Before the terror comes the
tyranny.
A bloodstained flower has roots in bloodstained
soil.
Some would steal the fruit of others' toil,
Then claim it as a right of property.
In revolutions, though, if chaos reigns,
Legitimacy is lost, and many will
Look back with less distaste at former ill,
Eager more for order than for gains.
Days of terror yield dictators new,
As the many yield power to the few,
Yearning for the clarity of chains.
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.
