shockwave aria

(after Jenny Holzer)

abuse of power comes as no surprise.
slower than empires, yes, but so more vast.
first, hope is killed. then, disappointment dies.

the latter is the greater loss, I realize:
hope is fragile. disappointment's meant to last. 
yet hope is killed, and disappointment dies.

all great disasters try to happen twice
at least. this is my lesson from the past:
abuse of power comes as no surprise.

when sorrows come, they come not single spies
but in batallions; and thus amassed
they can make sure that disappointment dies.

this is crucial: disappointment best supplies
that what we call 'resistance'. if it's crushed,
abuse of power can be no surprise.

when cruelty can come in the diguise
of habit – who could stop, could grasp its blast?
first, sense is killed. then, disappointment dies.
abuse of power reads as no surprise.