Dirt Bag

[carahmellow]

just me writing poetry when I'm annoyed again...

Dirt Bag

You try to deny
the dirt bag 
living inside us all,
with a mask
of virtue
plastered to your face.

And you know as well as I,
that the high horse 
you proudly ride
will someday rear,
when the dirt bag
inevitably spooks.

So carry your 
self-righteousness humbly,
before hypocrisy
comes to call.

Pretentiousness rides
on a Clydesdale 
and your mask won’t break your fall.

[dukealien]

Your annoyance expresses itself in classical/biblical terms - an educated annoyance.

The Bible seems to have two ways of discussing this, maybe two and a half:  the first is a prediction, its variant the post-mortem, and the second a balanced prescription, viz, if you're pretentious and haughty, you will crash (a), here you are, crashed, and it's because you were a puffed-up jerk (a2); or, if you act biggety you'll crash but if you're humble you will succeed (b) with implied post-mortem versions (you succeeded because you were humble).  Comic book version:  if you prance around with your nose the air, you don't see the banana peel.

The poem does seem to have some specific individual in mind rather than a general observation (what color is the mask?)  And it is of the predictive form... which is fine because you can say "I told you so" afterward.  But it has a weakness:  the SOB might actually stay on the horse instead of falling off, and then where are you?

Using the second form, you could say, "I'd like you better if you were more humble," and then, if he stays on the slowly bucking Percheron, "Glad you took my advice."