Tuesday, October 21, 2014

In the heat of local elections


Photography:   Joel Robison


We are pawns in this political game
moving to & fro, invisible faces
spinning left & right, our voices tamed

We are strings pulled by media blame  
running up & down, an endless chase   
Because we are pawns in this political game

We work dawn to night, trading our name
For grey, no black & white pieces
spinning left to right, our voices tamed

By street banners, which all look the same
We sweep aside real issues under the table  
Because we are pawns in this political game

Marching to orders, we claim
we are happy to live in this rich city, a place,          
spinning neither left nor right, our voices tamed

Tell me, black bird
which way is the voting booth ?
I am just a pawn in this political game
spinning round & round, my voice tamed




Posted for D'verse Poets Pub -  We are talking about news ~  Hosted by Mary ~ Thanks for the visit ~

36 comments:

  1. nice but hard truth in this....the pawns, surely we are, pulled by promises that rarely come to fruition and by media as well...voices tamed....sadly, thus the high level of voter dissatisfaction and falling poll rates...

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  2. Yep, all smoke and mirrors as nothing but pawns we all are

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  3. To be pawns we are convinced to vote.. mostly against something we don't like alas... and alas the against is so much less nice than voting for something. I like your Villanelle...

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  4. Yes, it seems that we are pawns in many ways, Grace. Promises are made in the campaigns to lure voters, and after the elections how many of those promises are carried out. And sometimes we do spin around and around, it seems, wondering who the right candidate is....and often both black and white fade to grey.

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  5. Ah - that great game and us the pawns. You bring it beautifully. If I could tell you half the drama and social manipulation that goes on in my country, it could be a novel...

    Hope you are doing good - I have been thinking to mail you for a long time, just not getting the time.

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  6. Pawns or Paladins? Are we what we perceive, or what we are perceived as by the powers that be? Too many of my friends do not vote in protest to the reality of the political games & maneuvering; & yet that way despots are born, progress is stifled, freedoms are at risk; no easy answer, just vote your conscience.

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  7. Great use of the form, Grace! We do indeed feel like pawns more often than not. Sadly the feelings this creates is not the sign of healthy democracies.

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  8. You have it right! We are pawns!

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    1. And the game that is being played, doesn't seem to have any rules. And the referees, or supreme court judges are playing way out in left field.

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  9. Pawns we are in this game of life, absolutely. I especially enjoyed your photo, it just drew me in.

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  10. great write very timely and picture appropriate... off to the polls to see what comes of broken promises

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  11. Beautifully done Grace and I agree, we are pawns in a game of empty promises, still hoping one will speak the truth.

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  12. I believe that people get the government they deserve - and when masses don't vote their conscience, viola....

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  13. I can almost interpret some of the bad habits of politics like corruption (spinning neither left nor right --but at the will of the ones in power). I like the use of contrasts giving a wider definition to the pulls and pushes of the pawns by politicians.

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  14. we claim that we are happy to live in this rich city

    that can only be reflected in medical statistics. eg. the number of anti depressants prescribed...in reality, very few people are happy in these rich cities!

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  15. A great truth brilliantly captured in this villanelle...the repetition works like magic...

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  16. Well.. i guess politics has always been much of a game.. for victors and losers.. but i think it's sad when news becomes the same...

    And politics becomes the news..

    instead of news.. reporting politics.. as news...:)

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  17. You tell the truth Grace. We are pawns indeed.

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  18. Dear Grace

    Yes, it is true. Well told in your fantastic poem!

    Hugs
    JetteMajken

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  19. the harsh truth, isn't it?

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  20. the irony, the hypocricy....very well put Grace!

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  21. Great metaphor, we are pawns in this political and financial game. Well written, Grace!

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  22. These observations are tough to swallow but, sadly, true very often. I especially like this: "We sweep aside real issues under the table." I feel like this poem begs for some action.

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  23. true we all are kind of pawns..very strong poem Grace

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  24. Groovy look at elections. Love the last stanza.

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  25. The repetition and rhyme work so well to underscore your theme. Successful villainelle.

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  26. We are but pawns Grace, most of the time I doubt we are aware of being so. Excellent poem.

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  27. "We are strings pulled by media blame"....you are so right, Grace. We are pawns affected by the stringently controlled news broadcasts, who are not allowed to tell us much of the real truth. You must be as horrified as I am tonight, after this day's events.

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  28. Hahahahahahahahahaha About 5/5ths of the politicians around here wish my voice was tamed. I love when the left calls and I tell them I am right and when the right shows up at my door (with body guards) I tell them I am left. In this city of dissatisfaction it is never convenient to not vote, but so many will find that inconvenience is too tiresome. Mostly because of the functional illiteracy.

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  29. Well said, love the Vilanelle form for this back and forth, round and round subject.

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  30. Ah...to be players instead of pawns, wouldn't that be nice once in a while? But I suppose even a pawn can be promoted eventually...

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  31. You are politically correct ... :) love how you stated this...

    peace and love
    1ManView

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  32. I enjoyed the play off opposites strewn throughout...another nicely penned villanelle.

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