Mankind

Martin, I’m afraid

You’re mistaken

Mankind is tragically flawed.

How else can you explain

            The callousness

            The mean selfishness

            And no mercy?

How else can you explain

            Parents who murder their children,

            Men who routinely beat their wives,

            The arguments among family and friends,

            And the jokes that tear down the worth

                        Of those we profess to love?

Mankind does not only separate the “other” from “My Kind”;

            It divorces itself from everybody.

            It is not color man despises, it is everyone,

                        Old, Young, Black, White, Red, Gay, Straight.

At what point do spouses cease to be lovers?

            Even lovers grant no true favors.

Incapable of trust; Tragically flawed!

Ariel

October 1, 2004