said Voltaire (or was it Ben Franklin)
"But are everywhere in chains"
a mans arrival is miraculous and joyous
his departure mundane and dolorous
changing mores and over-crowding
brings a pragmatic, populist propaganda
exhorting us to depart in flames
and not selfishly repose in dead centres
of increasing tackiness and size.
To those alive, give them the living space
and to others who follow the inevitable path
we come to the crux of this fact of death
that all men are cremated equal
1 comment:
Bernie, a great metaphoric statement.
In other words from the cradle to the grave we are created and cremated as equals.
It's the in-between years, maybe, that equality get a little fuzzy.
Bernie I may also be getting a tad pedantic, but what is the purpose of these exchanges, if not to share and learn. I trust you take it in the spirit of my inquisitive nature. It does reveal that I do take an interest.
Your 'quotation' works well in connecting us to the 'crux' of the matter, but as you, I didn't think it was Voltaire, but neither was it Franklin, to my surprise. I thought it was so, I went to 'Wikipedia' for some clarification. Here's what I found:
The quotation "All men are created equal" is arguably the best-known phrase in any of America's political documents, as the idea it expresses is generally considered the foundation of American government. Thomas Jefferson first used the phrase in the Declaration of Independence as a rebuttal to the going political theory of the day: the Divine Right of Kings. Jefferson borrowed the expression from an Italian friend and neighbor, Philip Mazzei,[1] as noted by Joint Resolution 175 of the 103rd Congress as well as John F. Kennedy in "A Nation Of Immigrants."[2] [3]
So there you have it, a bloody 'dago' said it.
Yours FRED
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