THEY PRAY BEFORE THEY PREY
depraved traditions of uninterrupted servility persist
conspicuously ingrained by foreboding mechanisms
vulnerable to predatory systems of living in the gutter
from centuries of unmitigated oppression and misery
insidious moguls regulate the market at their behest
unilateral decision is made in delusions of solipsism downturns impact hens on nest while dogs saunter
but horned owls lurk, snatch in the dark for a revelry
haranguers confront profound challenges and resist
or so they appear to stand up and disavow fatalism
sending out decoys and herding prey who flounder
into various traps and ridiculed in public to a pillory
responsibility eschewed in legal outcomes it consist
orgy of persecutions befall to adherents of heroism
martyrized for adopting anti-establishment posture
desecrated by pigeons on statues by freemasonry
vultures in habits of devouring youth in their midst
apostles of exploitation in backdoor of catholicism
abuses silenced by bell tolls, seeds dipped in water
stoup stained by blood of snakes at foot of calvary
wolves dig deeper into stockpiles with arms to twist
fostering elite’s corruption and lifestyle of hedonism
while pillaging, siphoning and stealing from coffers
subjecting the wretched into lifetime of dependency
hyenas and jackals mockingly pray for the deceased
candles burning at the platform of animistic paganism
cleaning essentials off carcasses from global drifters
whose faith deluded them to revere almighty currency
“They pray before they prey” is the author’s poem based on his painting bearing the same title. The acrylic painting on canvas was first exhibited in June 2024 at the Mindanao Hall of the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa under the title, “Eusebro’s Morphology of Art, Poetry, and Rizalism”.
The art utilizes pictorial symbolism to depict the global predatory system embedded in capitalist democracies where dehumanizing practices are tolerated in pursuit of profit. Institutionalized oppression of the weak by the strong and willful participants of modern slavery are illustrated in mythological narrative style.
The verse in Isaiah 13:22 says: “The Hyenas will howl in their
citadels, and Jackals in their pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.” With regard to birds of prey, Mathew 24:28 mentions: “Whenever the body is there, the vultures will be gathered together.”
Any of these passages are worthy of pictorializing and capturing its essence. The challenge however, if this was the intention, was to stay as faithful as possible to the original text and its word for word visual interpretation with all the literary and historical elements that must be carefully considered. Though what currently transpires in the world today seems to be lifted from these passages as if the predator nation allows itself to be prophesied and portrayed as howling in their citadels and palaces, the painting gravitated towards depicting the hypocrisy of the silent majority who pray for peace in churches at the expense of an annihilated enemy.
Another reference from the past that still rings true in the chambers of power and seat of aggression is Che Guevara’s fiery speech in December 1964 to the United Nations. Che
lambasted the hypocrisy of those predators who were attempting to overthrow the Cuban Revolution. “Western civilization disguises behind its showy facade, a picture of hyenas and jackals… it must be clearly established that the U.S. government is not the champion of freedom, but rather the perpetrator of exploitation and oppression of the peoples of the world, and of a large part of its own population.”
The tone of condemnation in Che’s speech encompasses the predator’s disregard of the safety and well-being of its own people, which is again, worthy of its truth to be revisited and expressed in art. Though this, too, does not in itself have a
direct correlation to the painting’s composition which chose a church setting and the use of other symbols associated with Christianity. Che’s choice of comparing imperialist aggressor with hyenas and jackals bears an influence over the characters being portrayed in the satire.
The dressed up beasts personify the obvious but the infused homophonous title of the poem playing with words pray and prey, underscores the hypocrisy of a twisted authority, not particularly that of a deceitful congregation tied to the church but includes all other hierarchical leaders and its followers within a ‘god-fearing’ dominion behaving in chicanery.
The flippant way of substituting the sacred image of crucifixion does not in any way intend to blaspheme or undermine the sanctity of the symbol associated with Christianity. The whole concept of portraying the guile nature of predators within an organization, be it civic, military, religious or otherwise, all point to the ominous make up of a superstructure that engenders predatorial practices in keeping all its prey down the abyss of irredeemable torment and death.
Butchery of the innocents in the guise of liberating them from their oppressors is the murderous rampage of ‘crusaders’ whose motto is “Deus Vult” or “God Wills It”. It is a Christian motto tied to ideas of divine providence and individual interpretation of God’s will. The predatory nature of a nation that sends its missiles or bombs to conquer evil at all cost is history that keeps repeating itself. It flaunts itself as the righteous anointed warriors in the army of God, the God
of death and destruction, as proselytizers polish the tyrant’s boots with the consecrated blood of children and tears from their grieving mothers. ####
“They pray before they prey” is the author’s poem based on his painting bearing the same title. The acrylic painting on canvas was first exhibited in June 2024 at the Mindanao Hall of the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa under the title, “Eusebro’s Morphology of Art, Poetry, and Rizalism”.
The art utilizes pictorial symbolism to depict the global predatory system embedded in capitalist democracies where dehumanizing practices are tolerated in pursuit of profit. Institutionalized oppression of the weak by the strong and willful participants of modern slavery are illustrated in mythological narrative style.
The verse in Isaiah 13:22 says: “The Hyenas will howl in their
citadels, and Jackals in their pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.” With regard to birds of prey, Mathew 24:28 mentions: “Whenever the body is there, the vultures will be gathered together.”
Any of these passages are worthy of pictorializing and capturing its essence. The challenge however, if this was the intention, was to stay as faithful as possible to the original text and its word for word visual interpretation with all the literary and historical elements that must be carefully considered. Though what currently transpires in the world today seems to be lifted from these passages as if the predator nation allows itself to be prophesied and portrayed as howling in their citadels and palaces, the painting gravitated towards depicting the hypocrisy of the silent majority who pray for peace in churches at the expense of an annihilated enemy.
Another reference from the past that still rings true in the chambers of power and seat of aggression is Che Guevara’s fiery speech in December 1964 to the United Nations. Che
lambasted the hypocrisy of those predators who were attempting to overthrow the Cuban Revolution. “Western civilization disguises behind its showy facade, a picture of hyenas and jackals… it must be clearly established that the U.S. government is not the champion of freedom, but rather the perpetrator of exploitation and oppression of the peoples of the world, and of a large part of its own population.”
The tone of condemnation in Che’s speech encompasses the predator’s disregard of the safety and well-being of its own people, which is again, worthy of its truth to be revisited and expressed in art. Though this, too, does not in itself have a
direct correlation to the painting’s composition which chose a church setting and the use of other symbols associated with Christianity. Che’s choice of comparing imperialist aggressor with hyenas and jackals bears an influence over the characters being portrayed in the satire.
The dressed up beasts personify the obvious but the infused homophonous title of the poem playing with words pray and prey, underscores the hypocrisy of a twisted authority, not particularly that of a deceitful congregation tied to the church but includes all other hierarchical leaders and its followers within a ‘god-fearing’ dominion behaving in chicanery.
The flippant way of substituting the sacred image of crucifixion does not in any way intend to blaspheme or undermine the sanctity of the symbol associated with Christianity. The whole concept of portraying the guile nature of predators within an organization, be it civic, military, religious or otherwise, all point to the ominous make up of a superstructure that engenders predatorial practices in keeping all its prey down the abyss of irredeemable torment and death.
Butchery of the innocents in the guise of liberating them from their oppressors is the murderous rampage of ‘crusaders’ whose motto is “Deus Vult” or “God Wills It”. It is a Christian motto tied to ideas of divine providence and individual interpretation of God’s will. The predatory nature of a nation that sends its missiles or bombs to conquer evil at all cost is history that keeps repeating itself. It flaunts itself as the righteous anointed warriors in the army of God, the God
of death and destruction, as proselytizers polish the tyrant’s boots with the consecrated blood of children and tears from their grieving mothers. ####