{"id":16358,"date":"2026-06-14T07:09:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T05:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/?p=16358"},"modified":"2026-06-18T20:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T18:11:15","slug":"poem-by-thomas-piekarski","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/?p=16358","title":{"rendered":"poem by Thomas Piekarski"},"content":{"rendered":"

Corpus Mundi <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Nietzsche and Me<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    After thundershowers<\/p>\n

    an array of autumn colors<\/p>\n

    paints the wetted landscape<\/p>\n

    of the entire Gold Country.<\/p>\n

    And variously the sun<\/p>\n

    pierces a bright topaz sky<\/p>\n

    as clouds scurry eastward<\/p>\n

    in the clutch of stiff winds,<\/p>\n

    those dark clouds bound<\/p>\n

    to dust Tahoe with snow.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    In intercourse <\/em><\/p>\n

    with scholars and artists<\/em><\/p>\n

    one often makes mistakes\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

    of opposite kinds: <\/em><\/p>\n

    in a remarkable scholar <\/em><\/p>\n

    one not infrequently finds<\/em><\/p>\n

    a mediocre man; <\/em><\/p>\n

    and often even<\/em><\/p>\n

    in a mediocre artist one finds<\/em><\/p>\n

    a very remarkable man.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    Values we consider sacred<\/p>\n

    increasingly in distress.<\/p>\n

    The president burdens us<\/p>\n

    with sanctimonious lies,<\/p>\n

    and in defiance threatens<\/p>\n

    our institutions, ushering<\/p>\n

    democracy\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Around the hero everything becomes<\/em><\/p>\n

    a tragedy; around the demigod<\/em><\/p>\n

    everything becomes a satyr-play;<\/em><\/p>\n

    and around God everything becomes<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2014what? perhaps a \u201cworld\u201d?\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    Thinking she has every right<\/p>\n

    the lady across the hallway<\/p>\n

    walks our apartment corridor<\/p>\n

    in blonde wig and panties as if<\/p>\n

    oblivious of the Alzheimer\u2019s<\/p>\n

    or maybe on a sleepwalk.<\/p>\n

    Insanity in individuals is <\/em><\/p>\n

    something rare, but in groups, <\/em><\/p>\n

    parties, nations and epochs<\/em><\/p>\n

    it is the rule. <\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    The nation\u2019s credit card maxed out,<\/p>\n

    debt high as Everest and mounting,<\/p>\n

    yet we fund awful foreign wars<\/p>\n

    while millions live in abject poverty.<\/p>\n

    The stress this causes the populace<\/p>\n

    prompts consternation and violence,<\/p>\n

    the mastodon in man reminiscent<\/p>\n

    of dinosaurs devouring one another.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    He who despises himself<\/em><\/p>\n

    nevertheless esteems himself <\/em><\/p>\n

    thereby as a despiser.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    Steep rise in eugenic hysteria<\/p>\n

    among Americans and abroad.<\/p>\n

    Militias swelling across Germany,<\/p>\n

    Aryan revival, adulation of Hitler.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    He who fights with monsters<\/em><\/p>\n

    should be careful lest he thereby<\/em><\/p>\n

    become a monster. And if thou<\/em><\/p>\n

    gaze long into the abyss, the abyss<\/em><\/p>\n

    will also gaze into thee.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    Foreign sites including TikTok<\/p>\n

    pour rancid misinformation into<\/p>\n

    the brains of our kids. I find this<\/p>\n

    unnerving and highly uncouth.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    Not only our reason but also our <\/em><\/p>\n

    conscience truckles to the strongest <\/em><\/p>\n

    impulse\u2014the tyrant in us.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    The Mexican woman two doors down<\/p>\n

    who gabs to friends in fluent Spanish<\/p>\n

    walks her skittish little curly-haired<\/p>\n

    black doggie. While I approach it<\/p>\n

    hops, frantic, yips at me with joy.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    What is done out of love always<\/em><\/p>\n

    takes place beyond good and evil.<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Just Don\u2019t<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t share your humdrum secrets,<\/p>\n

      they\u2019ll only make me yawn.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t fabricate ludicrous theories<\/p>\n

      and try to slip them past me.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t burn with hate every time<\/p>\n

      somebody proves you wrong.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t mock others when it\u2019s you<\/p>\n

      has so much work to do.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t grope over false hope<\/p>\n

      that will never get any better.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t attempt to debate<\/p>\n

      out of a dead-end cave.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t relapse when bombs drop<\/p>\n

      and everyone else is splattered.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t go on spouting crazy talk<\/p>\n

      unless you expect me to balk.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t be too hard on yourself<\/p>\n

      like a novice taking bad advice.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t hesitate to assist the infirm<\/p>\n

      even if it\u2019s only a worm.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t buy in to flimsy inferences<\/p>\n

      that flourish within your mind.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t undermine the majority<\/p>\n

      thinking it a gateway to glory.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t pine for past experience<\/p>\n

      absent from distant memory.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t salute the vile antichrist,<\/p>\n

      sucked in by his credo of vice.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t run with rogues who won\u2019t<\/p>\n

      live in peace, responsible and sane.<\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t lecture me that time flies<\/p>\n

      unwilling to compromise.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Cogito Incognito<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

        I would find it impossible to soar<\/p>\n

        like a cannonball through the void<\/p>\n

        or take a steam boat into hereafter.<\/p>\n

        I doubt improbable causes as I do<\/p>\n

        rhetorical psychobabble spewed<\/p>\n

        from foaming mouths of junkies<\/p>\n

        that rant all along Market Street.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        While people train their thoughts<\/p>\n

        on dreary lives wherein the ego<\/p>\n

        often takes uncertain dark turns<\/p>\n

        I\u2019ll concentrate on giving back.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        I would offer the thief<\/p>\n

        a luscious ripe peach<\/p>\n

        should he give up his gun<\/p>\n

        and instead make babies.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. The Third Eye<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Exists in hollow space,<\/p>\n

          pure reason a priori,<\/p>\n

          its processed images appearing<\/p>\n

          through the mind\u2019s apertures<\/p>\n

          conjoined with intuition,<\/p>\n

          abstract ergo metaphysical,<\/p>\n

          transfiguring, multichromatic,<\/p>\n

          beyond science and logic,<\/p>\n

          amoral, empirical, ever-present,<\/p>\n

          blindly inventing geometries,<\/p>\n

          transcendent non being,<\/p>\n

          indestructible power<\/p>\n

          immune to corrupted will,<\/p>\n

          entity that nourishes<\/p>\n

          the beast within.<\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Seasonal Stream<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Sound bites\u00a0 absurd declarations\u00a0 faux words<\/p>\n

            spread apathy\u00a0 millions absorb\u00a0 ghastly news<\/p>\n

            without reason\u00a0 easily maneuvered\u00a0 so seems<\/p>\n

            radical strategies\u00a0 abound among\u00a0 tribes while<\/p>\n

            contorted minds\u00a0 jade attitudes\u00a0 makeshift sins<\/p>\n

            corrupt morality\u00a0 disoriented logic\u00a0 so profuse<\/p>\n

            implores adoration\u00a0 adding stress\u00a0 this requires<\/p>\n

            complete destruction\u00a0 not to\u00a0 include worthiest<\/p>\n

            blooming azaleas\u00a0 whale sperm\u00a0 cordial ghosts<\/p>\n

            always honorable\u00a0 fine people\u00a0 don\u2019t complain<\/p>\n

            but embrace\u00a0 that solidly\u00a0 unfettered evidence<\/p>\n

            such as\u00a0 complicated technology\u00a0 because that<\/p>\n

            fosters suns\u00a0 exudes happiness\u00a0 purest dreams<\/p>\n

            refined reality\u00a0 although some\u00a0 informed folk<\/p>\n

            may diverge\u00a0 they consider\u00a0 this unimportant<\/p>\n

            mostly prefer\u00a0 sacrosanct love\u00a0 that obliterates<\/p>\n

            lazy naysayers\u00a0 salutes astronomy\u00a0 drills deep<\/p>\n

            debunks those\u00a0 chaos thugs\u00a0 totally eradicates<\/p>\n

            fantastical wealth\u00a0 may encourage\u00a0 much hope<\/p>\n

            moreover ants\u00a0 provide wisdom\u00a0 very dynamic<\/p>\n

            service well\u00a0 human instinct\u00a0 which inevitably<\/p>\n

            extends virtue\u00a0 restores energy\u00a0 pampers egos<\/p>\n

            so psyches\u00a0 remain sensible\u00a0 secretly whisper<\/p>\n

            be benevolent\u00a0 follow laws\u00a0 also industrialize<\/p>\n

            although some\u00a0 avowed serfs\u00a0 hollowed souls<\/p>\n

            capsize easily\u00a0 become incensed\u00a0 spurn faith<\/p>\n

            lashing out\u00a0 extrapolate pain\u00a0 terribly isolated<\/p>\n

            can\u2019t reboot\u00a0 disavow rainfall\u00a0 initiate conflict<\/p>\n

            produce robots\u00a0 march stridently\u00a0 defy ample<\/p>\n

            obvious solutions\u00a0 eviscerate justice\u00a0 slay fun<\/p>\n

            deny responsibility\u00a0 yet savants\u00a0 still prosper<\/p>\n

            enabled to\u00a0 navigate oceans\u00a0 create mountains<\/p>\n

            oppose those\u00a0 wonky algorithms\u00a0 eyes peeled<\/p>\n

            perhaps divine\u00a0 live illumed\u00a0 stand unaccused<\/p>\n

            patently trustworthy\u00a0 shatter lies\u00a0 dig theories<\/p>\n

            diss wacky\u00a0 evangelical frauds\u00a0 thereby invite<\/p>\n

            acrobatic angels\u00a0 into spaces\u00a0 never imagined<\/p>\n

            although heretics\u00a0 remain polarized\u00a0 the lucid<\/p>\n

            rightly schooled\u00a0 lively pipers\u00a0 remain steady<\/p>\n

            gravitate toward\u00a0 pure air\u00a0 fashionable sunsets<\/p>\n

            enhanced ambiance\u00a0 relaxed totality\u00a0 and beer<\/p>\n

            in anticipation\u00a0 of time\u2019s\u00a0 existential mayhem<\/p>\n

            stay resilient\u00a0 relish realms\u00a0 wherein freedom<\/p>\n

            perpetuates delight\u00a0 and finally\u00a0 crushes fright<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Dying Quail<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

               <\/p>\n

              Stretch your imagination<\/p>\n

              as though made of rubber,<\/p>\n

              see the quail spiral down<\/p>\n

              to fragment upon granite.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

              This quail no better off<\/p>\n

              than the racoon I noted<\/p>\n

              along a roadside today,<\/p>\n

              body squashed by tires.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

              Such woe as weathered<\/p>\n

              when precious creatures<\/p>\n

              like these meet demise<\/p>\n

              tortures sensitive minds.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

              That quail spins surely<\/p>\n

              knowing it must expire,<\/p>\n

              inevitable end pending<\/p>\n

              and no one\u2019s the wiser.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Ontological Exegesis<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                I would whirl a lightning lariat,<\/p>\n

                lasso time, tie it to my belt,<\/p>\n

                lord of constellations.<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                And this shall duly comprise<\/p>\n

                what\u2019s meant by philosophers as<\/p>\n

                supreme self, removed from pain,<\/p>\n

                anguish and innocuous ignorance.<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                I see natives in the Middle East<\/p>\n

                discarded like so much rubbish,<\/p>\n

                no less in countries of Africa,<\/p>\n

                this while munitions proliferate,<\/p>\n

                freedom impaled worldwide.<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                And people chained by<\/p>\n

                generational customs,<\/p>\n

                foregone conclusions<\/p>\n

                they\u2019ve been taught.<\/p>\n

                Unfortunately reason<\/p>\n

                rarely intercedes to<\/p>\n

                cure their delusions.<\/p>\n

                So I solicit my innate spirit<\/p>\n

                to expose symbols engraved<\/p>\n

                on ancient skulls embedded<\/p>\n

                beneath the Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                Yet still must inhale exhaust,<\/p>\n

                the sky flashing crimson<\/p>\n

                as fairies flicker at dusk.<\/p>\n

                And no pharaoh with chariot<\/p>\n

                risen from a dusty tomb<\/p>\n

                arrives to lessen the gloom.<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                Doubtless should planetary<\/p>\n

                aliens from space visit<\/p>\n

                they would be in awe<\/p>\n

                of what false gods people<\/p>\n

                adopt, living as slaves<\/p>\n

                to those whose words<\/p>\n

                they\u2019ve never heard.<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Travel Advisory<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Help love make its way<\/p>\n

                  to a sacred day.<\/p>\n

                  Treat your mother like<\/p>\n

                  a favorite song.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Drown sorrows in some<\/p>\n

                  very deep well.<\/p>\n

                  Administer blessings<\/p>\n

                  and don\u2019t pout.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Feel hail zinging<\/p>\n

                  through your flesh.<\/p>\n

                  Fail at what you care<\/p>\n

                  nothing about.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Fantasize until<\/p>\n

                  your eyes dilate.<\/p>\n

                  Embrace logic<\/p>\n

                  of melting ice.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Improvise rather than<\/p>\n

                  simply give up.<\/p>\n

                  Forgive the randy spy<\/p>\n

                  although he fibs.<\/p>\n

                  Bury sorrows almost<\/p>\n

                  worse than death.<\/p>\n

                  Be regretful or else guilt<\/p>\n

                  may consume you.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Write palindromes until<\/p>\n

                  the heart\u2019s content.<\/p>\n

                  Eat fruit our Mother Earth<\/p>\n

                  bestows upon us.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Pacify attackers when<\/p>\n

                  they threaten you.<\/p>\n

                  Let headless horsemen<\/p>\n

                  pass you right by.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Corpus Mundi   Nietzsche and Me   After thundershowers an array of autumn colors paints the wetted landscape<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1872,77],"tags":[1873,1123,1902],"class_list":["post-16358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-egophobia-89-90","category-english","tag-egophobia-89-90","tag-english","tag-thomas-piekarski"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6DakB-4fQ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16358"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16359,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16358\/revisions\/16359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}