With the all the bluster and the clamour from those in power, it might be easy to forget that these ‘men are but mortal and will surely fade as grass’ (from hymn by Johann Georg Albinus). Our mortality is ultimately an epic fact of life; rather than that triggering more frenetic shouting and sabre-rattling, shouldn’t it be inspiring more humility and curiosity?
PUFF
“… dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people.”
– The Great Dictator
acrid breath
of old age
elbows
of schoolboy thuggery
only lines short
lines small circle
of nose
no depth
two dimensional
no-man
one breath
stirs dust
you’re gone
& no
make-believe
imperial gown
will save you
now
From poetry collection ‘Dear Planet’, published by Fidessa Literary, July 2025.
CrackedCeiling 