The sidewalks freeze your feet through your shoes
You regret forgettting a jacket
And not saying, “I love you”
And running away
You regret being a human; being fallible
Outside children paint a picture
Of you
Happy, remorseless, oblivious
Rising above their shallow expectations
Running from each other
To each other
We throw these images away like junk mail
A thousand years of naivety and exploration
The most important things learned for the first time
You regret being a human; being fallible
Why do we neglect the poor, the beaten down, the younger, the smaller, the weaker?
Aren’t those the ones who need our protection?
The homeless, the poverty stricken, the young, the diseased, the condemned.
Don’t bother raising your hands
Just call out an answer
Say anything
Do anything
I’ll keep walking
And plotting
And trying to solve this dumb conundrum
Count the castles on the ground
With care for their Christmas lights
But no altruism
For their fellow man
Would Jesus or Santa approve?
Would Socrates or Emerson?
Would Roosevelt or Lincoln?
Why do we?
Don’t bother raising your hand
Just call out an answer
Say anything
Do anything.
You’re a human; you are fallible.