Upsetting 'And' Appalling Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Expressing shock and dismay,
Over embarrassing conduct exposed...
By collegiate athletes.
Quickly removing their cleats...
To have discreet sex,
With paid prostitutes.
Has reduced them and their precious images,
From their gladiator pedestals.

And to think such high standards,
Executed by a marketing done...
Of a decadence anyone can get,
On their TV sets.
And freely obtained over the internet.
Or purchased on any street easily,
Is...
At best,
Upsetting 'and' appalling.

How and why can any of this,
Be solicited to corrupt the innocence...
Of our respecting and disciplined children?

How and why can any of this,
Slip by unnoticed...
As the doting concerns,
Of protective and value conscious parents...
Monitor with interest,
The future of their kids?

Upsetting 'and' appalling as this is,
There is definitely a conspiracy...
To undermine and smudge with a smearing,
Those high and lofty standards...
Embraced by those envious and jealous,
Of a quality of life all who uphold these truths...
To be self evident,
With such a sustaining willpower...
Is difficult for anyone to fathom.

Shocking has been the revelation,
Of such disturbing and jaw dropping news.