Kill the beast

Kill the Beast!

When I hear that, I think of the Middle Ages—
villagers with pitchforks driving out anyone
who doesn’t fit their mold.
Has anything changed centuries later?
I feel like nothing has.
No torches or pitchforks anymore,
but the methods used are still what we’d call "unorthodox."

I wonder what humanity has achieved
thousands of years later,
aside from ultimate control
we now call democracy—
and robots serving food in restaurants
where you order online first,
then hurry to leave
so the next customer can take your seat.
Dining out isn’t about enjoyment anymore,
just faces buried in phones, scrolling, tapping.

Kill the beast?
The devil isn’t the beast
it’s the people using Satan’s name
to scrub their own streets clean.
Streets where only those who follow
the rules set by a handful of dictators
are allowed to live.
People who eagerly slander others
while playing the victim,
acting like they’re the endangered species.

Kill the beast?
That slogan makes me sick.
If anything, the beast should sue them
for libel and defamation.

prompt: kill the beast by @freewritehouse