Sunday 24 November 2013

And Then They Came



July the fifth
and I scribe in his name
in ink and hope
and think I’ll go mad;
a whole month to wait
before we meet,
before we meet
on that dreadful day. 

This date has significance,
for him for me,
a sad anniversary of a time
when fate decreed
we both should be there
upon that street,
upon that street
when strangers came.

They came in ships
of brilliant gold,
the skies their sea
this Earth their shore
and how in awe we were
of tales they told
of how they would set us free,
release us from this hell of war.

We weary of the battle then
welcomed them with open arms,
these saviours from some distant world
who would quell our pain
and free us from our Earthly bonds
and they whispered in our ears their names
and their names are Yutha Nasia.

Twas some time ‘fore we realised
on some dreadful dawn
that although we, imperfect born,
deserved and so desired to live.
Yet Earth had changed
lost all humanity 
and man joined Yuthas’  battle cry:
Give the marred their rights 
and let them die!

Twas soon we lost all hope
as mankind slid down the slippery slope, 
and now we have no rights at all
and today we both received the call
and soon we shall be no more
as death waits for us at the door,
the door of Yutha Nasia.

Anna :o]

Victoria at dVerse asks us to consider time.  She writes:

Today, I invite you to consider calendars. You might want to look at your own Planner from 2013, choose a day and let it tell you a story. Or maybe, check out a wall calendar and let the art speak out to you (I’m looking at a little-known painting by van Gogh as I write this.) Consider time. What messages do you receive from the changing seasons? If you’re into astrology, perhaps you will find inspiration in one of the signs…your own or a loved one’s? How has the passing of the years (otherwise known as aging) affected or changed you?

I keep neither calendar nor diary as I just remember everything.  Well not strictly true as I forget birthdays and anniversaries’ – even forgot my son’s birthday twice – how bad is that.  But everything else I remember. 
So I just wrote a date and let it take me where it wanted – although I never expected where it took me.

I have great concerns regarding the slippery slope of what euthanasia has become and I may or may not have witnessed non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia.  Further reading can be found below.


Image: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The euthanasia machine was created by Dr Philip Nitschke   

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is a very thoughtful and well written piece. I do support euthanasia but yes, it is a very controversial topic. You have well created a setting expressing it all.
-HA

Anonymous said...

Anna, thought-provoking. (There used to be a (several?) punk rock bands named Youth in Asia, which is an entirely different concept.) Well-crafted ~

Brian Miller said...

great play on words there in the end...yutha nasia...smiles...yes, it is a scary and very slippery slope...i was thinking you were mixing this prompt with last week, expecting aliens at first...ha...but much more ...

Victoria said...

I so agree, Anna. It is a slippery slope. Having worked in hospice, I believe no one should die a painful death and there are ways to manage pain and other symptoms. That being said, I can't judge. It's a difficult decision. Your poem so well expresses the dilemma.

Anonymous said...

Excellent Anna ~ this should bring much discussion. A slippery slope ~ sometimes placed too far back of the playground.
I am in favour ~ I do not think any other human-being has the right to say when another should leave our earthly coil. Brave and powerful write.

Claudia said...

ugh...you chose a difficult subject...but so well written...i remember when i was a teen we discussed it in school during religion lessons.. it is a very slippery slope..

Preeti S. said...

Brilliant take on the prompt. Loved it.

Jyoti Mishra said...

very serious topic..
liked the way how mingled it in your poetry..

In India we have no rules that legalize it.. though some people are demanding it.. as pointed out.. slope can be very slippery and steep

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you wrote this. Euthanasia is such a tender topic, avoided too much in a time when the practical and financial necessity of it grows amid an aging population. What is the balance, where do we err? What is the promise, what is the lie? No way we'll ever know such things unless poems like this raise their ladders. -- Brendan

brudberg said...

A very important thought and I agree a slippery slope indeed.. the way you almost dressed it in terms of some Science Fiction made me glad too.. he he.. the golden ships..

Thank you for sharing this Anna...

Janine Bollée said...

You're taking us on a somber journey today. Well, most days really ;-), but this one is perplexing and frightening, even more than usual.
You're making us aware of this imminent turn in basic human attitude, to a new, money-driven permission to make and take away life, at will.
But whose will??
Scary is getting scarier.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

A slippery slope indeed but you really did a fantastic job here. As always.

Tigerbrite said...

A sombre subject beautifully done. Very thought provoking.

Tigerbrite said...

A sombre subject beautifully done. Very thought provoking.

Laurie Kolp said...

Such a lyrical treat. Happy Thanksgiving, Anna!

ayala said...

Beautifully penned, Anna.

Anonymous said...

Very thought provoking poem.

Gabriella said...

You have raised a difficult issue here Anna.

billgncs said...

funny how we value convenience above all things, even the old.

TCPC said...

very evocative!

Jenny Woolf said...

I used to be idealistic and believe that people would never inflict euthanasia on those who did not wish it or deserve it. I am older and wiser now. It is a very hard topic to think about, because it is also very hard to see the suffering of people who really do want to die.

Heidi said...

How did I miss this beautiful and scary poem? I am so conflicted about euthanasia. I see the pros, but there are so many cons. When my Emma first got sick, I was strongly urged to put her to sleep. Instead, I took her home and she started eating again and recovered and lived for two more years. The vet, when trying to convince me that it was time, said that he wished he could have done the same for his mother when she was sick. The whole experience kind of changed my thinking.