History Class

Who wants to know about tyrant kings?

Suffering humanity, despots,

megalomaniacs?

Take your pick

Dull wars, costly reparations,

separated families,

famines, greed, fires

Why even learn

if we cannot profit?

We left it to the founders

to create something near perfect

“Let them burn,” we said,

“burn the midnight oil.”

We got what we wanted,

and for a while

followed it to a “T”

Pretty soon leaders

and followers

found

ways to loop around.

A little bit here, a bit there

who’s to notice?

We set precedents

and before long,

we tore the fabric

of ideals, forethought, and labor.

Why persist?

Civil war divides

then it unites

For a brief while

we are strong

shining like a beacon

in our unity.

We don’t go the full way

to sign, seal, and deliver.

A small crack

unaddressed

leads to a fissure

not repaired

leading to a

a yawning schism

and an unbridgeable

polarity.

Mass destruction shocks

genocide kills

we learn from it

vow not to repeat.

Yet, we forget

our promise not to repeat.

We forget what we learned

forget to pass it on.

You say parallel universe?

It’s right here.

It’s found in ignorance

in passing on the past

Parallel Universe?

A society divided, a country unbridged

a religion forgetting humanity.

It’s there in front of you

as you stand alone

with déjà-vu eyes.

It’s there in your solitary voice

reminding one of the past.

It’s there in the acceptance

of substandard choice.

It’s there

in collective,

apathetic

amnesia.

Parallelism

beats its chest

helplessly

watching

history

rreeppeeaattiinngg

in a single universe

It’s replete

with knowledge

no one cares to

hear,

or

wants to know,

or

cares to debate

an idea,

a thought,

a possibility

that

we

may

no

longer

have

a spoiled luxury

called

the

do-over.