{"id":310008,"date":"2025-12-22T12:00:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=310008"},"modified":"2025-12-16T02:05:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:05:11","slug":"three-poems-of-struggle-against-the-dying-of-the-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/12\/three-poems-of-struggle-against-the-dying-of-the-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Poems of Struggle against \u2018The Dying of the Light\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

15 Dec 2025 –\u00a0These three recent poems of mine are a humble seasonal offering that is both alarmed by the ambience of darkness and encouraged by glimmers. Poetry is also my mode of speaking when normal language is stymied by unspeakable happenings. For me, poetry–whether read or written–is a valuable resource. I self-published a book of poems a few years ago with the title <\/em>Waiting for Rainbows-I Find Myself still Waiting-Read with Gentle Eyes.<\/p>\n

\n

*******************************<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The End of the Road?<\/strong>
\n19 Aug 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

I yearn to know
\nthe future
\nand yet
\nmy dreams
\nseem grayer
\nthan an overcast sky
\ncrystal balls
\nroll toward
\nthe sea
\nclouded over
\nof no use
\na captivity of time
\nthou shall not
\npass this gate
\nnow never
\nthou shall not
\nKNOW
\nCondemned to die
\nAt this gate
\nbarring entry
\nghosted by
\neternal
\ncuriosity
\nWhat is to come
\nwill be foretold
\nafter a light
\nfrom above
\nor within
\nshines green
\nby day
\nand night
\nthrough all
\nseasons
\nat the end of the road
\nwhere you
\nwill be
\nwaiting
\nand only
\nfor me<\/p>\n

**********************<\/p>\n

Aspiring Royalism<\/strong>
\n21 Sep 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

As if a crown prince<\/p>\n

impatient<\/p>\n

for a crown to<\/p>\n

fall from heaven<\/p>\n

a dark miracle<\/p>\n

landing on his head<\/p>\n

Not accidentally<\/p>\n

Nor dynastically<\/p>\n

The American way<\/p>\n

stealth and wealth<\/p>\n

overt crime<\/p>\n

as needed<\/p>\n

Upending history<\/p>\n

is part of the story<\/p>\n

after all<\/p>\n

if the Confederacy<\/p>\n

is reborn<\/p>\n

Why not the American Revolution<\/p>\n

an outworn pride<\/p>\n

to restore the worst<\/p>\n

to renounce the best<\/p>\n

Keeping the pomp<\/p>\n

hiding the circumstance<\/p>\n

indulging in state dinners<\/p>\n

while being indulged<\/p>\n

By the ghost royalty<\/p>\n

of a dying kingdom<\/p>\n

and dying king<\/p>\n

the pageantry<\/p>\n

alone survives<\/p>\n

This is America<\/p>\n

where kings ascend the throne<\/p>\n

by stealth and wealth<\/p>\n

No need for coronations<\/p>\n

or dynastic entitlements<\/p>\n

in MAGA Amerika<\/p>\n

Enough to glow<\/p>\n

in pale light<\/p>\n

cast by reigning<\/p>\n

oligarchs<\/p>\n

Reinventing<\/p>\n

the glitter with guns<\/p>\n

swag and swagger<\/p>\n

of salutes and sheiks<\/p>\n

Farewell to nightmares<\/p>\n

of freedom and equality<\/p>\n

diversity inclusion<\/p>\n

remembering forgetting<\/p>\n

At this time<\/p>\n

once proud citizens<\/p>\n

bend their knees<\/p>\n

comply by plunder<\/p>\n

This is not America<\/p>\n

This is the New America<\/p>\n

Like the New Middle East<\/p>\n

The sun no longer rises<\/p>\n

Over deserts of the spirit<\/p>\n

Darkness prevails<\/p>\n

glimmers of light<\/p>\n

here and there<\/p>\n

signposts of hope<\/p>\n

Awaiting coronations<\/p>\n

of evil before<\/p>\n

the next dawn<\/p>\n

**********************<\/p>\n

Advice to a Novice Poet<\/strong>
\n15 Dec 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

Why waste words seeking truth<\/p>\n

or beauty<\/p>\n

on these arid<\/p>\n

starless nights<\/p>\n

My ancient brain<\/p>\n

instructs<\/p>\n

My heart shuts down<\/p>\n

as storm clouds<\/p>\n

Gather above the earth<\/p>\n

hauntingly<\/p>\n

Dooming human destiny<\/p>\n

endangered<\/p>\n

As never before<\/p>\n

even more<\/p>\n

As endangered as<\/p>\n

snow leopards<\/p>\n

With no church bells ringing<\/p>\n

stillness seems better<\/p>\n

Hanging out in gardens<\/p>\n

clinging to solitude<\/p>\n

On lookout for wildfires<\/p>\n

here and there<\/p>\n

Daydreaming about truth and trust<\/p>\n

amid lies and bluffs<\/p>\n

While mighty men play losers poker<\/p>\n

with our future<\/p>\n

Grifters who rarely smile<\/p>\n

preside prevail<\/p>\n

Claiming their toxic farts<\/p>\n

a rare perfume<\/p>\n

Always performing<\/p>\n

partying at gallows<\/p>\n

Satanic antics beneath<\/p>\n

a blood-stained moon<\/p>\n

__________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Prof. Richard Falk is a member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Media Service<\/em><\/a> Editorial Committee, Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, Chair of Global Law, Faculty of Law, at Queen Mary University London, Research Associate the Orfalea Center of Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Fellow of the Tellus Institute. He directed the project on Global Climate Change, Human Security, and Democracy at UCSB and formerly served as director the North American group in the World Order Models Project. He also is a member of the editorial board of the magazine <\/em>The Nation. Between 2008 and 2014, Falk served as UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Occupied Palestine. His book,\u00a0<\/em>(Re)Imagining Humane Global Governance\u00a0(2014), proposes a value-oriented assessment of world order and future trends. His most recent books are\u00a0<\/em>Power Shift\u00a0(2016);\u00a0<\/em>Revisiting the Vietnam War\u00a0(2017);\u00a0<\/em>On Nuclear Weapons: Denuclearization, Demilitarization and Disarmament\u00a0(2019); and\u00a0<\/em>On Public Imagination: A Political & Ethical Imperative, ed. with Victor Faessel & Michael Curtin (2019).\u00a0He\u00a0is the author or coauthor of other books, including\u00a0<\/em>Religion and Humane Global Governance\u00a0(2001),\u00a0<\/em>Explorations at the Edge of Time\u00a0(1993),\u00a0<\/em>Revolutionaries and Functionaries\u00a0(1988),\u00a0<\/em>The Promise of World Order\u00a0(1988),\u00a0<\/em>Indefensible Weapons (with Robert Jay Lifton, 1983),\u00a0<\/em>A Study of Future Worlds\u00a0(1975), and\u00a0<\/em>This Endangered Planet\u00a0(1972).\u00a0His memoir,\u00a0<\/em>Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim\u00a0was published in March 2021 and received an award from Global Policy Institute at Loyala Marymount University as \u2018the best book of 2021.<\/strong>\u2019 He has been nominated frequently for the Nobel Peace Prize since 2009.<\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 richardfalk.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

15 Dec 2025 –\u00a0A humble seasonal offering that is both alarmed by the ambience of darkness and encouraged by glimmers. Poetry is also my mode of speaking when normal language is stymied by unspeakable happenings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":309680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[868,944,70],"class_list":["post-310008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry-format","tag-poetry","tag-richard-falk","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310008"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":310012,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310008\/revisions\/310012"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}