Snowstorms

by Derek Morrison

Snowflakes falling on Ivory Tower
Privileged pressure exerting power
Primed for insult and outrage too
Detecting heretics from any clue
Exorcise those now deemed incorrect
Such bygone stars deserve no respect
So only safe ideas can they exchange
All falling within the comfort range
Learning only where none feels hurt
With no requirement to explore the dirt
In building silos of righteous thought
Militant intolerance has been wrought
Divergent opinions now shut down
For new Puritans to claim the crown
Proclaiming safe speech they defend
But thought-crime is the actual trend
New Hate Weeks they now opine
Defining those that crossed the line
No platforms; don’t hear them speak
Drowning message with shout and shriek
And what Trojan is this free speech zone?
This meme nursery, where weeds are sown
Establish new orthodoxy; apply the codes
Whims and affectations travel scholar’s roads.

[To listen to this verse select below]

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Burns Elimination

Consider first this small extract from the original Death and Dr Hornbook by Robert Burns, written in 1785 (Source: BBC)

Ev’n them he canna get attended,
Altho’ their face he ne’er had kend it,
Just shite in a kail-blade, an’ sent it,
As soon’s he smells ‘t,
Baith their disease, and what will mend it,
At once he tells ‘t.

Re-interpretation and translation by Derek Morrison (2017)

Now death is circling overhead
Physician cannot reach his bed
Although patient he has never seen
Sends specimen for expert screen
He smells the foetid mass and smiles
No death gateway here; only piles.

But embedded in the bowels of Burns’ satirical poem – which on the surface is about a doctor cheating death by employing, apparently, an 18th century version of telemedicine – lies a more serious matter. The polemic in the commentary section highlights this [select Continue Reading].

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Big Brother

by Derek Morrison

Big Brother graffiti in France

Now in any space or event
Big Brother can watch you vent
Whether you’re inside, or outdoor
There’s no hiding place any more
Meteor strike or plane crash
All now captured from the dash
And if you cause some offence
Big Brother has the evidence
A fleeting moment of no constraint
But a lifetime to feel the taint
Your unwilling spot as YouTube star
Shows the world you went too far
The virtual mob smelt the blood
A comment trickle became a flood
A social position once enjoyed
Social media forever destroyed
Ninety Eighty Four has passed
Dystopian fiction it was classed
Big Brother defined what was true
Now Big Brother, is me and you.

[To listen to this verse select below]

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