This poem looks steadily at a form of
moral blindness that refuses self-reflection.
It is not written to inflame anger, but
to trace how cruelty, when left unnamed and unexamined, turns inward and
destroys the very person who wields it.
What follows is a meditation on
accountability, denial, and the inevitable consequences of living without
ethical awareness.
The Fate of the Contemptible
There is no word for contemptible
in this man’s
vocabulary.
The very concept is missing.
So even when it is pointed out,
he cannot comprehend it.
He is called to account for his
contemptible words and deeds.
When criticized, he doubles down with
arrogance.
Thus, to point it out
is to pour oil on the fire.
There is no anti-moral restraint called
contempt
within him.
Acts of contempt are carried out without
hesitation.
So even when exposed,
he proceeds as if nothing were wrong.
His contempt invites harsher retribution.
He reacts excessively, choosing only
hostility.
Thus, to confront him
is to unleash further recklessness.
The more contemptible the man,
the more he exaggerates his own
righteousness.
With venomous speech and fear,
he rules through self-righteous domination.
Resistance is worn down,
and people submit without a fight.
The contemptible destroy themselves,
unable to recognize their own baseness.
They perish in hatred born of persecution.
They are ultimately condemned
as wretched and inhuman beings.