Tormented Love
by Ron Carnell
They came to Earth from distant stars,
Bright angels of the hidden skies,
Our brothers, sisters, from afar,
Their silken tongues wrapped round their lies.
Enchanted was their lilting voice,
Perfection surpassed was their form,
Seducing all of human choice,
Their peace the calm before the storm.
Three score and five they massed in all,
Dark angels from the darkest space.
Love their weapon and their call,
Nothing greater could we face.
Pheromones some few would say,
Telepathy some would contend,
Magic might have been their way,
It mattered not in tragic end.
Within a moon they ruled us all,
Directed, beckoned, with soft glove,
Like lemmings led to our own fall,
Fond victims of tormented love.
Our aged first to feel their sting,
No good purpose found could they serve,
So death was ordered on silent wing,
Euthanasia was the common word.
The feeble next and then the sick,
Pushed to their death by velvet glove,
We turned our eyes to who was picked,
Fond victims of tormented love.
Three years and one passed like a flood,
The angels spoke and all would bow,
They culled their herds with flowing blood,
Only the strong could serve them now.
In silent homage, still we served
Mystic angels from above,
Listening to their every word,
Fond victims of tormented love.
Our children next came to the fore,
Those born too small, infirm or weak.
And cries arose from those who bore
The effronteries of the meek.
More children died, more voices rang,
And angels moved to quell the tide.
But anger swelled and fiery sang
Of our approaching genocide.
The war was fought without a gun,
No thoughts of bombs above,
But bricks and bats and silent men
Reliving their tormented love.
Perfect voices spoke not words,
But screams that rent the night,
And perfect forms of perfect lords
Were shreds when came the light.
The angels learned what Earth could tell,
A tale of man's historic fate:
There's a fine line 'tween Heav'n and Hell
And finer still 'tween Love and Hate -
Tormented Love, Triumphant Hate.
Poem copyright © 1999 by Ron Carnell <rcarnell@voyager.net>
Illustration copyright © 1999 by Andrew G. McCann <andy@planetmag.com>
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