I’m tired of getting told who’s being stoned in the proverbial public square this time. Yes, we want criminals put behind bars, but do we need witness it, especially in the form of entertainment? Why care what mess movie stars have gotten themselves into? Why so eager to participate in gossip, or clap when someone successful slips? And the way political candidates dig up dirt about each other! Don’t get me started.
Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. The idea is to pick a poem you love, carry it with you and share it with colleagues, family, neighbors, and friends. This Jane Hirshfield poem is going in my pocket because it matches my sentiment:
FOR HORSES, HORSEFLIES
We know nothing of the lives of others.
Under the surface, what strange desires,
what rages, weaknesses, fears.
Sometimes it breaks into our daily paper
and we shake our heads in wonder –
“Who would behave in such a way” we ask.
Unspoken the thought, “Let me not be tested.”
Unspoken the thought, “Let me not be known.”
Under the surface, something that whispers
“Anything can be done.”
For horses, horseflies. For humans, shame.
