Gods Of Liberty Or Slavery

Gods Of Liberty Or Slavery
© Surazeus
2016 12 19

Since the Romans overthrew haughty kings
and voted for new leaders every year,
five hundred years of republican progress
passed before searing flames of civil strife
between the rich land-owners and poor workers
shattered public institutions of justice,
and brute dictators reigned with gold scepters
over vast empire for a thousand years.

Yet only half that time of peaceful growth,
since the Americans broke from their kings,
and voted for new presidents to rule
every four years over fifty wild states,
passed before searing flames of civil strife
between the rich land-owners and poor workers
shatter public institutions of justice,
and brute dictators reign with gold scepters
over world empire for a thousand years.

The god of justice, progress, truth, and light
contends to rule vast lands of working men
against the god of oppression, tradition,
lies, and darkness, fighting for souls of people
who choose which ambitious man will rule all,
the god of light giving us strength of courage
through vision of equality for all,
or the god of gloom taking all we made
then enslaving us to work for his wealth.

Some bold men who seize the scepter of power
destroy themselves and people of their empire
through arrogant lust to control all nature,
while other honest men with loving hearts
who accept the scepter of power with grace
through humble dedication to uphold
equal justice of human rights for all
create a better world for everyone
while guiding each person with gentle love
to learn special craft that flows from their hands
through humble desire to understand nature.

Our nations ever spin on wheel of change
when god of light and god of darkness fight
to rule empire with laws or selfish greed
embodied by people of mortal mind,
cooperating workers who create
or mindless slaves who long for liberty.

Contending gods of liberty or slavery
campaign across our land to win our hearts,
one offering liberty for every person
to craft works of art with creative hands,
the other offering slavery of all people
to work making wealth we never enjoy.

On cold misty morning I like to drink
ginger-tinctured hot chocolate that sparks dreams
of fairies before our world burns in war.