• Submit Poetry
  • Support SCP
  • About Us
  • Members
  • Join
Monday, October 27, 2025
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
No Result
View All Result
Home Poetry Culture

‘On the Cost of Doing Evil’ by Lee Goldberg

January 25, 2022
in Culture, Humor, Poetry
A A
7

.

On the Cost of Doing Evil

I care not if the sky burns red and human flesh is seared.
I pray that all souls will just rot as many long have feared.

I wait for when the birds don’t fly and locusts take the grain.
I hope the fertile soil dies from blood and acid rain.

I dream to see the lakes all boil and swollen throats stay dry.
I rejoice when the hopes and dreams of good men fade and die.

I laugh when fearful citizens are slaughtered like poor sheep!
I smile when orphaned children walk alone as they all weep.

My smile widens as the world becomes an ugly place!
I thrill while watching the destruction of the human race!

For I am one that loves the dark, and thrives on others’ pain.
Misery and lack of hope are my most cherished gain.

I am a prince of evil, I revel in agony!
It’s squeals of fear and suffering that set my spirit free!

I share all this on Facebook with some pictures to be seen.
I never get a single like; people are so mean!

.

.

Lee Goldberg (aka Rantingsenior) is a writer who lives in Naperville, Illinois. He is retired and has worked in a variety of areas including computer programming and network administration.

ShareTweetPin
The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.
Read Our Comments Policy Here
Next Post
‘The Two Corteges’ by Soulary, Translated by Hadyn Adams

'The Two Corteges' by Soulary, Translated by Hadyn Adams

‘The Demons of the Night’ by Peter Hartley

'The Demons of the Night' by Peter Hartley

‘The Attempt to Curse J.K. Rowling’ by Brian Yapko

'The Attempt to Curse J.K. Rowling' by Brian Yapko

Comments 7

  1. Paul Freeman says:
    4 years ago

    Now where’s the ‘like’ button?

    Thanks for the poetic (and hopefully ironic) rant, Lee.

    Next time rainbows and butterflies, maybe

    Reply
  2. Cheryl Corey says:
    4 years ago

    Well done, Lee! The final couplet referring to FB was an unexpected and funny twist. Rant away, Rantingsenior!

    Reply
  3. C.B. Anderson says:
    4 years ago

    Now, that is what I call a cheerful take on Schadenfreude.

    Reply
  4. Margaret Coats says:
    4 years ago

    Dark humor with neatly hidden moralistic spikes; good job!

    Reply
  5. Yael says:
    4 years ago

    Very entertaining and darkly humorous, nicely done, I like it.

    Reply
  6. Norma Pain says:
    4 years ago

    Very entertaining Lee, I loved the perfectly twisted ending.

    Reply
  7. Lee Goldberg says:
    4 years ago

    Ironic? Dark? Humorous? Twisted? Entertaining? I’m not sure I understand. But thank you for the likes. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Paul A. Freeman on ‘Lotus’: A Poem by Margaret CoatsOctober 27, 2025

    From 'primeval' beginnings to 'immortality' (almost biblical!), you have weaved a spiritual thread through this piece, Margaret, incorporating longer vocabulary…

  2. Laura Deagon on ‘Lotus’: A Poem by Margaret CoatsOctober 27, 2025

    Margaret, your Lotus poem is so sweet. I always imagine that lotus flowers are accompanied by invisible faeries. I enjoyed…

  3. Susan Jarvis Bryant on ‘Earth to Earthlings’ and Other Poetry
    by Susan Jarvis Bryant
    October 26, 2025

    Adam, thank you very much indeed! I'm glad to hear you find the dodo humorous. I think Lewis Carroll may…

  4. Susan Jarvis Bryant on ‘Earth to Earthlings’ and Other Poetry
    by Susan Jarvis Bryant
    October 26, 2025

    Scott, thank you very much for your kind and appreciative comments. I am glad so many of us on this…

  5. Susan Jarvis Bryant on ‘Earth to Earthlings’ and Other Poetry
    by Susan Jarvis Bryant
    October 26, 2025

    Martin, what a generous and inspirational comment. My Muse is dancing with delight and telling me to fetch my pen…

Receive Poems in Your Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,619 other subscribers
Facebook Twitter Youtube

Archive

Categories

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Submit Poetry
  • Become a Member
  • Members List
  • Support the Society
  • Advertisement Placement
  • Comments Policy
  • Terms of Use

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books

© 2025 SCP. WebDesign by CODEC Prime.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.