These three poems by John Leonard reflect life in a global society seemingly dedicated to the destruction of nature, and humanity with it…
by John Leonard
The Great Temptation
Seeing what we have lost, the stupidity
Of what we’re left with, the temptation—
A great one, and one perhaps driven
By duty, or love-strength, and the thought
That you are in all respects tongue-tied—
Is to scream, shout, curse,
Blaspheme against every convention
That condemns us to this life-no-life;
To utter sarcasm that cuts like a razor,
With a dash of ridicule (very satisfying),
And so end there, all in opposition—
No words that approach the medicinal.
No Longer Guides
Through the centuries they were companions
Which showed us the past, and the present way;
But they are now no longer guides
For these times, and remain unread.
For we are stepping forward into a new age
Where we think to do without the world,
And without life—a grim place; the end
Likely to come quicker than anyone guesses.
And there is nothing in those pages to help us
Now, now this way, a way to nowhere,
Has been chosen; we can rely now only on
That terrible desperation we have put on.
Outdone
There was a time when the only way
To get on was to outdo—
To get more, make more, do more—
Exceed in every way our neighbors,
Our hateful enemies, and ourselves.
But for a good while now we’ve needed
To do less, make less, be fewer,
Outdo others by inactivity.
Yet that practice is so hard,
Goes counter to every instinct.
In fact no-one has yet got it,
And we are left abandoned to activity,
Outdone by our own outdoing.
John Leonard is an Australian poet with five poetry collections published. His poetry has been widely published, in Australia, the UK, and the US , and some of his poems have been translated into various languages. His novel Shakespeare in Virginia was published in 2024 in London. www.jleonard.net
