The red poppy is pinned to my heart (Remembrance Day)

Nov. 11^th, 2010 (Remembrance Day)

Did your red poppy pinned to your heart successfully hid blood on your hands?

I am walking to my university library to escape the all-day-rain. It is November 11^th today. Remembrance day. Supposedly one to remember the war (1^st World War) that was supposed to be “the war that ended all wars.”

If all these water drops falling from the dark sky – where the havens are supposedly – where human tears, that heavy rain I am walking through today is well timed. After all, in our supposedly random universe, it could be sunny day today or maybe one with just a little sprinkle from the sky.

I walk, hooded. Do I look like a pious monk or sinister assassin?, I wonder. I am hooded, and I do look at my feet. But it is not because of my shame. I just want to avoid puddles and keep my socks dry. After all I wear sandals. No, I am not mimicking Christ. I just love sandals.

I walk by the third red poppy, lost by others, laying on the sidewalk and drenched by that rain. “Rain of our communal tears?” – a though sparks in my brain. Since I have to look down in order to avoid the puddles, I can not avoid seeing my own red poppy pinned to my jacket - men made, organic fiber, fair trade jacket from trendy Mountain Co-opp. No, I am talking about the red poppy here. It is the jacket - stupid.

I am walking in the rain. The spark-though ignites an arc of thoughts and one more “Bolek's Gold though” is spit out off my brain:

“We all would like to have all sociopaths / psychopaths behind the bars but aren't we actually the one as a whole. BoWe_2010”

Inside the safe heavens – read: any place at the University that has a roof – I google “ psychopaths” and “sociopath” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy) to check validity of my recent enlightenment. It appears, I am correct.

It is almost one hundred years since the men-kind, shocked and ashamed with his own inhumanity, proclaimed the latest war of his, “the war that will end all wars.” In order not to betray his own pledge the men-kind pinned the red poppy to his heart and then .. stepped into the usual business: WW2, Colonial War, Cold War, Holly War, Just War, Humanitarian War and the most insane of all wars – the mother of all wars – the War to end the Wars.

Bolek's nut ! you may declare. Excuse me! What about the following: “Persistent lying or stealing ; Apparent lack of remorse or empathy for others ; Cruelty to animals -- especially human animals (my own addition to this definition) ; Poor behavioral controls — expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal abuse; inadequate control of anger and temper ; A history of childhood conduct disorder ; Recurring difficulties with the law ; Promiscuity ; Tendency to violate the boundaries and rights of others ; Aggressive, often violent behavior; prone to getting involved in fights ; Inability to tolerate boredom ; Disregard for right and wrong ; Poor or abusive relationships ; Irresponsible work behavior ; Disregard for safety.” You See! A sociopath. I was right.

Copyright 2010 by Bolek Wesolowski