New poem: "The Banality of Evil"

 

 

The Banality of Evil

 

Who are these agents of chaos who walk

among us like you and me sowing discord

with fake smiles and think nothing of the harm

they do to the order of things, ordinary people

in high and low places who don’t answer

to anyone but their own malevolence? What

order of god do they serve? Are they not aware

of the harm they do to their children? Are

they so blind that they cannot see the disorder

they bring to the system? Can’t they see that

they impair themselves more than you and me?

What kind of people would do this? Did nature

go wrong with these people? Are they puppets

on a string who say things they don’t mean

but can’t say no to whoever’s pulling their string?

Have they forfeited their conscience for selfish

interest? They have free will, don’t they? Do

they willfully choose self-deception over telling

the truth? Is this what Hannah Arendt meant

by the banality of evil? They puzzle me,

these ordinary people.

 

Composed in Tiny Beaches,

Georgian Bay, Southcentral, Ontario

Friday, November 1, 2024