The Bloody Ladder
Free Verse
We really must stop worrying about upward mobility
And start questioning the height of the bloody ladder
Isn't a certain consensus on this score quite firm?
All of the annoying, mundane details should not be this ravenous
For our time and energy and attention
Unusual prices for ordinary things
Make one feel gullible, no?
Having been had, one grows wiser
But more cynical: outrage and resignation are the primary settings
How do you persuade someone to relax
If the implausible crises continue to multiply
Everywhere
Right in front of us
No matter where we are
The news watches us
Watching the news
And the delivery gets calibrated
Based on our private information
Which is on the open market
The chefs change the dish, and we eat heartily
We don't care much about nutrition
Sometimes it is edifying, when the body betrays
It always does, as we do it
When you are reminded, every minute, that your minutes are limited
The cost of a choice is time
When you are afraid, you construe that as a stern nostrum
You conserve your choices, for each one is on the books, and the ledger is brief
There is an alternative to this reading
Make as many as you can while time remains
Time will dilate to accommodate the galaxy of your decisions
In a single, embarrassing afternoon
Or contract, to make the only one you've made in days
Seem like a button that will destroy or save a planet
Do not blithely endure
Insist upon the multiplication of your choices
By making each one with the mesmerizing grace of a meteor
Make them worth time's while
Speak
Write
Sing
Paint
Sculpt
Run
Vote
Cook
Dine
Any animal can eat
Immortalize your dissatisfaction with the status quo
In as many hearts as you can
About the Creator
D. J. Reddall
I write because my time is limited and my imagination is not.
Keep reading
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Comments (29)
Congrats on TS!! This says it all: Make them worth time's while
How true this is... I rarely watch the news, TV in general and have no desire to be snared in its chaotic sensationalistic grip- the less I know about the world, the more peaceful I am 😊 lovely work!
You've captured the anxieties of our modern world so well – the constant pressure, the fear of missing out, the feeling of being constantly observed and manipulated. Great job 👏🏽
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
'How do you persuade someone to relax/If the implausible crises continue to multiply' Great line! I wish it didn't resonate with me so much. I need to stop watching the news perhaps. Very deserving of a top story. Free verse is my weakness, so it's great for me to learn from.
'the chefs change the dish, we eat heartily' MY GOD
insane
Forgot to say, congratulations on your top story!! 💝🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉
Downright fantastic! You write formal poetry structures so well and then when you publish a free verse I'm blown away by your command of that too! The first two lines were the most brilliant stage for the rest of the poem to play out on! Congrats on a very well deserved Top Story, D.J.! And sorry I'm late!
👏 Yes!
Poignant and telling in these days we are living. Congratulations on TS🎉🎉
Beautiful!
There is nothing I can add to what has already been said. This is a very topical poem, so now. well done.
Such a meaningful and profound poem. Congratulations on the Top Story recognition - it’s much deserved.
Back to say congratulations on your top story 🎉 Truly deserving 👏
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Damn congrats on top story, those first two lines are, pardon the pun, poetic!
Uplifting, no pun intended. There is a quiet beauty to this piece, almost spiritual. Congratulations, well deserved
Not surprised seeing this here at the Top Spot, congrats on a very worth Top Story, sir!
Feels like a call to action in choice. So many great lines, like the news watching us, and this "By making each one with the mesmerizing grace of a meteor." Excellent work.
Dear god, that was good! So many lines with a punch. I second Darsheena, but the whole “cost of a choice” section is amazing
This is so thought-provoking! I love how you challenge the idea of chasing success and remind us to make every choice count. Such a powerful message!
Fantastic ♦️♦️♦️
Less media and more poetry! The conditioning is very strong and even when we are aware of it we like to let ourselves be lulled by it. I love your sharp lines.
The philosophical tension between resignation and empowerment runs throughout. Incredibly done, DJ! 💌