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ABSOLUTE CORRUPTION AHEAD

Resist the Mind Games

By C. Rommial ButlerPublished about a month ago β€’ 1 min read
Top Story - January 2026
William L. Champney - The Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770

NOTICE:

Water is not ICE.

The former will drown you,

The latter will shoot you

When you're unarmed.

It might be the stupidest thing

Anyone's ever done

In the history of the office

To send an army of agents

Into the coldest part of the country

During the dead of winter

To investigate a fraud

That could and should have been

Handled quietly and without fanfare.

But just like water is not ice,

Winning the highest office

Does not vest the steaming turd

That dresses in its finery

With the moral character

To make sound decisions for others.

It may even be that the very existence

Of such offices and power

Must inevitably attract the vilest refuse

From the toxic, radioactive, post-Cold War,

Post-Truth, post"modern", post-industrial revolution

Compost heap that has become American CULTure.

<>

These are the malformed monsters

Matriculating from the cold abyss

Of a conscienceless progress.

<>

WARNING:

POWER CANNOT REPRESENT PEOPLE,

IT CAN ONLY EVER RULE THEM.

BETTER TO BE STRONG.

RESIST THE MIND GAMES.

heartbreaksocial commentary

About the Creator

C. Rommial Butler

C. Rommial Butler is a writer, musician and philosopher from Indianapolis, IN. His works can be found online through multiple streaming services and booksellers.

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  1. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

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Comments (26)

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  • Marilyn Glover22 days ago

    Excellent work and a most frightening topic. Congratulations on your top story and for making last week's leadership board!πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

  • AMEN!!! I get so overwrought my the news lately, it's not great for my mental health to write about it, so thanks for voicing what I & so many others think/feel. I mention this solely because you are a fellow Hoosier... I saw a church in Indianapolis had a vigil for the victims of ICE. The comments were just appalling. This does feel like the 'heart of Trump country' almost as much as Texas. Any reminder it's not is always welcomed. What's especially stunning to me is what you said about the "stupidest thing anyone has ever done." I would have said that eight months ago... or four months ago... or even a month ago. He takes moronic and hypocrisy to new heights. Just when you think it can't worse, it does. When I saw the news about Alexi Pretti I was **not** surprised. Not after the way Renee Good's death was invalidated. I could go on writing for an hour but I'd likely on say what you already know. I had trouble making it to the No Kings Day here in Anderson because I'm epileptic and I don't drive. But I made it. And that was *before* there was blood in our streets. Good luck with this, sir.⚑

  • Tiffany Gordon25 days ago

    Amen CRB! Excellent work!

  • Mother Combs28 days ago

    Nicely done, Charles. Congrats on the TS <3

  • Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! πŸŽ‰πŸ’–πŸŽŠπŸŽ‰πŸ’–πŸŽŠ

  • congratulations on top story- well done

  • Sara Wilson28 days ago

    congrats on top story!

  • You are amazing

  • JBaz28 days ago

    There is no need for me to comment. You said it all.

  • Aspen Marie 28 days ago

    β€œ These are the malformed monsters Matriculating from the cold abyss Of a conscienceless progress.” Slow clap, dear friend!! Congrats on Top Story - well deserved and easily awarded.

  • LOVE It. TOP STORY > WOW

  • Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! πŸŽ‰πŸ’–πŸŽŠπŸŽ‰πŸ’–πŸŽŠ

  • Sandor Szabo29 days ago

    Abso-fucking-lutely! Well said, man.

  • Silver Daux29 days ago

    So deserving to Top Story! Congrats! Though, I wish it didn't need to be written about. Fantastic job expressing the severity of the situation.

  • "The latter will shoot you When you're unarmed." You should have seen the way my eyes widened when I realised which ICE you were talking about. What's happening is truly devastating. It breaks my heart so much 😭😭😭

  • Sandy Gillmanabout a month ago

    I love the ice/water metaphor. It's such sharp way to explore how different forces impact us.

  • Novel Allenabout a month ago

    Makes you want to puke, doesn't it. Riches do not common sense make. MANY WAYS TO SAT IT. READ MINE. https://customer-opinion.top/poets/s-i-l-e-n-c-e-please%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class="css-w4qknv-Replies">

  • John Coxabout a month ago

    Wow!!! Preach it, brother!

  • Mark Grahamabout a month ago

    Good job in expressing your thoughts and feelings on what is going on in this country. Sometimes people just do not think before acting.

  • Judey Kalchik about a month ago

    1984 was written in 1949; 4 generations ago. Big Brother operated by controlling the story, the news. Today, even with the pervasive internet and the omnipresent phone cameras- the narrative is true for many people only through the news they watch. As the government controls more and more news venues, and the FCC abolished the Fairness Doctrine, the line is again blurred and surreal. Your poem has power.

  • Lamar Wigginsabout a month ago

    On point and definitely relevant! Feels like the resistance is coming and the fake castles will come tumbling down.

  • L.I.Eabout a month ago

    Sad. And very true and powerful poem.

  • Tim Carmichaelabout a month ago

    Every time I read about ICE hurting or killing someone and how DOJ spins it to make them the victim always reminds me of what George Orwell said in 1984, Orwell wrote β€œThe Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command”.

  • Rick Henry Christopher about a month ago

    I am very sad about what is going on in our country. People being beat up and killed in the streets is not good. Even worse is we have a president who lies in order to sway public opinion about what is happening in the streets when the video evidence very obviously says something different.

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