The Wreath Bearer

Beware the wreath bearer
All imperious and global
Religious and tribal
Upon a fatwa of murder
A binge of unbridled revenge
Piled upon the funeral pyre
Of a fire that never ends

Hell bent on destruction
The human bomb
High on the delusion
Of force fed martyrdom
Seeking a paradise spark
An eye for an eye
Stumbling in the dark
To a dire Armageddon

That bloodied bitch
That murderous wraith
Bearing the wreath
Of a mother’s grief
From a raped kibbutz
To a decimated Gaza
Do not let her madness
And her vile venom
That most bitter elixir
Become your master

Words & Images;
~ David B. Redpath © 2023

“You shall not commit murder
(unjustified, deliberate homicide).”

~ Exodus 20:13 (Amplified)

“And now you are cursed from the ground,
which has opened its mouth to receive your
brother’s [shed] blood from your hand.”

~ Genesis 4:11 (Amplified)

41 thoughts on “The Wreath Bearer”

  2. This is the second of your posts on the subject of (the glorification of war symbolized by) wreaths.
    Last time I wrote and thanked you also. Thank you. Last time you responded to say that you were a little nervous of having posted it because, I suppose (you did not say), wreaths are as popular as the glorification of war; and your position might be considered a minority, anti-patriotic position.
    But I agree with you. We live all our lives among statues and symbols and anthems glorifying war. We need a new vision. Thanks again. Sarah

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    1. Yes … Thank you, Sarah 🙏
      That was a few years back. Hard to
      believe that things have only gotten
      worse since then! This piece (that you
      kindly pinged back) was crying out for
      an update. I really hope that I never
      feel the need to do it again 🙏 ☮️ 🌍
      Tribalism going extreme, turbocharged
      by divisive religion, in the 21st century!
      Who could’ve possibly imagined?

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. Yes, I suspect that tomorrow’s terrorists
      (or freedom fighters, depending on who’s
      side you’re on) are now being forged in
      the fires of all out destruction.
      Perhaps the sooner Artificial Intelligence
      takes over from the human race the better
      since the Machine doesn’t have a religion,
      or a nation, to fight for? 🤔🕶️

      Liked by 1 person

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      2. Hal didn’t have the Elon/Off Switch ®.
        Elon Musk guarantees that Superficial
        Intelligence (humanity) will be safe
        from a malfunctioning maleficent
        Artificial Intelligence simply by having
        his latest On/Off device installed.
        What could possibly go wrong 🤔🕶️

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Truth is an arrow
      and the gate is narrow
      that it passes through
      He unleashed his power
      at an unknown hour
      that no one knew
      How long can I listen to
      the lies of prejudice?
      How long can I stay
      drunk on fear
      out in the wilderness?
      Can I cast it aside,
      all this loyalty and this pride?
      Will I ever learn
      that there’ll be no peace,
      that the war won’t cease
      until He returns?

      ~ Bob Dylan

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      Reply

  6. What a gorgeous and terrible blog, David! The loss of life and destruction going on in our world are overwhelmingly tragic! It’s so sad that humans injure and kill each other rather than heal. That we blow up cities rather than build. Civilians and children pay the price for revenge and conquest! Peace seems so elusive at this moment!

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    1. The whole situation in the Middle East
      has been a heartbreak since forever.
      As the song goes … “When two tribe go
      to war a point is all that you can score.”
      Yet, it is all so pointless. One side is
      offering nothing, and the other won’t
      concede a single thing. It all seems
      to be a flash back to a bygone age,
      when Crusaders and Muslims battled
      it out for sole ownership of Jerusalem.
      The name means ‘City of Peace’, yet
      from Old Testament times, it is the
      most fought over piece of real estate
      on the planet. Sadly, I think the die is
      being cast, and there’ll be no lasting
      peace … at least, not until the Prince
      of Peace returns ✝️
      Thanks for your heartfelt comment 🙏

      Liked by 2 people

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    1. Creation in Chaos
      Chaos in creation
      The world 🌍
      is a powder keg
      of tribal power
      grabbing at land
      that never before
      ever was theirs
      driven on
      by human greed
      the need to exceed
      turbocharged
      by an unholy blessing
      of political corruption
      from the false prophets
      of profit and loss
      lost in an endless maze
      of collateral damage
      never counting the cost
      of divisive religion
      Creation in chaos
      Chaos in creation

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Greatly appreciated, Jonathan 🙏
      Now that you mention Sir Bob,
      the Poet Laureate of Rock ‘n’ Roll,
      a few of his timeless words come
      to mind . . .

      The battle outside ragin’
      will soon shake your windows
      and rattle your walls
      for the times they are a-changin’

      ~ Bob Dylan

      Liked by 1 person

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  9. Pingback: “The Wreath Bearer”/David Redpath | By the Mighty Mumford

    1. Agreed. In my alienated opinion 👽
      the sooner you humans hand the whole
      situation over to Artificial Intelligence
      the better, as I’ve detected virtually no
      intelligence being utilized by anyone in
      this horrendous conflict.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Nitin.
      Having relatives who’ve been killed,
      injured, and imprisoned in the name
      of Imperial Colonial Tribalism (and
      even in the name of freedom), I felt a
      certain obligation to express my
      humble and futile opinion. If only
      words were more powerful weapons?

      Liked by 1 person

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