Treachery of the Common

Posted on by Reena Saxena

Numbers rule the world
votes, dollars, followers, likers
supported by those willing to hitch their lazy wagons
to a train perceived as driving to their destination

They keep running, following
leave competence, quality languishing
by the wayside; as equality overrides equity
-the capable are seen as impediments
on their quest for effortless success

invisible strings keep them apart
etching boundaries, stretching and contracting
to remain out of sight, but always in control
Power is a game of those who appear to be
always in your corner;
yet elusive, unresponsive

eyeballs, eardrums, fingers give power
every emoji drags them into camps
of power or power-seekers; and they yield ground
seeds sown to provide shade, till the axe falls
Power is a game of collusion-
join hands, suspend independent thought
or walk alone on dangerous paths
come to nought

Poetics Tuesday

W3 Prompt #172

Link from Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows for W3 prompt

48 thoughts on “Treachery of the Common”

  1. Pingback: Kumbaya! – 2nd December 2025 – 1994ever

  10. Reena, these games are dangerous for the players and the people being “played”! Power corrupts but so does the pursuit of power… Your poem lays it out in no uncertain terms! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

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  17. Power is a game of those who appear to be
    always in your corner;
    yet elusive, unresponsive

    Power is as power does, you’re right. The rest is empty rhetoric. Using power as a game is unethical at its foundation.

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