The Conqueror's Catechism (Part 3 The Dictator Dictates)

The will to power... Part 3 of The Conqueror's Catechism (see previously)

III. The Dictator Dictates

Truth, facts, objective reality are symbolic and mere alternatives
The conqueror reserves all rights, and is the only one who can forgive
Quoth the Sun King, Louis Quatorze, L'état, c'est moi
A self evident statement from the throne of le roi
An absolute monarch is quite obviously beyond scandal
Indeed, absolute absolutely implies a state vandal
It's as if those who have come to behold absolute power
Were granted a passport stamped "Given leave to freely plunder"

The dictator dictates at all hours in his electric circus
Diurnal rhythms are duly forsaken by those in his service
And all must pay careful attention to his dire dictums
Lest one, after a minor mistake, becomes the night's victim
Contra this nocturnal creature to whom obeisance is due
The rest of the country has to make do with nightly curfews
The conqueror's haki is the rare force in the world that allows the bearer,
Even after a panoply of mistakes, to exert their willpower over others

Reach back, if you will, to the East India Company
That rather fine epitome of British gunboat diplomacy
The opium wars: buy our drugs, feed addiction to your society
These dubious demands for free enterprise deserve notoriety
The slight was never forgotten about this assertion of power
The world-historic carry trade of greed and a state of plunder
Ultimatums galore, we'll give you the "or else" treatment
And cover up our trails with a haste that's rather indecent

Who'd have thought that Rhodes Must Fall would one day be the rallying cry
What with colleges, and even multiple countries named after that guy.
His confession of faith was an assertion of cultural superiority
Even as in practice administered by loudmouths full of mediocrity
We saw them in our countries, we heard of Gold, God and Glory
Centuries later, we are still recovering from baleful colonial legacies
To paraphrase Galbraith,
   human beings come to terms quite readily with authority
But when the statues come down
   they are treated with all available indignities

Conqueror's Catechism, a playist

A soundtrack for this note bookended by the cool ruler himself, Gregory Isaacs, and heavy on the reggae angle of things. (spotify version)

The Conqueror's Catechism

A few articles of faith

1. To Loot Without End
2. Droit de Seigneur
3. The Dictator Dictates
4. An Iron Fist
5. The Ruler's Rules
6. The Heavy Mantle

This piece went beyond a haiku to become positively Talmudic in scope, hence I'll split it and dispense over the next week. Or you can wait for the book...

I nominate this internal displacement for the Things Fall Apart series under the banner of Fallen Angels.

Next in Part 4: An Iron Fist

File under: humour, satire, culture, blood, sin, greed, poetry, observation, rogues, dictator, gremlins, perception, huhudious, hatchet job, violence, strategy, Fallen Angels, Observers are worried, Things Fall Apart, toli

Writing log: Concept: May 1, 2006; April 3, 2021