Violence

Caiphus: If men are inherently violent, then what affect does the efficiency thereof have on our perception of violence?

Moralam: It is true that all men are prone towards violence; furthermore, it is also true that, given the lack of a spear a man will turn to a stone to bash his enemy's head in. However, is it not true that the death by spear is a more humane death?

Caiphus: I believe that that is a misleading phrase - there is no such thing as a humane death.

Moralam: Explain.

Caiphus: How can death be humane at all? Is not all forced death a violation of life, and therefore painful to the environment in which we are immersed?

Moralam: Death is a natural part of life - there is no question of death's certainty, only of its timing. Even death by old age is a death caused by some rapid change. It is just as forced as when one's life is ended by a weapon; therefore, all death is violent. Because all men are violent, and prone towards violence, it is fitting that their lives should end violently. Given that something "humane" is something that represents the epitome of human achievement, and that there is only one sort of death possible, a violent one, I know that the absolute best possible death is still the worst, and this makes it impossible for one kind of death to be better than another, except in the instances of pain during life.

Caiphus: So when you speak of a humane death, you are making reference to that death which is preceded by the least amount of suffering while that person is still living.

Moralam: Yes. Now, to return to what we were discussing: does more efficient violence begat more violence, or does it simply make deaths easier to bear?

Caiphus: Are you arguing that efficiency makes deaths more humane?

Moralam: I was considering it; however, after much deliberation and examination of the evidence I have found that it is the cruelty of the man behind the weapon that determines the suffering incurred, and not the efficiency of that weapon.

Caiphus: Indeed, even the smashing of one's head with a stone can be merciful when compared to the ritualistic tortures of the spear.

An Ode of Anxiety

Gradually you begin to feel your veins
Inside your mind,


You've come to find,
There's not enough room in your brain


Though everything is so dimly lit,
And all the world opens her arms
wide,

You fear to come
inside,

Welcome,

To the world as we know it . . .

Righteous In Loneliness

Morals were a cautious dam,
When released the land caught fire,
But who can know when the dam will go,
And free hedonistic desire?

If just one man,
Or woman stands,
Before the dam's untapped flow,
Then would not the fire,
Be forced into place,
That, molded, it would glow,
And shed the light,
That, calm this night,
Our innocence dissuaded.

And silently the townsfolk sleep,
Protected in illumination,
For all it took,
Was a worried look,
To enforce what we created.

Prison Invisible

I knew it was only a dream.

That's all I am after all, a lonely dreamer, afloat in a sea of tranquility. They thought I was crazy, but it doesn't matter. I made them in my mind, made them up. I breathed life into them, every one. The mailman, the lonely collegiate girl, the elderly woman who set aside a portion of her meager income to pay for birdseed . . .

They are mine.

They would argue, have tried to argue with me, but how can you argue with a dreamer? Speak not to me; I am only a corpse in this world. I am only a corpse to this world. That is why I am here, in this morgue of men.

How I got here I do not know, that part of this dream is vague and difficult to remember. My mind is clouded and filled to bursting, bursting like a can of beans dropped carelessly in the path of an oncoming train.

There are other corpses here . . . I can sense them. Some of them live with me, even after death they live. I am pleased that this is only a dream, for when I live I may control my fate, but in my dreams I am powerless, powerless in this prison invisible.

War of Science

He struggles,
Every pore
Poured out onto the workbench,
Coarse hands shaken,
Shaking,
As, caustic,
It is administered,
Carefully measured
One increment at a time,
Closer and closer,
To more efficient violence.