A Pessimist’s Manifesto
by David Blumenfeld / November 1, 2026 / Poetry / strange!
© David Blumenfeld
pushed shoved forced (Heidegger says thrown) through that bloody slimy far too narrow channel
into a cheerless world amid mama’s groans grunts gasps inter faeces et urinam nascimur we are
born between shit and piss says Augustine (though where is the reference) some think it was
Clairvaux who also snarled in snappy Latin too long to quote — man is but stinking sperm
a shit sack food of worms — before which ceaseless striving grief gore guilt remorse
regret the agen bite of inwit fear frenzy fright sorrow stench degeneration disease
decay depression dejection despair devastation panic plaintive plangency apathy
ennui anger rage roiling resentment bile broken-heartedness love-unrequited
senseless striving murder mayhem injustice punishment without crime
or recompense torture torment meaningless meandering days weeks
years lives lost loved ones deadliest deterioration disconsolation
disillusionment tears an endless vale relentless rot-filled then
soon Vale! Farewell! though few fare well no heaven no
emerging from the cave only empty oblivion bare
nothingness needless nullity what has it been
constant crushing conatus as we go about
life say those from Schopenhauer to
Benatar the cradle rocking above
an abyss our existence an
anguished crack of con-
sciousnesss between
two eternities of
darkness
EEW!
David Blumenfeld resumed writing poetry after more than forty years. Since 2022, he has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize three times. One of his pieces received a “notable essay” commendation in The Best American Essays 2023, and another appeared in The Best American Haiku 2023. Davidcblumenfeld.com