Aargh!

This exclamation is used as an

expression of anguish, horror, rage,

often with humorous intent. As in, “now

they’re talking about lowering taxes

for the wealthy - aargh!”

It happens to rhyme with Camargue,

the name of a delta region in the

south of France, between the channels of

the Grand and Petit Rhône where cattle,

and notably bulls for the Spanish

bullrings are reared. As in, “now they’re

making a spectacle of animal

cruelty - aargh!”

Camargue was also the name of a

two-door luxury saloon

marketed by Rolls-Royce

between 1975 and 1986

with a 6.75 litre V8 engine

and an asking price of fifty times

an experienced teacher’s annual

salary. As in, “now the obscenely

rich are being feted instead of

debated - aargh!”

‘Aargh’ also rhymes with Pushtimarg,

the spontaneous, selfless, motiveless

pure love for Krishna, which does not

require a devotee to give up

a householder’s life. 

unlike other such philosophies, it

believes you can serve Krishna better

by being a householder. There is

no need for a life of contemplation,

so long as you see yourself

as a participant and companion

of Krishna in your daily life. As in,

“now they’re driving a Camargue from

the Rhône to the bullring

avoiding taxes altogether if

they want, because the Lord cannot be

attained by any given formula,

so they feel free to ignore the laws

of the poor, strictures of the scriptures,

their credo is ‘more’.

A rich man can enter

the kingdom of heaven, or his next life,

or nirvana, paradise, shangri-la,

utopia, bliss, capture the rapture,

have a saintly intermission,

quaintly weird submission, veiled, vile

admission, a vocational pro-

bational, an ovation for

his good fortune, or his goodly fortune,

or his fecking Godly fortune

as easily as any teacher,

or preacher, or angel-like creature,

can pass there by merit, any pirate,

or prisoner, or pauper inherit,

coz papists, and rapists, artists

and trolls are all much the same, if they’re

poor, because heaven’s for sale. Heaven,

and forgiveness, judgement in this life

and the next, it’s all for sale.

Los peregrinos del camino,

las evangelistas de tele, will tell you,

those imposters and wraiths, will tell you,

those faceless tasteless graceless wasters,

monetising the faiths, excusing

their safes, claiming eight eighths,

tipping the scales like tipping a waiter,

changing fates, skipping jail, skipping hell,

tripping the light fantastic, trading

souls in the dark, thinking living’s a lark,

will tell you. They’ll tell you: Redemption

ain’t cheap. It’s dissociable,

negotiable, pliable, buyable,

it’s fordable, recordable

but totally unaffordable

to the teachers and workers,

the unwashed and shirkers.

Like everything else,

except hard work and ditches,

redemption is reserved

for the sinners with riches - aargh!”


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