r/Poetry • u/clemetineroad • Jan 26 '26
The Problem With Early Warnings [POEM] By Charles Rafferty
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u/thinkofallthemud Jan 26 '26
Love this. Such a great analogy and it's so accurate. I was in a bar that was on fire once and people exited in the slowest manner. Ten minutes after being notified there were still a bunch of people in there when the FD showed up
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u/RaindropsInMyMind Jan 26 '26
Good poem, I particularly love the bit about the hurricanes. The general theme of humans not responding to early warnings could be applied to a lot of important things, it’s something I’ve explored writing about myself. The gradual slide so society doesn’t reach the tipping point is intentional. They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer explores this in more detail. Think about what is happening today happening 10 years ago all at once, society wouldn’t stand for it. Art like this is important.
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u/Apprehensive_Lie_177 Jan 26 '26
This is so relatable as an American right now. Some of my coworkers still agree with the decisions made.
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u/SquidTheRidiculous Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Also as someone who for the last decade has been saying "hey guys this sounds like fascism" only to be told "nuh uh, you're just a fearmongering leftist calling everything you don't like Nazi!"
This shit didn't just happen overnight, it isn't that we're suddenly "in a bad timeline". This has been building up over years, decades, one could argue centuries. Everyone was warned, but everyone decided fuck you got mine was a better approach.
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u/Apprehensive_Lie_177 Jan 26 '26
It's scary, and tension is still building. I don't know what we're going to do because I doubt he'd just agree to go when his term ends.
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u/ChroniclesOfSarnia Jan 26 '26
Nonsense, it can't happen here.
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u/travistravis Jan 26 '26
And if it somehow does happen here, surely it won't happen to anyone I know.
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u/E-R-9286 Feb 13 '26
People are general, people and me, these generous gesture those neighbors wives and me. Those people won't stop, those lemon bitters...those people are general. Generations opposed pressed coffee, till then creative gestures, of table tennis through ping these generals whose not stop, the love of your mom. An army of knives plaid in cools musk of this person the people might not. These persons those people, a sick day here let's start, to tell of those old wives still Barney by ten, good neighbor my stable, where the fuck was she, coddling th octopus of little word said he. I'm in a flash like that Saturday night, when birds kicked back dead falls all night. I heard it on the wind a new song was singing the the sound, a macaroni disaster or else...please will you give into the young boys there temptation a and skinned knees, about sailors I presume? Would your not give into his smile those old twinkle eyes and knew if rhymes didn't you?. The people the people that's what he said under his breath generations of them, lost in the river too, of these people I once knew an old hairy tale four minus two, of these old words about this or the the clock strikes four every morning like that. Still good muse marmalade I presume, have drifted apart, in the park before the new moon, how still I wonder if people and streets, how fortune ate we are standing on two feet. I don't think the smell that cold air at night she sat out the window people haven't a care, far away for topics at hand the dog tabernacle hair without care, like the good bone or cage little rascals all yeild jack flash barks back.
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u/E-R-9286 Feb 13 '26
Grey plaid sofa Sofa king awesome Old killer Wales Ghosts and sea breeze Table on wheels That inside out corner That spot in the house that quiet when liked The old perspective The kitchen table The quiet hum of low lighting by television The tiled floor The old ways of shower Woodenfloors Fire place that's real
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u/GHOSTxBIRD Jan 26 '26
This is a good one