A WEEPING WORD

A bold little word that once propelled our civilization forward,
a word that basked in the crowd’s fervent adoration upon the stage,
a word that seemed simple, yet proved elusive:

convenience.

At some indistinct point in time,
a modifier appeared before it:

my.

Perhaps they were destined for each other.
One day, the two became one
and strutted proudly through the world.

But then…
from this once-triumphant creature came the sound of weeping.

When asked why,
he said that all his close friends had deserted him.

He had endured years of hardship
to establish his dignity.
Yet dignity that shines alone
is bound to leave the world in fear.

The friends who had been quietly keeping their distance
began, one by one, to stop visiting altogether.

Like a neighborhood swept by the flames of disaster,
half-burned pillars and blackened walls
may one day haunt his grotesque dreams forever.

And now,
he cries out the names of the old friends
whose help he desperately needs:

Courtesy
Consideration
Respect
Humility…

Concession