Beware, all you democracies,
Read well this planet’s histories!
When violence surpasses beauty,
And apathy replaces duty,
Morality becomes liscentiousness,
And sloth surpasses wariness,
Then even prideful patriotism
Can turn to blind fanaticism.
A leader, popular and charismatic,
With glib words, false and acrobatic,
Can take your weak democracy
And make of it a tyranny.
2005
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I love this! I came across this while looking for a poem to do an analysis on. Excellent use of vocabulary, and I love how well the dissonance makes the poem feel harsh. Overall just a compact, clever, well written piece. Glad I found it. And I made this account just so I could tell you this. Hope you read it.