At first I thought, guns are designed to kill,
killing being their essential purpose,
twitchy triggers and bored barrels anxious
to thrust their loaded charges at something.
If they merely wound, then they fail the task,
albeit at hands a bit too shaky.
That's when those hands and my eye connected.
I saw, so are we — designed for killing:
bipedal stance a leg up on hunting,
with our oft-deadly knack for tool making.
These arms in blood-lusting grip, we follow
where our frothy appetites take us,
but sometimes those trails only lead us back
to ourselves, another kind of preying.
7 comments:
This is the 1st blog I've commented on in several months. Awesome poem, and quite a departure from your normal phraseology.
People are the ultimate weapon, their tools only extensions. BTW, I don't own a gun anymore.
Thanks Bobby... I take that as a huge compliment. This is a different style for me. I've been trying to play around with different forms and voices.
i like the questioning element of this poem... and the circle i'm drawn into...
though I don't know if I agree fully with the conclusions... some weapons are meant to wound, and to wound badly... this being more expensive and debilitating for an enemy...
but as far as the analysis of the human as the killing machine, i find it difficult to find fault with this logic in light of the barbarity in the world, and cruelty we perpetrate on ourselves...
@Jon My knowledge of types of guns isn't very extensive, so the logic of the wounding argument may not be air tight, but I think it's certainly true when the purpose of a gun is for hunting. An interesting question, which I don't have the answer to, is what the first gun was designed for... killing other humans or food.
After some brief research, it appears that the first guns, or antecedents of guns, were developed for war. There's something very significant about that fact.
Hmm, the driving force behind the italian renaissance was war I think. It's in the cracks we find humanity. Perhaps. I'm of the belief that humans would have killed off each other a long time ago. If it weren't for wine.
@Ande I agree with that hypothesis.
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