The night their souls were sold

This is written about a Dream I had last night, a poker game between 4 high rollers all gone wrong. one of those classic themes of greed and murder, and for some reason I thought it would go well as a poem so here is "The night their souls were sold". Enjoy!

The whiskey kept flowing,
and the cigar smoke crowds,
one swaying light,
burning and glowing
over four ornate men in a fight
betting and bluffing
with plotting and cunning
winning then losing
"check"
"check"
"I have a straight"
his stockpile restored,
his smile of gold
he waits to collect,
turn away, turn away, reflect,
on the night their souls were sold,

wide eyes beneath their glasses,
shifting and elusive
devious and bold
their actions
enticing, inviting
and desperately cold
calculated moves,
to throw their enemy astray,
"I call",
"I raise",
"I fold",
his chips reduced,
slowly wasted and tolled,
turn away, turn away, seduced,
on the night their souls were sold,

he loosens his tie
and slumps back in his chair
defeated, conquered
and with a poisonous stare
his eyes turn red
and he jumps to his feet
a gun clenched set,
the men bound backward
feeling the heat
1 shot
2 shots
3 shots
"you fold"
all night not a hand would hold up
but 3 dead and a pocket full of gold
turn away, turn away, deceased,
on the night their souls were sold.

Yes sir, No sir, Whatever you say sir.

Lieutenant War Puppet, reporting for duty sir.

Well, I found out today that a guy I knew, from my atrocious schooling days, has joined the army and is now in charge of a unit that is as I type raging war in Afghanistan. The person who told me seemed quite worried about him and as far as I could tell wanted me to shed some sympathy for him. But the thing is I can't. I don't feel anything even remotely close to sympathy or worry. Those are two of the many emotions I cannot grasp when talking about this war.

Maybe if he was conscripted or forced somehow to join the army it would be different, but the current war has been around for a long time now and when he signed his name along the dotted line he knew it was happening and knew he could be sent off to fight. So for that simple fact I can feel no sympathy nor worry, but of course, my views on the war and anyone involved are cynical at best. The ones I do feel sympathy for are the civilian loss, the unfortunate ones that that have lost loved ones due to act of war and those that were involved in conflicts with more cause or meaning. I feel nothing but respect for those who have fought for their land and liberty, human rights, fought for freedom and justice, against things like genocide and racism, oppression and militant conquest. Unlike today's "war on terror" where money and material gain seem to be at the forefront of motivation.

I guess my views on some things impede my ability to feel basic human emotions, but I know this is not uncommon among us mortals and I cannot change my views for the simple fact that some people want me to feel a certain way. Each to their own as they say so if this guy wants to become part of the monster slowly tearing the world apart then who am I to stop him, nay, who am I to give a fuck about him.

and now, a few quotes that I feel are relevant to this war:

- "Make the lie big, keep it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it" ~ Adolf Hitler.
- "Any excuse will serve a tyrant" ~ Aesop
- "This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; When he first appears he is a protector" - Plato
- "the world should take notice when someone...with a fanatic mind and with powerful means, receives his marching orders from heaven" ~ Rodrigue Tremblay
-"One reason why the United States finds itself at the edge of foreign policy disaster is its under informed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy." ~Stefan Halper and Jonathan Clarke
-"Everybody is worried about stopping terrorism, Well there's a real easy way: stop participating in it" ~Noam Chomsky.

M

Zeus Killed Salmoneus

Since I have been neglecting my other blog, Cynical, Bitter, Acrimonious , I thought I may begin fresh. Somehow I don't think this blog will be quite as anger filled as I will still use C.B.A as a blog for the more irate releases. Although I am still quite cynical, bitter and a little acrimonious, Zeus Killed Salmoneus will serve as an outlet for my alternate feelings and thoughts. Anyway, welcome and please enjoy.

M

The Things I Believe in (AKA The Pledge)

*raises glass*
I raise my head and my glass to toast: Cloudy days and Dark rainy nights, Caffeine, Globalisation, Females, Modernisation, Dexterity, Technology, Expansion, Medicine, Cigarettes, Ferocity, Anger, Sex, Freedom of speech, Freedom of choice, Alcoholism, Music, Movies, Humour, Les Claypool, Deftones, Pac man, Freud, Castro, Lenin, Guevara, Marx, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Kubrick, Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, Stan Lee, Scorpion, Dhalsim, Jin, Yoshi, Joe Pesci, George Carlin, Pterodactyls, Deadpool, Cartman and Kenny, Marv, The Joker, Mr Blonde, Dylan Moran, Pigsy, Darth Vader, Popeye, Optimus Prime, Homer and the Comic Book Guy, Myf Warhurst, Rasp, Al Bundy, Rufio (from HOOK not the terrible band), Atari, Vyvyan Rick Neil and Mike, Kevin Smith, Jay and the Doctor, Dr martins boots, Duke Nukem, Steve Buscemi, The 1993 Chigago Bulls, Verbal thrust, Ultra-violence, Porn, The waste, Irony, Cynicism, Pessimism, Hyper acidity, Hypertension, Fame, Fortune, Meditation, Aggravation, The inalienable right to thought, Honesty, Honour, History, To me, To you, To the end
*swigs drink*