Category Archives: sonnet law justice

‘Hikikomori’

Predators among us roam freely,

In search of ‘prey’:

Making lambs at mercy of wolves and hyenas of us all;

Suppressed instincts that never left us;

Corrosive tides and difficult lives,

Washing away disguises borne of lies;

Sated by voyeurism;

A precursor to a revival of barbarism;

Or, their modern equivalents:

A meditation of the withdrawn for some,

Known as ”Hikikomori’ in the East, and “Recluse” in the West;

Outlet for boredom and over-complications,

Morbid fascination turned perversion for others,

When, abnormal becomes the new normal,

And, drawn-out silences are shattered by blood-curdling shrill cries;

A chorus too frequent to be isolated,
Ineffectiveness prevails,

And, what justice there is:

Is delivered at the end of the barrel of a vigilante’s gun.

(In)Sanity of Men

The sanity of men is at borderline at best,

Patience is temporal,

Tolerance is a luxury;

Fairness is an illusion and justice is a delusion,

When gangs roam the streets with long-knives calling for blood,

No one knows the cause,

Some such thing or other,

Does it really matter? When mad men stalk your door;

Nowhere to hide, nowhere to go;

Except to resign your fate to the mob;

With heads bowed, for cruelty is at large;

Politicians are opportunists given a platform;

Never forget: Institutions, the courts, and all safeguards, are manned by men,

Capable of turning their backs for self-serving ends,

Leaders, lead as well as they mislead,

Those who thrive in times of luxury, will also end up victims in anarchy;

The divide is as thin as a sharpe blade that cuts both ways;

This is not a dystopia nor a post-apocalyptic scenario,

For, it isn’t like it hasn’t happened before, or will again(!)

Spy


Spy

Nothing is a surprise

Every action supplemented by-

Trickery, half-truths, feints, pretence & lies

Deniability, the weapon of choice-

Acquisition, strict control & protection of ‘controlled information’, their 24/7 obsession

Maintaining an inconsistent narrative (with hardly an affinity to fact or reality) under the guise of ‘plausibility’,

Overstating the one, undermining the other, whilst appearing to be neutral & maintaining detached professionalism to onlookers (when you’re anything but),

Professional deceivers, confidence men (and, women) of sorts!

You don’t think so? Arn’t you just the gullible sort!

Designed to conceal, cajole, embellish & undermine-

The primary tools in their belt of surprisingly few tools/resources, save a preponderance & an over saturation of lies ,

For us homosapiens have changed very little since the beginning of time!

Maintaining order, parliamentary democracy is their publically-avowed objective & purpose,

The truth however, is likely a little more complicated to be certain!

What means & methods are employed & margin of discretion entertained (like with all positions of authority) is likely very wide,

Dependent upon an individual’s grasp of what’s right, not, & propensity to tolerate lies,

I am not saying you cannot be a good man (or woman) or honourable and a spy,

But this necessary secrecy of their occupation is likely eroding their sense of self slowly from the inside;

A little more each day with each concealment & miss-direction, authorised,

Gradually, turning you into a hermit by stealth or borderline schizophrenic, over time,

Or, find comfort instead in your ‘tradecraft’-

By sharing your secrets among your inner circles, keeping to your codes and self-made rules:

Carefully designed to keep persistent questions at bay,

To buy you a restful night’s sleep,

To assure yourself that, by your actions; you were not a cruel man (or woman) yesterday, nor complicit in torture today,

All you have done is what is necessary (which another would have done in your place or had you passed up the opportunity),

And, you have the support & backing of your superiors at the HO, MoD & FCO!

That is all well & good, & I wish you a contended, un-interrupted, restful sleep if that is your view;

However, what happens on the day, when the rule of unintended consequences flies a spanner in the works of this well-oiled & practised machinery,

Laying bare all the titbits for public consumption?

Will they be delighted or find the whole affair distasteful?

Whatever their view, be sure to hear the clamour to the door as you absorb the pragmatic volt face in recrimination, of this erstwhile diligently practised stealthy art of war!

Broad Justice

I’ve heard it said that, ‘the law exists only for the good & law-abiding folk

It has also been said, ‘you can’t make money by following all the rules

You know as well as I, the truth likely lies somewhere between these two extremes

For the law is only a *process* (like joining a game of cards or pocker to break even or earn a buck), and *not* a means to an end

Vary your banter between the players, or up the ante (by playing  your best hand) right from the start,-

Unless you have the gift of foresight however, the result is *always* a gamble between: if you’ll turn up trumps or end up with naught!

Nothing man-made is perfect & I dare you to convince me that it is;

Broad justice is the aim of this game and  bear no qualms if what you end up with is not what you hoped it would be!