Superficial Reverence

People who are special, they're so rare we all
Have learned their names, start movements.
They inspire thousands, millions, to do noble
Things. They bring down rulers and the
Institutions which preserve a status quo
That benefits the few and leaves the rest
In misery. These special people stand
Upon the wreckage of the rotten past,
And lead their followers to build more
Just societies...at least, at first, but, over
Time, the leaders die. In many cases,
Someone kills them. Then their movements
Slowly harden, turning into institutions,
Led by less enlightened types: hacks and crooks,
The power hungry. In the end, the names
Of special people are preserved, the things
They did and said revered, but all that they
Accomplished is erased.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 18 times
Written on 2020-05-16 at 21:56

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