For I have decided to make a confession
For confession is good for the confessor
For those who will hear it, however, it is not so good
For they will suffer
For that is the way of the world
For it is paradoxical and full of irony in all the things that we do
For what is pleasure to one is pain to another
For my relief in this will not comfort you
For it will give you vertigo and foment unrest in your soul
For no good deed goes unpunished, an adage I offer as my answer
For even though I know that is inadequate I still give it
For that is why criminals rule the earth
For they are brutal
For why else has God hardened his heart
For we have our will and have chosen to hurt
For what else can we do, we poor humans who have come into existence
For in that we had no choice, if choice you call it
For that is all that I know and it is not sufficient
For even my dog knows better than I
For she barks only to keep pain away or when she's afraid
For in that she is wise and deserving of grace
For I am not, for I choose to be different
For I know my limitations but still go beyond them
For that is my way, and also yours
For we are foolish persons who forget what we know or disregard it
For we are not dogs or cats or birds
For they are fortunate

For Christopher Smart


© T. Birch 2002
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