THE PATTERN OF INTELLECTUAL DESPOTS

They expected others,
Parents, friends, in-laws, older widows,
To pay for their stuff and reassure them of their genius.
When they didn’t get what they needed they discarded them.
They craved recognition, fame and power
And were sure of their moral superiority.
They had no capacity to understand family,
Or the uniqueness of another individual human person,
Some gave their babies to orphanages,
Or abused everyone in their lives.
Yet we listened to them, read their stuff,
Fostered revolutions and in some cases,
Decided to kill each other in their name.
There’s no getting around it,
Filled with desire,
We can be fooled,
Sometimes, easily.
So be careful out there,
The world of ideas is fraught with danger,
Some just waiting to carry you away,
From what you know to be true.