Armageddon Begins at Home
The clown puts on his painted smile and drops his baggy pants
The dancers stamp their calloused feet
The swaying fireglow makes their faces gods
The lion twists in firecracker lines, and the dragon runs in fear
I peel back the corner of the world and look inside
A human can, but you may not escape this crushing kiss
Hell on earth, the politicians tell us this is bliss
There is no simple answer when you don't know what to ask
And I lie like a frightened child screaming in the dark
Even-handed sadists passing judgment on us all
You grasp the coal, you feel the pain, and like the rest, you fall
Not worthy, says the judge, and sentence is pronounced
Your cries for mercy go unheard, your torment is ignored
The winnowing goes on.
Is all of life to be reduced to a simple yes or no?
All the good things wiped away with a single misplaced thought?
There is no room for "tried my best" or "Johnny could go far"
Just saved or damned with nothing in between.
The clown puts on his painted smile and sobs into his bottle
The dancers grunt in locked embrace,
The children watch their antics unconcerned
The lion lies in dusty cupboards, and the dragon in his box
I peel back the corner of the world and look inside
Autumn Equinox 1991
Armageddon Begins at Home by Matt Kelland is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. Feel free to make something of them. Just be courteous and let me know.
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