--2 of them--are stand alone beautiful along with their pictures. I keep a piece of that wall in my china cabinet. Your next patrt--Selective justice--gets quite serious though it has cartoons--these are cynical times. New USA laws don't change minds--not for white supremacists nor for homophobes and fundamentalists. We have a long battle/adjustment period. So I Love your satirical comparison with inter species and inter object love and marriage--to me they reduce the issue to a more handleable size. It won't be as easy as removing a wall, though that was hardly easy at all. I love your poem's push to make the reader think!
ReplyDeleteI like to make the reader think and tweak a reaction. Am impressed that you have a piece of that wall and if you tell me you were there when it was tumbling down I will be overcome with the bright green envy.:)
DeleteWe tend to use words inappropriately. Marriage was was for man an woman why couldn't same sex unions be called sammiage, or wedding your pillow pillowage? We are so adept at creating new words daily we should create a word for it! So are you having a wetting with your wet suit or not?
ReplyDeleteYes I am haveing a wetting....you are going to be my bridesmaid person....best dig out your snorkle and flippers.
DeleteRallentanda - I always love your style and humour..this speeds pasts your best...walls are walls..concrete or not and yes..however we paint it we are stuck behind many of them...asides from in our own worlds where we can marry Hatter and concrete turns into jelly...if we so wish
ReplyDeleteA beautiful & thought-provoking piece!
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out the role that government can have in opposing freedom. I also like your myriad relationship examples (speech/censoring, parent/child, et cetera).
ReplyDeletebarriers don't work - excellent line and this sums up freedom
ReplyDeletei think Old Egg has already said what i wanted to say...i like his coinage too :)
ReplyDeleteI especially loved the first two. I never expected the wall to fall in my lifetime. It was a watershed moment for sure. All of these are thought-provoking and effective. Cool response to the prompt, Rall.
ReplyDeleteLOL...This is the best thing I've read on this prompt, and the author is so conversational, transparent and hilarious!! Enjoyed reading these gems, Rall.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wry look at how the concept of freedom is abused!
ReplyDeleteRall
ReplyDeleteThe wall haiku was excellent and you went after the freedom issue with aplomb.I guess we are free (for now) to keep our sanity intact
:)
Wow .. what an interesting post ... like the take on the prompt ... makes one think :-) Bravo Rall!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat thinking piece. The idea of choice being bad is a hard one to wrap our heads around and took it straight on.
ReplyDeletepowerful words........ selective justice, just cuts like a knife.
ReplyDeleteLoved this.
ReplyDeleteSome "walls" are immutable and whatever we believe cannot be pulled down and some must be smashed.
Ha! Loved the way you developed this Rall, from the sublime to the ridiculous. It is good to apply freedom to our lives, as long as we don't cheapen and devalue the true concept of liberty...
ReplyDelete