The Wreath Bearer

Beware the wreath bearer
All imperious and global
religious and tribal
upon a fatwa of murder
An unhinged binge
of revenge
piled upon revenge
A pyre of self destruction
The walking human bomb
high on the delusion
of force fed martyrdom
seeking a paradise spark
An eye for an eye
will only lead you
to stumble in the dark

That bloodied bitch
that murderous wraith
bearing the wreath
of a mother’s grief
from Christchurch
to Sri Lanka
Do not let her madness
and her vile venom
that most bitter of elixir
become your master

~ David B. Redpath © 2019


PhotoArt: david redpath © 2017-19

93 thoughts on “The Wreath Bearer”

      1. I was on a roll of well-deserved superlatives. It really meant a lot to read this. As a NZer and former Christchurch resident, I am deeply shocked and shaken and saddened by these recent events… shocked to my core. Thank you for writing and posting this, I think keeping these thoughts alive and coming together is so important at this time.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. The Christchurch atrocity was particularly
        shocking to me as I had lived on the South
        Island of New Zealand for a time, and in all
        my travels I’ve never known a more peaceful
        and idyllic place.
        True hate needs to be called out.
        Thanks again for your encouragement ✌️

        Liked by 1 person

      3. That you found the South Island of NZ such a peaceful place means so much, this is my home, and it is how I always hoped people would experience it. A feeling of safety and welcome, no matter… anything.
        Could not agree more, true hate needs to be called out.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Well done, David! But why only SL and NZ? They’re only the latest in a series of tragedies. Until all the world’s people don’t rise above “religion” and our narrow definitions, hope is all we’ve got, while we live in fear for our children.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Kunal 🙏
      And yes, the list of atrocities is far to long
      to mention. Man’s inhumanity towards
      his fellow man , a sad and broken history,
      just keeps on repeating. But I have faith
      that there is always hope, and that love
      will shine the way.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      4. “Difficult to see. Always in motion
        the future is.” ~ Yoda

        “The ice age is coming,
        the sun is zooming in
        Engines stop running,
        the wheat is growin’ thin
        A nuclear era, but I have no fear
        ‘Cause London is drowning, and I,
        I live by the river” ~ The Clash

        “Well, I’ve been to London
        and I’ve been to gay Paree
        I’ve followed the river
        and I got to the sea
        I’ve been down on the bottom
        of a world full of lies
        I ain’t looking for nothing
        in anyone’s eyes
        Sometimes my burden
        seems more than I can bear
        It’s not dark yet,
        but it’s getting there” ~ Bob Dylan

        Something new always arises from the ashes.
        I just hope it ain’t mutant zombies 😎

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Some people treat others as equals. Then, there are those who treat other people as if they are explosives, waiting to be set off by acts of violence. They don’t want power. They wouldn’t know what to do with it. They just want everyone else to be as angry as they are.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. The superficial division that seperate us
      are being manipulated with great purpose.
      Yes, hate begets hate. And angry men, no doubt,
      will rampage again, and again.
      But I do believe that eventually, finally,
      … love will conquer all.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. I wasn’t going to leave a comment because I was going to leave you in peace, but I’ve been asked to change my mind.
    Armageddon is already happening. Oh so Silently and Insidiously only WE can tell the Difference between GOOD & Evil now.
    Being sane is a big challenge to your own KIND MINDS that deal with such Atrocities without resorting to WAR, just like our SOULS who once DIED in VAIN.
    So
    Do as you would be done by
    many times back stabbed, defeat
    Turn the other cheek
    and repeat, and repeat
    Futility as Rage replaces Grief.
    XX-me XY-you goodbye ID YY.
    Do as you would be done by grew
    into an XMass wish coming true
    Planetary systems know what to do
    to give each what each gave
    Mind-mapping? true
    Destinations’ journeys start
    now the Gas-Clouds are ready
    Evil-MINDS depart
    via a Blackhole
    called Acheron.
    (Artists see all the colours
    of our World’s SPECTRUM
    in Everything
    don’t they David X)
    Sibyl X

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you Sibyl for sharing that 🙏
      All I can think of in response is a verse
      from my favourite Rock ‘n’ Roll prophet 😎

      “I heard the sound of a thunder,
      it roared out a warnin’
      Heard the roar of a wave
      that could drown the whole world
      Heard one person starve,
      I heard many people laughin’
      Heard the song of a poet
      who died in the gutter
      Heard the sound of a clown
      who cried in the alley
      And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall”
      ~ R. A. Zimmerman

      Like

      Reply

      1. ?
        So I’ll leave you in the safe hands of your Rock ‘n’ Roll prophets.
        Prophesies:
        In the past, what went around came around providing Hindsight’s evolutionary interventions a chance to limit the damage…
        And hard rains fall
        And a hard Reign refuses to fail
        By Reining in the Mighty Beasts Rage
        We will show our Might and Main. XXX

        Liked by 1 person

      2. And from Bob, a final encore …

        “Señor, señor,
        I can see that painted wagon
        Smell the tail of the dragon
        Can’t stand the suspense any more
        Can you tell me who
        to contact here, señor?
        Well, the last thing I remember
        before I stripped and kneeled
        Was that trainload of fools
        bogged down in a magnetic field
        A gypsy with a broken flag
        and a flashing ring
        He said, “Son, this ain’t a dream
        no more, it’s the real thing”
        ~ Bob Dylan

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I meant to add, the real thing is seen in all ARTWORKS. A real BATTLE of WITS shows it’s MIGHT. How else will we know we’re Protected, as the ENEMY’S Fooled by DECEIT’S VICE. XYZ.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Pingback: The Wreath Bearer – Vin de Vie Wine of Life

  9. I want to believe in the nobility of the human spirit. I want to believe
    that mankind is essentially good and that the horror I see and the
    horrors I hear about are simply the last cries of a dying spectre that
    haunted our fragile globe for just to long. I want to believe that
    we are about to peel off the mask with which this spiteful god has been
    frightening us. I want to believe that we will not dance on his defeated
    rotting body for that would grant him victory in death. I want to
    believe that we will peel away the masks with which we frighten each
    other. I want to believe that no new spectre will replace the one that
    died and that we can stand alone and respect one another, love one
    another, respect and cherish life in all its shapes and sizes while
    continuing to evolve. I want to believe that mankind will never be too
    arrogant to abandon its quest for an ultimate answer. I want to believe
    that this ultimate answer remains a simple question. I want to
    believe that even I could answer this question. I want to believe all of
    these things. I want to believe all of these things and more. But you’ve
    caught me at a bad moment and I can’t.
    A Velvet Resurrection — The Legendary Pink Dots

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Imagine … just a lifetime
      in a crushed velvet underground
      to glimpse a love resurrection
      in the midst of personal apocalypse

      “Weeping like the ghost of winter,
      we watch our tears
      kiss ash and turn to steam.
      We walk on hot coals
      where a stream meandered.
      Tarred and tanned.
      We flex and count the tumours
      on our hands–spreading swiftly now.
      For this, we waited just a lifetime.
      Sun blessed mirror shaded mad dogs.
      Blow a kiss
      we’ll all fall over.”
      ~ The Legendary Pink Dots
      (Just a Lifetime)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  11. Pingback: The Wreath Bearer — David Redpath – Vin de Vie Wine of Life

    1. You’re very welcome, Janet🙏
      The mere mention of the West Coast, in this
      context, reminds me of a Donovan song …

      “To Susan on the West Coast waiting,
      From Andy in Vietnam fighting.
      I’m writing a note beneath a tree,
      The smell of the rain on the greenery.
      Our fathers have painfully lost their way,
      That’s why, my love, I’m here today
      Hear me when I say there will come a day
      When Kings will know and love can grow.”
      ~ Donovan Philips Leitch

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. I totally agree, Rosaliene. But from Athena
      to Britannia, men have made use of the
      feminine image of a War Goddess to spur
      on the fervour of bloodlust. Throughout
      history, rape, looting, and the taking of slaves, has been synonymous with war.
      In light of the recent events in Iraq & Syria,
      it would seem, sadly, nothing has changed.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. Thank you muchly, Charlie …
      It would be something good
      to break free of the ancient chains
      of human history. Sad but true.
      As the flame of creativity
      burns brightest
      when igniting something new 🔥

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thank you very much, Kathy.
      Humanity does has a tragic habit of
      repeating history. Respectfully, I might
      suggest all war memorials should have
      a sign erected, flashing in bright neon,
      “STAY TUNED . . .
      FOR THE NEXT BIG INSTALLMENT!”

      Like

      Reply

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